Bird Devotional 69

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus

“Sing out of the joy of their hearts.” Isaiah 65:14

It was one of those days that we all have from time to time. I was way behind on my work, yet I was standing around waiting for some people who were late for a meeting. I decided to step out the back door for some fresh air, but to my dismay a cold, steady rain was falling. I stood outside under the building overhang for a few minutes, listening to the rain and taking in the earthy smells typical of a damp spring day. Gradually I became aware of a bird singing somewhere in the trees behind the building. The song was a beautiful, rolling whistle that seemed to be the melody to the rain’s staccato accompaniment. Finally I saw the bird. A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was perched in the highest branch of the tallest tree. It reminded me of Gene Kelley in the musical, Singing in the Rain. In spite of the falling rain, the bird was singing for joy.

True joy comes from within. It is not something that is dependent upon circumstances. Today’s Bible verse tells us that God’s servants will, “sing out of the joy of their hearts.” But how does that joy get into our hearts in the first place? Paul wrote a letter to remind the church at Thessalonica that they, “welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). So joy is a gift given by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s joy allows us to welcome the message that is contained in God’s Word. A very important part of that message is, “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Jesus explained that He gave us the command to love each other, “so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Receive the joy that the Holy Spirit gives, and even when the rains of life come down, you will be able to “sing out of the joy of your heart.”

Lord, I ask you to give me the true joy that the Holy Spirit brings. Fill me with that joy so that even in the stormy times I will be able to sing out of the joy of my heart. Amen.

Low Bridge

Stuck Truck

Yesterday afternoon a semi-truck got stuck under the railroad bridge over Pierre Street in downtown Pierre. This happens once or twice a year, and causes a bit of excitement. You can see the enormous sign that indicates the clearance is 11 feet 3 inches. How hard is that to comprehend? I understand the problem is GPS systems that tell truck drivers to turn that direction even though there is a well-marked truck bypass route around the east side of town. A large number of pigeons live under this bridge. I imagine the crash stirred them up for a few minutes.

Don't Fence Me In

American Robin fledgling is stumped by a fence.

This evening I watched an American Robin fledgling trying to walk through a chicken wire fence separating my flower garden from my vegetable garden. The little bird banged into the fence several times before it determined it was no use.

The little robin finally gave up trying to get through the fence.

Lark Bunting

Lark Bunting

I was beginning to worry about the Lark Buntings. Last year I saw my first Lark Buntings on May 6, but I had not seen any yet this year. Well, today on a short drive that took me through the edge of the Fort Pierre National Grasslands, I saw nine of them. The handsome black and white males are a beautiful sight out in the green grass of the prairie.

Now That's Yellow

Yellow Warbler

yellow, adj. of the color of gold, butter, or ripe lemons.

Gold, butter, and lemons? Nah! Yellow is the color of a Yellow Warbler.

Eastern SD Birds III

Wood Thrush

Wood Thrush is a bird of eastern woodlands. In South Dakota, they can be found only in mature bottomland forests along the major rivers in the eastern part of the state. My experience with Wood Thrushes is that they are much easier to hear than to see. Their song is a haunting, ethereal, "ee-oh-lay." I heard plenty of "ee-oh-lays" last weekend, but could only actually get my binoculars on one bird. I did get this photograph that shows the heavily spotted breast, even though that darned branch obscures the bird's head.

Eastern SD Birds II

Yellow-throated Vireo

It's always nice to travel to the eastern part of South Dakota in order to see birds that do not live in the Pierre area. This Yellow-throated Vireo was flitting through the treetops at Perry Nature Center in Sioux Falls last weekend. These vireos breed in eastern South Dakota, but are not found out in the central part of the state.

Eastern SD Birds I

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I attended the meeting of the South Dakota Ornithologists' Union in Sioux Falls over the weekend. The best part was the field trips where I got to see birds that aren't usually found in the central or western part of the state. We heard this beautiful Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing in Newton Hills State Park.

Bird Devotional 68

Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla

“There is a time for everything… a time to weep and a time to laugh.” Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

The Laughing Gull is a common bird of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. Its strident, laughing call is a common sound throughout that region. I was fortunate to see a very wayward Laughing Gull in the middle of South Dakota. I heard the bird utter a single brief laugh, and could only imagine the sound of a beach full of Laughing Gulls all calling at the same time.

