Flicker on Sign

Northern Flicker on sign

"Open hunting, huh? I thought those guys were supposed to be helping us!"

Too Quick

Red-tailed Hawk was too quick

(or photographer was too slow)

This morning I saw a Red-tailed Hawk posing proudly on a stack of hay right beside the road. I pulled over and rolled down the window, and amazingly the hawk stayed put while I swung my camera into place. Just as I was about to snap the shutter, it spread its wings and flew. However, it did allow me to get a good shot of one of the key field marks for Red-tailed Hawk identification. On the underside of the leading edge of the wings (left side of the wing in the photo), we can see the dark patagial band that is present only on Red-tailed Hawks.

Too Slow

Dead Western Meadowlark

This morning I came across a small flock of Western Meadowlarks in the road up ahead. I honked my horn and slowed down. All but one of the meadowlarks quickly took flight and avoided my car. One bird was too slow to react, and ended up plastered against the front of my car. I pried it loose later, and took this picture. Auto collisions are a major source of bird mortality. We need to use our horns and slow down when we encounter birds on the road. Most of the time it will work.

Up & Down

Great Blue Herons, one up and one down

Herons and egrets have the ability to extend their necks upward, or to curl them downward so that their necks seem to disappear altogether. This photograph shows how different they appear when they assume either of those postures.

Around the Bend

The Bend

When traveling, as in life, you never know what is going to be just around the bend. Yesterday, while driving a favorite gravel road east of Pierre, this doe and her two spotted fawns were just around the bend. I guess that's one of the things that keeps life interesting: the bends, and the anticipation of what is beyond them.

A doe (in back) and her two spotted fawns

Their Legs Are Yellow

Lesser Yellowlegs

This week there are large numbers of shorebirds coming through South Dakota, including Lesser Yellowlegs. Many birds have yellow legs, so I have often wondered why these particular birds were given the name "yellowlegs." Maybe it's because their legs are quite long. Maybe it's because the yellow legs stand out clearly in the shallow water mudflats they call home.

Bird Devotional 80

Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus

"Drink; drink your fill." Song of Solomon 5:1

Most field guides describe the song of the Eastern Towhee as, "Drink your tea," with the final note being a drawn out trill, like "teeeeeeeee." The first few times I heard an Eastern Towhee singing, that is exactly what I heard: "Drink your tea." As I was preparing to write today's devotional, I took a walk through the woods and was fortunate enough to hear two towhees singing at the same time, one to my right and one to my left. The first was telling me to drink my tea as usual, but the second one seemed to be singing a slightly different phrase. The final trill was more of a short "I" sound as in "fill," rather than a long "E" as in "tea." As I stood and listened to the two birds singing, I imagined them going back and forth: "Drink your tea." "Drink your fill." "Drink your tea." "Drink your fill." It was as if they were speaking the same language, but that each had something slightly different to tell me.

The Eastern Towhee is a beautiful bird of eastern woodlands. It has rust-colored flanks and a white belly. The male's head and back are black, the female's are brown. They find food on the forest floor by scratching with both feet in a backward-hopping fashion. They eat insects, spiders and seeds that are uncovered by this activity.

Today's Bible verse from the Song of Solomon is part of a love story. In addition to being a story of human love, it is an allegory of the relationship between God and His people. The lovers are told to, "Drink; drink your fill." In other words, receive from you lover all that he or she has to give. In the New Testament, Jesus tells us something similar: "Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full" (John 16:24 KJV). Just as the Eastern Towhee's call echoes, "Drink you fill," God's Word is echoing in our hearts to drink our fill of His love. Receive from Jesus; let Him fill you; and your joy will be full.

Father, pour your love out on my that I may drink my fill and receive your love, that my joy may be made full. Amen.

Bird in the Hand?

Bill holding Sharp-shinned Hawk in Duluth, Minnesota

A bird in the hand or two in the bush? Which is really better? Is it all dependent on what kinds of birds you're talking about? Although I did enjoy the up close interaction with the Sharp-shinned Hawk I'm holding in this picture, I think I would prefer to enjoy birds where they belong-- right there in the bush.

