Imitative of the Cry

Two first winter Black-legged Kittiwakes (sitting front center)

with Ring-billed Gulls and Bonaparte's Gulls

Black-legged Kittiwake is another unusual gull that is hanging around out at Oahe Dam. We can tell the two kittiwakes in the photo above are first winter birds because of the dark "carpal-bars" on their sides. They hatched last summer in Alaska or far northern Canada where the birds breed on rocky cliff ledges. I was curious about the bird's name, so I did some reading on the subject.  Kittiwake is one of those bird names like chickadee or godwit, that dictionaries describe as "imitative of the cry." There were hundreds of gulls out there at the dam last weekend, and they all seemed to be screaming at once. I couldn't discern any that were crying, "kittiwake." Next time I will listen more closely. And by the way...although I did not get a picture of it, when they stood up I could see their black legs!

A Little CAPITALIZATION Never Hurt

First winter Little Gull (front center)

with Bonaparte's Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls

There were reports of a Little Gull out at Oahe Dam this weekend, so I went out there to see if I could find it. It is only the second Little Gull I have ever seen. The rare little bird posed nicely for me on the ice, and some Bonaparte's Gulls stood nearby so I could get a good size comparison. Little Gulls are 11 inches long, while the Bonaparte's Gulls are 13.5 inches long. Then I got to thinking how grateful I am for a decision I made several years ago. That was the decision to always capitalize bird names. Some authorities say to capitalize, and some say not to. But really... how confusing would it be if in the sentences above I had written little gull instead of Little Gull? Would you know whether I was writing about just any gull that was on the small side, or whether I was writing about the particular species called Little Gull? After all, there are a lot of little gulls in South Dakota, but very, very few Little Gulls!

Our Geese

 Sign in front of a Pierre hotel

It's late autumn in Pierre, and that means the Canada Geese are moving in. By the time the weather gets really cold, there will be tens of thousands of geese here in the Pierre area. Even though the temperature will remain well below freezing until the spring thaw, there is always plenty of open water for the geese. Because of the warm water coming out of Oahe Dam, the Missouri River does not freeze solid for several miles below the dam. The geese are a nuisance in some parts of town, but overall the citizens seem to embrace our avian guests. As the sign above indicates, however, we do have to take certain precautions. 

Canada Geese at Steamboat Park in Pierre

Bird Devotional 88

Scarlet Tanager

(Photo by Paul O. Roisen)

Scarlet Tanager, Piranga olivacea

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Are the colors scarlet, crimson, and red all the same? Are Scarlet Tanagers really scarlet? Those are the questions that come to mind when I consider today’s Bible passage. It turns out that there really is a difference between scarlet and crimson. Dictionaries define scarlet as, “a very bright red with a slight orange tinge,” while crimson is defined as, “a deep rich purplish-red color.” So, scarlet is a little to the orange side of pure red, while crimson is a little to the purple side. When you see a Scarlet Tanager, you realize that it does indeed have a slight orange tinge that is true to its name. Scarlet Tanagers are summer breeding birds in the eastern U.S., and migrate to Latin America for the winter.

When Isaiah heard the Lord speak to him in today’s Bible passage, he was probably perplexed at the idea of a bright red color becoming pure white. Isaiah would have considered it a miracle if a scarlet or crimson garment had all the dye removed and became white as snow. Yet, that is what Isaiah was told would happen to our sins: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Our sins, though as visible as the brightest color in the rainbow, would totally disappear from view. Later in the Book of Isaiah we read, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). Isaiah said that forsaking our sins and turning to God would result in complete pardon. In the Book of Hebrews is a quote from Jeremiah that reminds us how complete that pardon is: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12). Forgiveness means that God will no longer remember our sins. That is just as miraculous as a crimson garment becoming pure white, or a Scarlet Tanager turning white as snow. Receive God’s forgiveness. The change in you will be complete.

Lord, I need your forgiveness. Change my life, and make me white as snow. Amen.

Monochromatic Geese



Canada Geese in black-and-white


Canada Geese are black-and-white birds. Tonight, when the sun was going down over Discovery Island in Pierre, I caught this flock of Canada Geese in all black, with no white visible.

A Blessed Thanksgiving!

"Now He that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us Thanksgiving to God." 1 Corinthians 9:10-11

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

Run for Your Lives!

A Posse of Wild Turkeys

These turkeys appear to be doing what all sensible turkeys should be doing about now: running for their lives. I pray that you have a safe, happy Thanksgiving tomorrow with your own flock.

Wrong Beach

California Gull

California Gulls breed in the northern Great Plains, and we see them here in central South Dakota during the spring and fall migration. For the past two years we have had one over-winter here in the Pierre area, and it appears we could have another one this year. I found this California Gull on the Legion Club Beach today in downtown Pierre. The bird looks rather cold since the temperature was 10 degrees with a strong north wind. I think the gull is wondering why he finds himself on a frozen beach in South Dakota when he should be living it up on a nice warm beach in California.

Siskin: "Chirper"

Pine Siskin, Spinus pinus

In the past few days people have been reporting the first of the wintering Pine Siskins at backyard feeders here in South Dakota. Over the weekend, mine showed up, too. I only have about a half dozen right now, but I should have 20 or 30 showing up regularly if this is anything like previous winters. I was curious about the word, siskin, so I looked it up. Siskin is said to be based on a Scandinavian word meaning, chirper. Pine Siskins do indeed have a notable chirp. The sound is basically a rising, zzzzziiiiip, and is a welcome sign of life on a frozen winter morning. I'm looking forward to hearing some zzzzziiiiips when I go outside in a couple of hours.