All of us enjoy a good laugh from time to time, and when it comes to laughter, timing is the key. The Book of Ecclesiastes has a wonderful passage that speaks of timing. We are told “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Later in that chapter is a list of fourteen contrasting pairs of activities, including weeping and laughing, tearing and mending, mourning and dancing, keeping and throwing away. So, what is the right time or purpose for laughing? Psalm 126 speaks of laughter: “When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:1-2). After the King of Persia allowed the people of Israel to return to Jerusalem, there was great joy, and the people could not keep from laughing. Laughter comes when we are so filled with joy that our emotions just come bubbling up from within. Where do we get such joy? The Bible tells us in Jesus’ own words that true joy comes from God: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). We also learn in the Bible that a heart full of joy and laughter is actually good for us: “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). Is your life short on the kind of laughter that comes from a heart full of joy? Do you need God’s “good medicine?” Then allow God to fill you with His joy, and you will discover that there really is “a time to laugh.”

Lord, fill me with your joy, and fill my heart with laughter as I walk with you. Amen.

LAUGHING GULL

Laughing Gull

Yesterday I saw a Laughing Gull at Big Bend Dam in central South Dakota. Laughing Gulls are birds of the Atlantic Coast, and very rarely are seen inland. Only a handful have ever been reported in South Dakota. The relatively large, somewhat drooping bill, and the all dark tips to the primary feathers are the key field marks to distinguish this bird from other gulls. And yes, I did hear it laugh!

Laughing Gull with Ring-billed Gulls

The Laughing Gull spreads its wings

Who You Calling Gross?

Black-headed Grosbeak

"OK. I get the black-headed part. But what's with this gros business? My beak doesn't look gross, does it?"

The Zoo: Part 3

West African Crowned Crane

The Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes that migrate through South Dakota are beautiful birds. But boy! Wouldn't it be something to have cranes like this West African Crowned Crane here on our continent?

Bird Devotional 67

Gambel’s Quail, Callipepla gambelii

“They asked, and He brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven." Psalm 105:40

Gambel’s Quails are found in the arid country of the American southwest and northern Mexico. They often gather in large flocks in open, brushy areas. Both sexes of Gambel’s Quails have what I would describe as an apostrophe-shaped black plume in the middle of the forehead. The males are more colorful overall, and have a striking black face and throat. Quails are good to eat, and there are Gambel’s Quail hunting seasons in seven western states.

In the Bible, we read the story of how God fed manna to the Children of Israel in the wilderness. The manna appeared on the ground every morning, and fed them one day at a time. They soon grew tired of manna, and longed for the delicacies they enjoyed in Egypt: “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6) The Lord heard the grumbling of the people, and told Moses, “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat… until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it’” (Numbers 11:18,20). The Lord answered the people by giving them so much meat it made them sick. The meat came in the form of quails: “Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground” (Numbers 11:31). Can you imagine? The birds were piled three feet deep all around the camp! Do you ever grumble to God like the Israelites? Do you wonder why you are unhappy and unsatisfied even when He answers your prayers? Maybe it’s because many of us are more concerned about our personal desires than we are about our relationship with Him. Pray with an unselfish heart, and draw close to Him. Then your prayers will be answered in ways that will fill your life with joy and peace.

Father, I confess that I often grumble when I come to you in prayer. Forgive me for my selfishness, and satisfy me with the “True Bread of Heaven.” Amen.

The Zoo: Part 2

Kookaburra

While at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha last week, we walked through an exhibit of Australian animals. I stopped transfixed in front of this intriguing bird, and my son caught me whistling the tune to this song from my childhood:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he,
Laugh Kookaburra, laugh Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.


Kookaburras are natives of Australia, and eat insects, reptiles and small birds.

