Capitol Birding

Least Sandpiper at Capitol Lake

I did a little birding yesterday around the Capitol Building in Pierre. The level of Capitol Lake is way down, so there were some exposed areas of sand and gravel. The most interesting birds I saw were twelve Least Sandpipers. These tiny sandpipers are less than five inches in length. I caught one of them standing on a rock, and you can see its yellow legs and feet in this photo. These yellow legs distinguish the Least Sandpiper from the other small sandpipers. When I first arrived at Capitol Lake it didn't look like there were any birds there, but after about twenty minutes, I had tallied eleven species. Over on the lawn of the Governor's Mansion I could hear two Belted Kingfishers. They were perched on top of some Purple Martin houses down by the lakeshore. Wish I could have approached close enough for pictures. Maybe next time.

Bird Devotional 30

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, coccyzus americanus

“You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them.” Deuteronomy 28:39

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm.” Joel 2:25

When I read Bible passages that mention worms, I always think about cuckoos. No, not the kind that pop out of clocks, but the Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoo that are found in the summer across much of the United States. Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos are well known for their appetite for hairy caterpillars, a food that is distasteful to most other birds. During late summer infestations of webworms or tent caterpillars, both these cuckoos are regularly seen feeding on those pests. My first experience with cuckoos was at age ten when I stood with my mother and watched as a Yellow-billed Cuckoo systematically consumed tent caterpillars that had infested our black walnut tree. These cuckoos are common, but not often seen because of their preference for remaining in the heavy foliage of the forest canopy or in tangled undergrowth.

Today’s verses show God’s mercy toward His people. Though the first verse describes devastation brought about by "worms," the second verse promises restoration. The Bible describes God's judgment in the Old Testament, but it also contains the prophetic promise of restoration that comes through His Son. If there are “cankerworms, caterpillars and palmerworms” destroying your life, there is hope of restoration. Just as the cuckoo came to eat the tent caterpillars that were devouring my boyhood walnut tree, God has promised in Malachi 3:11, “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground.”

Father, I thank you for your mercy. As I put my faith in your promises, I trust you to restore what has been taken from me. Amen.

Birding on Television

There is a show on the Fox Sports Network called Birding Adventures. The show features South African birder, James Currie. I watched it for the first time this morning. In my area it comes on at 7:30 A.M. on Saturdays. Check this link to see when it may be available on your satellite or cable system: http://www.birdingadventures.com Today's program was about the California Condor. It was quite enjoyable.

Sweet Little Prattler

Warbling Vireo

To the Warbling Vireo
by Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)

Sweet little prattler, whom the morning sun
Found singing, and this livelong summer day
Keeps warbling still: here have I dreamed away
Two bright and happy hours, that passed like one,
Lulled by thy silvery converse, just begun
And never ended. Thou dost preach to me
Sweet patience and her guest, reality,
The sense of days, and weeks, and months that run
Scarce altering in their round of happiness,
And quiet thoughts, and toils that do not kill,
And homely pastimes. Though the old distress
Loom gray above us both at times, ah, still,
Be constant to thy woodland note, sweet bird;
By me at least thou shalt be loved and heard.

The Midas Touch

Baltimore Oriole -- One of the ones that Midas touched

One of the ones that Midas touched,
Who failed to touch us all,
Was that confiding prodigal,
The blissful oriole.

So drunk, he disavows it
With badinage divine;
So dazzling, we mistake him
For an alighting mine.-- Emily Dickinson

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Just when I thought I was through with bird poetry, I came across another one I could not resist. This one features the bird that I have placed number three on my list of favorite birds. And a few days ago I did hear a catbird scolding near a flock of Cedar Waxwings. I just didn't know she was a Temperance Union member. Here's the poem:

Drunk on sour cherries, the harlequin of birds
Lurches through the branches and lisps in bleared content.
While a Temperance Union Catbird shrieks her words
In a scathing, scolding lecture he's too happy to resent.
--William H. Matchett

Vulture Poem

Turkey Vulture

The vulture eats between his meals,
And that's the reason why
He very, very rarely feels
As well as you and I.

His eye is dull, his head is bald,
His neck is growing thinner.
Oh! What a lesson for us all
To only eat at dinner!

-- Hilaire Belloc

Where's the Barn?

Barn Owls are so named because they have developed an affinity for nesting in open, man-made structures such as barns and abandoned buildings. Of course before there were buildings, Barn Owls did nest in natural cavities such as hollow trees and caves. In South Dakota the small Barn Owl population prefers to nest in small natural caves in sandy banks along the Missouri River. The Barn Owl pictured here was among four that Paul Roisen and I found this weekend in central South Dakota.