Two Western Kingbirds in the bush

Prairie Pronghorn

Pronghorn on the prairie

Most of us call them antelopes, but the proper term is actually pronghorn, and the scientific name is Antilocapra americana americana. This animal was new to the scientific world when first described by Lewis and Clark in their journals. Clark first shot one in Lyman County in central South Dakota in 1804, and called the animals wild goats. Pronghorns have no close relatives anywhere in the world, and the genus Antilocapra was created specially for it. Whatever you call it, antelope or pronghorn or goat, it is a wonderful animal to observe out on the plains.

Terminal Band

Eastern Kingbird shows off its terminal band

Bird field guides describe some birds as having a "terminal band" on the tail. This Eastern Kingbird clearly shows us exactly what that means. There are hundreds of Eastern Kingbirds around the area this week, and they appear to be flocking up in preparation for the fall migration. Oh, oh! Do you know what that means? Autumn is just around the corner.

Bird Devotional 79

A Tangle of branches, but no bird

Nemesis Bird, Everyoneseesit butme

“Who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. ”Isaiah 50:8 KJV

If you talk to enough birders you will discover a well-kept secret. Everyone has a “nemesis bird,” a bird they should have seen, but never have. A nemesis bird is one that all your friends report seeing periodically, even frequently, but that has always eluded you. You go to the proper habitat, at the right season of the year, at the right time of day, but you never find the bird you are seeking. Others tell you where they have seen the bird, even show you pictures of it, but you never find one yourself. It is your adversary…your nemesis bird. My personal nemesis bird has changed over the years, because as soon as I find the bird, another bird takes its place on the list.

Many times, when searching for a nemesis bird, I have been tempted to shout something like today’s Bible verse: “Who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me.” The Bible tells us that we all have a nemesis of a far different kind. There is an evil nemesis, an adversary that wishes to do us harm. The Apostle Peter wrote: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8, KJV). In another sense, we also have a second type of “nemesis,” one we are all searching for like my nemesis bird, and one the devil is determined to keep us from finding. That “nemesis” is a life filled with joy, purpose, hope and significance. Although others seem to have found this life, our own efforts at achieving it always come up short. There is one way to defeat our adversary, the devil, and find that abundant life we are seeking. Jesus said, “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). What a delightful paradox! If you want joy and contentment in life, you must stop seeking after those things and seek God instead. He will give you an abundant life beyond expectations. Seek on. You will find it.

Father, as I seek you, help me to find you. I know that only in you will I have the abundant life I am seeking. Amen.

Fifty Years Ago Today

Official program from my first baseball game: August 13, 1960

Today is the 50th anniversary of my first Major League Baseball game. On that date my family and I saw the San Francisco Giants play the Milwaukee Braves in Milwaukee. The program pictured above has four autographs. Willie Mays is at the top, partially obscured in the "feather." Down at the bottom are Chuck Dressen, the manager of the Braves; Billy Bruton, the Braves' centerfielder; and Eddie Matthews, the Braves' third baseman and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I mentioned this game in a previous post about the Willie Mays Baseball. This is the game at which we got Willie Mays' autograph. My father handed the ball to Willie who quickly signed it. Then as I stood wide-eyed next to Dad, the great player looked at me, grabbed my program, and scribbled out a quick signature. He handed it back to me, and without a word he sauntered out to the field to get ready for the game. I can't believe it... fifty years ago and I remember it as if it were yesterday.

Kingbird Scooter?

Eastern Kingbird

Is it just me, or does this Eastern Kingbird appear to be riding on some type of scooter? An avian Segway, perhaps? Maybe a unicycle?

Bird Devotional 78

Barn Swallows, Hirundo rustica

"Not a fly remained." Exodus 8:31

If you have spent any time in farm country, you have probably seen Barn Swallows. These handsome, steel-blue little acrobats are a common sight darting and swooping in open areas throughout North America. Barn Swallows devour large quantities of flying insects as they fly through the skies during the summer months. They capture insects on the wing except during cold, damp weather when they resort to catching prey on the ground. Each fall these swallows migrate to Central or South America.