The Zoo: Part 1

White Stork

I have friends who have visited distant locales, and have related stories of the exotic birds they saw there. I have been stuck here in the upper Great Plains for many months, so I have been quite envious of all their adventures. Well, a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha helped quite a bit. Even though the birds were in captivity, the realistic settings of the exhibits let me imagine I was out in the wilds of Africa, Asia, or Australia. Today's exotic bird, the White Stork, is a native of the eastern hemisphere. They spend the winter in southern Africa, and breed in eastern and northern Europe. Because storks are reluctant to cross large bodies of water such as the Mediterranean Sea, their migration routes take them across the Straits of Gibraltar and into Spain, or through Israel and northward into Turkey. The Bible mentions the stork migration through Israel: "Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration" (Jeremiah 8:7). The captive zoo stork pictured here certainly wasn't migrating, but looking at that photo, can't you imagine it is walking in a grassy area along the Jordan River 2000 years ago? (Well, maybe except for the band on its leg!)

Savannah

Savannah Sparrow surveying the treeless plain

savannah, n. a treeless plain or flat, open region

There are lots of Savannah Sparrows out on the prairie right now. I don't know of anyone who describes the Great Plains prairies as savannahs. Maybe a better term for this little bird would be Prairie Sparrow?

Small Town Revisited

Monowi, Nebraska-- March 2009

Last year I wrote about a small town in Nebraska. This week I drove through that town again and noticed there had been a major population crash. The population plummeted from 2 down to 1.

Monowi, Nebraska-- May 2010

Mourning Dove in My Garage

Mourning Dove in my garage

Last week I was doing some work in the yard, and left the garage door open for much of the day. In the early afternoon, I stepped from the kitchen into the garage and startled a Mourning Dove that had been perched on the garage door mechanism. It fluttered around in confusion, and then landed back on its original perch. I tried shooing in out the door, but each time it merely flew around for a while, and then returned to its spot. Finally, I went back into the house and got my camera. If the Mourning Dove wanted to stay in my garage, then maybe I should get some pictures of it. Apparently the bird just wanted its picture taken. As soon as I snapped off a couple shots, it swooped down off the door mechanism, turned, and flew straight out the door opening. It didn't stop until it reached the top of the large tree across the street.

Sign of the Forest

Sign in Fontenelle Forest

Longtime readers of this blog know of my fascination with unusual signs. I found this one while walking in Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Nebraska. Needless to say, I left the mushrooms alone.

Bird Devotional 66

Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus

“Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” Numbers 11:22

Cormorants eat fish; it’s what they do. They dive below the surface and swim underwater for as long as several minutes in pursuit of their prey. In fact they are so efficient at catching and eating fish that in some areas of Minnesota they are seen as a threat to the walleye fishing industry. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has actually hired shooters to thin the population of cormorants on Leech Lake, one of the state’s prime walleye fisheries.

The Double-crested Cormorant is the most widespread cormorant in North America, breeding near large inland lakes or reservoirs. They are large, black birds, with a wingspan of more than four feet. The only color visible on the adult bird is the large, bright orange throat pouch. The beak of a cormorant is hooked at the tip to provide a sure grip when catching fish. The population of double-crested cormorants declined dramatically during the mid-twentieth century because of the widespread use of DDT. Since the banning of that chemical, cormorant numbers have soared, and they have expanded their range throughout the continent.

In today’s verse, Moses questioned God concerning God’s promise to supply meat for the entire nation of Israel. Moses had become impatient with the people’s whining and complaining about food: “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost” (Numbers 11:5). So Moses wondered aloud to God, “Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” We can easily sympathize with Moses, just as we can sympathize with the people in charge of Minnesota’s fisheries. The appetites seem insatiable. Resist the temptation to whine, and trust God to supply your needs.

Father, I sometimes question whether you are able to answer my prayers and meet the needs of my circumstances. You have an endless supply. I trust you to provide for me. Amen.

IMBD

Baltimore Oriole

Happy International Migratory Bird Day, everybody! Go out and look at some birds!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

American Kestrel eating a moth

on the right field foul pole at Target Field

(from Fox Sports North video)

I love Minnesota Twins baseball, and I love watching birds. Well, last night the two came together and I enjoyed both at the same time. From time to time throughout the game, the Twins' announcers, Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven, commented about an American Kestrel that was perched on the right field foul pole. The camera operators showed the bird to the TV audience several times. Finally, late in the game we saw the kestrel actually catch a moth in mid-air and then eat it while perched on the foul pole. The Twins lost 2-0, so that little falcon was really the star of the game! I am planning a trek to Target Field later this summer. I sure hope I get to see that kestrel!