Barn Owl, Tyto alba

Bird Devotional 29

American Goldfinch, Spinus tristis

“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” 1 Corinthians 3:2

One of the most beautiful birds in North America is the male American Goldfinch with its bright yellow body, black cap and black and white wings and tail. Known as “wild canary” or “thistle bird”, the American Goldfinch is a common sight throughout the United States and southern Canada, and is the state bird of Iowa and Washington. The goldfinch is a voracious eater of weed seeds, and its favorite food is thistle seed. Goldfinches readily come to bird feeders for nyjer seed or black oil sunflower seed.

Young goldfinches are not much different from young human babies in that they are not able to eat “solid food” until their digestive systems have matured. The goldfinch parents feed the nestlings by consuming thistle seed themselves and then regurgitating the partially digested seed into the young birds’ mouths. This gruel-like substance is sometimes even called “canary milk.”

The Apostle Paul recognized that the early Christians were not yet mature enough to handle anything but the most elementary spiritual teachings. For that reason he gave them “milk” and not “solid food.” The writer of Hebrews echoes Paul’s frustration by writing in Hebrews 5:12, “though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

Partially digested thistle seeds may be quite appropriate for young goldfinches, just as spiritual “milk” is quite appropriate for young Christians. However, with maturity there must come a change in diet. Let us move on to maturity.

Lord, I am grateful for your loving, nurturing presence in my life. I long to move on into maturity. Give me grace as I walk the path you have set before me. Amen.

Perforate Nares

Juvenile Turkey Vulture

You learn something every day. Yesterday I saw this juvenile Turkey Vulture. When I noticed you can see right through a hole in its beak, I wondered if that hole had a name. Well, it is called, "perforate nares," and it contains the birds' nostrils. American vultures all have this feature, and it separates them from the vultures of the Old World. Turkey Vultures have an incredible sense of smell. I read somewhere that vultures can smell a dead mouse under a pile of leaves from two hundred feet in the air. (Now I have no idea how they KNOW that, but that's what I read.) The pass-through nostril system allows more scents to reach the birds' olfactory organs. Makes sense to me.

That Wren

Marsh Wren

When I spotted this Marsh Wren in the reeds, I snapped off 54 shots as it popped in and out of the foliage. When I looked at the photos on my computer, only 6 frames actually had a bird in them. Of those six, this was the only one worth keeping. When I saw this poem by 18th century Japanese Haiku writer, Kobayashi Issa, I knew his experience with wrens had been similar to mine: The little things just won't stand still!

That Wren



That Wren--
Looking here, looking there.
You lose something?

--Kobayashi Issa

Bobolink Poetry

Bobolinks by Paul O. Roisen

Robert of Lincoln is gayly drest,
Wearing a bright black wedding-coat;
White are his shoulders and white his crest.
Hear him call his merry note:
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link,
Spink, spank, spink.
Look, what a nice coat is mine.
Sure there was never a bird so fine.
Chee, chee, chee
--William Cullen Bryant

Bobolink! Still may thy gladness
Take from me all taints of sadness;
Fill my soul with trust unshaken
In that Being who has taken
Care for every living thing,
In summer, winter, fall, and spring.
--Thomas Hill

Life's a Picnic

Juvenile Barn Swallow

I have noticed that Barn Swallows like to build nests under the roofs of picnic table shelters in little-used picnic grounds of South Dakota's recreation areas. Pictured here on a table at one of those shelters is a Barn Swallow fledgling that at first I thought was injured. Then its parent swooped in and fed it an insect, and in an instant they both flew off. It made me think of this Bible verse: "Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God" (Psalm 84:3).

Kingbird Sunset

Western Kingbird watching the sun set in the west

Last night I went for a drive just before dark. I took some pictures of a Western Kingbird perched on a sign that said "Speed Limit 25." I drove on for another thirty minutes or so and turned around. When I went by the sign again the words were no longer visible, but the kingbird was a perfect silhouette against the setting sun. Do you think I will find an Eastern Kingbird looking at the rising sun this morning?

Thing With Feathers

Western Meadowlarks

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune -- without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me. -Emily Dickinson

Bird Devotional 28

Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottus

“How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?” Proverbs 1:22

The Northern Mockingbird may be the most well-known bird in the southern half of the United States. The states of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas have selected the mockingbird as their official state bird. Mockingbirds are quite conspicuous, and if there is one in the neighborhood it will likely make its presence known. They are members of a family of birds known as mimidae, or “mimics.” These birds are some of the best singers in North America, and the mockingbird may be the champion songster of the whole group. Mockingbirds, of course, are named for their habit of mimicking or “mocking” other birds. Its Latin species name, polyglottus, means "many-voiced." In fact, they do not limit their imitations to birds, but are known to imitate barking dogs, rusty door hinges, wind chimes, cell phone rings and other mechanical noises.