Barn Swallows nested in cliffs and caves prior to the settlement of North America by Europeans. In the past five hundred years they have adapted marvelously to life with humans, and now nest almost exclusively on man-made structures. They are especially fond of bridges, large culverts, and rustic buildings. Barns, of course, are a particular favorite. The attraction to barns is not simply that barns have suitable walls and ledges, but also a barn's natural proximity to livestock and the insects that are inevitably drawn to such an environment. When constructing a nest, Barn Swallows gather mud and dried grass or straw that they form into a bowl-shape and attach to a vertical surface, preferably in a somewhat sheltered location.

Today's Bible verse, "Not a fly remained," is the description of Egypt after God lifted the plague of flies He had sent in judgment of that nation. God is very thorough about judgments, and He is equally thorough when the time comes for a judgment to end. Although Barn Swallows are not quite so efficient when it comes to ridding a place of flies, they do play a significant role in insect control in rural areas. Submit yourself today to God's cleansing power, and trust Him to do a complete and thorough work in you, that not a single "fly" remains in your life.

Heavenly Father, I five my heart to you today, and I ask you to complete your cleansing work in my life. Amen.

Street Light Drama

Ring-billed Gulls

"Hey! Get off my street light! I was here first!"

"Oh, put a cork in it, you Drama Queen!"

Just a Bunch of Seagulls

Left to right: Franklin's Gull, Caspian Tern, Ring-billed Gull

Large groups of gulls and terns are starting to gather below the big dams in central South Dakota. You can see them flying above the water or floating placidly downstream in the tailrace. However, the easiest way to get a good look at them is to find a group loafing in a parking lot! They often gather in the gravel areas next to boat ramps below the dams. Many people think they are just a bunch of "seagulls," but if you look closely you can find several species of both gulls and terns. I was able to catch this trio yesterday below Oahe Dam.

Yes, It's Really Red

Red-tailed-Hawk

Red-tailed Hawks do not get their namesake red tails until they become adults. Even then, there are some forms and sub-species that do not have red tails like the bird pictured here. I found this hawk yesterday in eastern Hughes County, South Dakota. It did not fly from its post when I pulled next to it in my car. It just stood there and tried to stare me down. It worked. I eventually drove off and left it alone.

Chicken in the Grass

Greater Prairie-Chicken

A small group of birds crossed the road in front of my car this morning. I stopped and had a look at them, and discovered they were Greater Prairie-Chickens. One of them posed for a picture in the short grass at the edge of the road, the others scurried off into the field. I don't often see prairie-chickens in the summer. They are easier to find in the winter and spring. Once abundant in the grasslands of North America, these birds are now limited to scattered areas of native prairie in a handful of states.

They've Hatched!

Mourning Doves: Adult and two nestlings in hanging flower basket

For the second consecutive year, a Mourning Dove has successfully hatched two eggs in the hanging planter by our front door. This morning I was able to get close enough to photograph one of the adult birds sitting quietly in the nest with the two youngsters. Isn't that a beautiful nest site?

Bird Devotional 77

Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor

"Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin." Lamentations 2:19

The Common Nighthawk is often seen flying above cities and towns at twilight, bringing attention to itself with nasal "peent" calls as it courses through the sky searching for insects. I am always grateful to hear nighthawks calling in the early evening, because it means they are busy reducing the insect population in my neighborhood. Nighthawks are not really hawks, but members of the goatsucker family, nocturnal birds that for some odd reason were once believed to fly into barns at night to suckle on goats.

Today's passage from Lamentations is a call to intercessory prayer: "Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children" (Lamentations 2:19). An intercessor is an intermediary, one who renders some service between two people or two spiritual or natural forces. The Common Nighthawks in my neighborhood are like intercessors, in that they protect the humans by coming between them and the insects. Paul urged the church to be intercessors: "I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone... that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). God searches for intercessors to "stand in the gap" for others: "I looked for a man among them who would... stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land" (Ezekiel 22:30). In the Bible there are many who answered God's call to "stand in the gap" for others. There was Moses: "God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' And Moses said, 'Here I am'" (Exodus 3:4). There was Isaiah: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord... And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8). There were James and John: "Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him" (Matthew 4:21-22). Is God calling you? How will you answer Him?

Father, help me hear your voice when you call. Help me respond to you with a resounding, "Here am I. Send me!" Amen.