Spicy Duck

Cinnamon Teal

Cinnamon Teals are common birds in western states, but are rare migrants through central South Dakota. I found a pair of them on a small pond southwest of Fort Pierre yesterday. Cinnamon Teal is a terrific name for this duck, as you can see from the above photo. It got me to thinking about other birds with "spicy" names. There aren't too many in North America, though I suspect a check of birds of the world would reveal more. On this continent, we do have Cinnamon Hummingbird, Sage Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Greater Sage-Grouse, and Gunnison Sage-Grouse. We can also add to the list Nutmeg Mannikin, a bird of the tropics that has established wild populations in California and Florida. Mmmmm... listing all those spices is making me hungry!

Immigrant Egret

Cattle Egret

Cattle Egrets are natives of Africa. They first appeared in North America in 1952, and since that time have expanded across the entire continent. I usually see small flocks of them several times each summer here in South Dakota. I saw some earlier this week looking for insects in a field right next to the highway. Of course I had to stop for a closer look, and some photos.

The Little Piper

Piping Plover

I was in southern South Dakota yesterday, and stopped by Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge. Lake Andes is one of my favorite South Dakota birding destinations, and it did not disappoint. I found a single Piping Plover along one of the gravel causeways that cross the lake. Piping Plovers are considered threatened or endangered throughout their range. They breed along the Missouri River in South Dakota, but are scarce and difficult to spot in their preferred habitat of sand or gravel bars near the river. The main thing we can do to help Piping Plovers is to leave them alone. State and federal government agencies have posted signs in most areas where Piping Plovers are likely to nest. I hope the little fellow I saw yesterday finds a mate and a nice gravel bar and raises a whole bunch of little plovers later this summer.

Power Lines Are Deadly

Dead Franklin's Gull, a victim of a power line

I often read about the deadly effects of power lines on migrating birds. Thousands of Franklin's Gulls are migrating through South Dakota right now, and this one unfortunately had an encounter with a power line in Charles Mix County. Most of the birds that are victims of collisions with power lines fall out of view of people and are quickly consumed by scavengers. Every once in a while, however, one gets hung up like this one. It provides a stark reminder of how "progress" and "civilization" affect wildlife.

Bird Devotional 65

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus

“Look at the birds of the air…” Matthew 6:26

When I saw the bird I knew immediately it was an Osprey. I had never seen one, but I was familiar with the pictures in books and this one was unmistakable in the clear noontime sky. The big bird was hovering over a tiny lake as noisy trucks roared down the interstate highway just a hundred yards away. I sat there in my car watching as it moved slowly back and forth above the surface of the lake. Suddenly it dived steeply and splashed feet first into the water. Immediately it came up again, unsuccessful in its attempt to catch a fish. As the osprey resumed its hovering, I looked around to see if anyone else had been observing this amazing demonstration. There were others sitting in parked cars, eating their fast food lunches just as I was, but I seemed to be the only one whose focus was more on the sky above the lake than on the food in the car. After a few more minutes of searching, the Osprey plunged again. This time it hesitated momentarily before flying up out of the water. Success! It flew away, a small fish grasped firmly in its talons.

The Osprey is sometimes called “fish hawk” because of its habit of catching and eating fish. It is found in proper habitat all across North America, breeding in the far north and migrating to warmer climates each fall.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus instructs us to, “Look at the birds of the air.” I saw my first-ever Osprey while others sat oblivious in their cars because I have consciously cultivated the habit of looking at the sky. How much do we miss every day, both in the spiritual realm and in the physical realm, because our focus is in the wrong direction?

Lord, when the circumstances of life have my thoughts on the mundane and the ordinary, help me to keep my eyes open for the things you want to show me. Amen.

I Can Sing, Too!

Common Grackle

I get aggravated every time I hear one of you humans talk about the beautiful song of my cousin, the Western Meadowlark. Meadowlarks are so narcissistic. They think they are handsome and have voices like Caruso. Just look at the one at the top of this page. Showoff! They make me sick. We grackles can sing too, you know. Graaaaack...Graaaaack. There. How was that?