Today’s verse speaks of mockers and mockery in the way most of us use those words. Mock means to treat with scorn or derision. In the metaphor of the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom asks the question, “How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?” Wisdom says to the foolish mocker: “If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called…I will mock when calamity overtakes you” (Proverbs 1:23-26). It is unfortunate that today’s beautiful bird, Northern Mockingbird, is saddled with the name “mocker.” Because it has that name it carries with it all the negative connotations from the passage in Proverbs. A more appropriate name might be “imitator bird.” Its Bible verse could be Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love.” The Bible calls us to be imitators of God and not foolish mockers. Respond to God’s love as the dearly loved child that you are.

God, I want to be an imitator of you. Fill me with your wisdom and your love. Amen.

Gulls on the Rocks

Ring-billed Gulls 79 -- Franklin's Gulls 14

The Missouri River dams have been releasing a lot of water in the past few weeks. The result has been large numbers of small fish being killed or injured coming through the dam turbines. When this happens, large numbers of gulls congregate to feed upon the fish. Pictured is part of a large group of gulls resting on the rocks below Big Bend Dam after gorging themselves on the fish banquet. I tried to count the birds in this picture, and I came up with 14 Franklin's Gulls and 79 Ring-billed Gulls. Anybody else want to try?

Unprocessed Birdseed

South Dakota sunflower field

One of the best foods for feeding wild birds is black oil sunflower seeds. Sunflowers are grown commercially in central South Dakota. There are few sights more beautiful than a field of sunflowers in August when the flower heads are full and the petals are bright and bold. Later on when the plants fade and start to dry, we will know that autumn is almost here. Then the fields will be ready for harvest, and it will be time to haul the seeds to the processing plant.

Sunflowers!

I always like to drive on the east side of a sunflower field if possible. The flowers are usually all facing east to catch the morning sun.

Commercial sunflowers -- with wild sunflowers growing in front

As you can see, the commercially grown sunflowers are much larger than the wild type.

Underground Owl

Burrowing Owl peeking out of its burrow

burrow (bur' o) v.
to live or hide in a hole dug in the ground

"They were forced to live in the dry stream beds, among the rocks and in holes in the ground" (Job 30:6).

Burrowing Owls live out on the prairie, usually in old prairie dog burrows. The best way to find these owls is to find a prairie dog town and scan it with a scope until you locate an owl standing on a dirt mound or just peeking out of the hole as the one shown here. Honestly, if it weren't for those eyes, you wouldn't even notice the owl, would you?

Pheasants in the Straw

Four Young Ring-necked Pheasants

You've heard the old barnyard song, Turkey in the Straw? Well, these four skinny, young pheasants look like they're about ready to burst into their rendition of Pheasants in the Straw. A lot of birds like to perch on things out in the middle of fields. Sometimes they choose weed stalks, fence posts or dirt mounds. But where they are available, many birds seem to prefer hay bales. If I had to sit down somewhere out in a field I would choose a nice bale of hay over a fence post, too.

I'm Hunting Here!

Red-tailed Hawk

Hey! Do you mind? I'm trying to do a little hunting here. This field is just full of tasty little mammals and you are interrupting my concentration.

Tyrant Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Hello there! I'm one of a group of birds called tyrant flycatchers. My Latin name, Tyrannus tyrannus, shows just how intimidating I am. You don't think I'm scary? Well, just ask any bug that gets within 20 feet of my post!

Bird Devotional 27

Orchard Oriole Male by Paul O. Roisen

Orchard Oriole, Icterus Spurius

“Every kind of bird, male and female.” Genesis 7:3

We all recognize that males and females are different. Of humans, we say things like, “Men are from Mars and women are from Venus” and “Vive la difference!” Male and female birds are different, too. The Book of Genesis tells us that God created “Every kind of bird, male and female” (Genesis 7:3). A difference in appearance between males and females is called sexual dimorphism. Few birds exhibit this trait more than the Orchard Oriole. The males are a rich chestnut with black heads, wings and tails; the females are yellow and olive green. My sister, Marlene, and her husband, Hank, discovered this difference in the birds’ appearance a few years ago. My brother-in-law told Marlene that he had seen a new bird in their backyard, and he described it to her. Later, my sister saw a bird with the same habits and general appearance described by her husband, but she told him he had the color all wrong. She said the bird was greenish-yellow; he said the bird was reddish-brown. This went back and forth for a few days, and each thought the other one was crazy. Finally they realized that they were both seeing Orchard Orioles, but that Hank had seen only the male, while Marlene had seen only the female.

Orchard Oriole Female

Like my sister and brother-in-law arguing about their orioles, we sometimes think men and women are so different that they must be different species altogether. Indeed, the church has often made a major distinction between the roles of men and women within the Body of Christ, sometimes relegating women to the status of “Second-class Christians.” The important thing to remember is that in God’s eyes we are all the same. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). We all easily recognize the differences in people, whether in ethnicity, gender or economic status. What is more difficult is accepting the fact that we are all the same through our unity in Christ Jesus.

Father, give me a heart to accept as equals all who put their trust in you. Make us one in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Red 163

The Turkey Vulture known as Red 163

This afternoon I spotted about two dozen Turkey Vultures perched on an electric transmission tower below Big Bend Dam. Among them was one that appeared to have a red patch on its side. From a distance it looked like a giant Red-winged Blackbird. Closer inspection through my binoculars revealed that the bird was bearing a red wing tag with the number 163. I sent off an email to the Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, an organization that among other things, helps keep track of tagged Turkey Vultures. I received a reply stating that this vulture, Red 163, was tagged as a sub adult on December 16, 2008 in northwestern Venezuela. That's quite a trip -- even for a bird as big as a Turkey Vulture.

Dam Birds!

American Goldfinch at Fort Randall Dam

I spend a lot of time birding around South Dakota's four Missouri River Dams: Gavin's Point, Fort Randall, Big Bend and Oahe. The areas below the dams are especially attractive to fish-eating birds. Eagles, ospreys, gulls and terns do their fishing from the sky. Ducks, pelicans, cormorants, grebes and loons do their fishing while swimming on or underneath the water's surface. The woods and grasslands around the dams also support many other species of birds, including the bright yellow American Goldfinch pictured above.

Rock, Fence Post, Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark, Rock and Fence Post

Every so often while driving out in the country, I see a rock on top of a wooden fence post. I usually am hoping it will turn out to be a bird, and I am disappointed when I realize it is just a rock. Well, recently I saw this fence post that had both a rock AND a bird. Why do people place rocks atop fence posts anyway?

Bank on It

Bank Swallows on a wire

Yesterday I came upon a group of hundreds of swallows perched on utility wires on both sides of the road. I stopped to look at them and discovered they were Bank Swallows. It appeared that a large colony of the birds had fledged its young and that the birds were learning how to fly and catch insects. These lessons are vital to the young Bank Swallows as they will soon begin their long migration to South America. Called Sand Martins in much of the world, Bank Swallows excavate nest burrows up to five feet deep in sandy banks. Nesting colonies sometimes include thousands of birds.

Apartment Living

Purple Martins

This morning I drove by this large Purple Martin House near Chamberlain, South Dakota. I counted 13 martins in this picture, but there were many more perched on utility wires and flying around hunting insects. Purple Martins have adapted well to living in man-made structures, but a few still nest in natural cavities where they are available.

Bird Devotional 26

Willets by Paul O. Roisen

Willet, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus

“Like a lame man’s legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.” Proverbs 26:7

The Willet is a large, gray sandpiper with a black bill and long, gray legs. They are found on open mudflats in the northern Great Plains and the western Great Basin of North America.

I saw my first two Willets at Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota. One of them was behaving rather strangely. Through my binoculars I saw the reason: the bird had only one leg. The right leg was just a little stump dangling down an inch or two from its body. The bird stood erect, and appeared to have no trouble bending over to pick up food, or hopping about from place to place. The presence of a second Willet made me wonder if the one-legged Willet had a mate. Even with its obvious disability, the bird might have a promising future. I speculated as to the cause of the handicapped Willet’s misfortune. Had it become entangled in fishing line? Had it narrowly escaped the jaws of a hungry predator? The possible scenarios were endless. I wondered if the bird had learned anything through its ordeal. Was it more careful and more alert than it had been before? Was it more attuned to its surroundings? Though the bird may have done something foolish resulting in the loss of its leg, I suspected its days of being a fool had ended.

Some say that a person is a fool if he repeatedly engages in the same disastrous conduct, but keeps expecting different results. In other words, a fool refuses to learn from his mistakes. In today’s verse a lame leg is compared to a fool who spouts proverbs without really understanding their meaning, and with no desire to conform to their sound advice. Therefore, as our verse says, a proverb coming from such a person’s mouth is useless and has no life. Let us examine ourselves and be certain that we receive God’s Word with wisdom and understanding, and not as fools. Then the words that come from our mouths will be full of life.

Lord, give me understanding, so the words coming from my lips will be words of wisdom and life to those who hear. Amen.

Least Among You

Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla

There are a number of birds saddled with names containing the word, "least." There are Least Bittern, Least Sandpiper, Least Tern, and Least Flycatcher, among others. The names are generally appropriate. Those birds are all the most diminutive of their families. Being the "least," however, does not mean you cannot also be "great" at the same time. In Luke 9:48, Jesus said, "For he who is least among you all -- he is the greatest." And it's true. During migration in South Dakota, the Least Sandpiper is the most numerous of all the small shorebirds. And as you can see in the photo above -- they're pretty darn cute, too! So the lesson is this: Don't judge a book by its cover; don't judge a person by outward appearance; and don't judge a bird by its name.