Bird Devotional 87

Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura

“We moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.” Isaiah 59:11

When I was a small boy, we lived across the street from a nursing home that was in an old mansion with a long porch across the front. There was one particular resident, a very tall man, who would sometimes stand on the far corner of the porch and stare off in the other direction. One day a Mourning Dove was calling from a tree in the front yard of the nursing home. I looked at the tall, elderly man and I was convinced that he was making the mournful sounds I heard coming from that direction. As he stood there staring into the distance, he looked so lonely that the Mourning Dove’s melancholy cries suited him perfectly. It was several years later that my mother explained to me that the sound I had heard was not the moaning of an old man, but the call of the Mourning Dove.

Today’s Bible verse compares us to Mourning Doves: “We moan mournfully like doves.” It goes on to describe a very depressing situation: “We look for justice, but find none, for deliverance, but it is far away.” I do not know what the old man was thinking as he stood there on the porch of that nursing home years ago, but whatever he was searching for seemed to be, as Isaiah said, “far away.” Are you unable to find justice in your circumstances today? Is there no deliverance from your troubles? Isaiah goes on to relate a promise from God: “The redeemer will come…to those…who repent of their sin” (Isaiah 59:20). The Apostle Paul describes God as, “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Trust in God to be your redeemer and your comforter, and He will not be “far away,” because “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

Father, as I mourn in my distress, you hear my cries. Comfort me in my troubles so I can comfort others. Amen.

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...

Great Blue Heron

If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.

-- Charles Lindbergh

Warbling Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

war-ble, v. to sing with trills, quavers, runs, etc., as a bird.

Singing Ravens

Common Ravens

Not all people can sing like Enrico Caruso or Susan Boyle; not all birds can sing like nightingales or meadowlarks. Some of us were just born with voices like ravens. But just because you cannot sing as well as the best, it doesn't mean that you should not sing at all. As it says in the Bible, "Make a joyful noise unto God." (Psalm 66:1) Only you can sing the song that God has given you to sing, so use your voice and sing. As playwright, Henrik Ibsen put it, "Each bird must sing with his own throat."

Singing Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia

In the springtime you almost always observe Song Sparrows singing from the tips of branches, as both their English and Latin names would suggest. The following verse from the Book of Psalms could have been written about Song Sparrows: "The birds of the sky nest by the waters, they sing among the branches." (Psalm 104:12) That verse was most likely the inspiration for a line from the beloved hymn, How Great Thou Art, "I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees." Song Sparrows definitely rank up toward the top of the list of birds that sing best.

Singing Grackle

Common Grackle

When I hear Common Grackles "singing," I am reminded of what Bernard Meltzer wrote: "The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best." And Common Grackles are way, way down at the bottom of the list of birds who sing best.

What Color Are Your Legs?

(L to R) Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Ring-billed Gull

Leg color is one of the ways to differentiate gulls. Some species have red legs, some have pink legs, some have yellow legs, and some have black legs. Sometimes the leg color varies according to the age of the bird or the season of the year. The gulls pictured above are adult gulls in winter plumage. The Ring-billed gull is showing us his nice yellow legs. The Herring Gull's legs are pink. Even if you couldn't see the rest of the bird, the leg color might be enough to make the call.

Bird Devotional 86

A pair of Canada Geese at 8 degrees below zero Fahrenheit

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in faithfulness.” Hosea 2:19-20

Canada geese are often reported to mate for life. While this probably is not always true, most pairs do remain together for a number of years. At the very least, these geese are loyal and devoted to each other throughout the breeding season. However, even during the fall and winter I can usually recognize the mated pairs in a large flock of geese. They relate to each other in special ways, and remain close even in the harshest conditions. Oh, that human beings were always as faithful as geese!

In the Book of Hosea we read of a very unusual marriage. God spoke to Hosea, and told him, “Go marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her” (Hosea 1:2). Hosea obeyed the Lord; married a woman named Gomer, and had three children with her. Later we read of Gomer’s continuing promiscuity and unfaithfulness. Yet God told Hosea to take her back: “Go show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites” (Hosea 3:1). Hosea obeyed the Lord once again, and bought back his wife with a payment of silver and grain.

In the same way that Canada Geese show their faithfulness to each other, and Hosea showed his faithfulness to Gomer, God has shown His faithfulness to us. Speaking of His great love for His people, God told Hosea, “I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘You are my God’” (Hosea 2:23). And just as Hosea bought back his wayward wife, we have been bought back through the love of God: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Since we have been purchased by God through His faithfulness, and have been restored to a relationship with Him, let us also be faithful to Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for paying the price necessary to reclaim me as your own. Amen.

Dam Egret

Cattle Egret

I read a report that a Cattle Egret had been seen hanging out below Oahe Dam with a bunch of Ring-billed Gulls. Sure enough... after I scared away some of the gulls by driving too close, all that was left was a handful of Ring-billed Gulls and one Cattle Egret. The egret was in the middle of an asphalt parking lot-- not a very realistic-looking photograph. So I was patient, and the bird slowly wandered over to some dry grass where he posed for a pretty nice portrait. You have to have patience, but more than anything... you have to be lucky.

Throwing His Heart

Western Meadowlark "throwing his heart at the sky"

Oscar Hammerstein, II wrote the words to the musical, State Fair. For the song, It's a Grand Night for Singing, he penned this line, "Somewhere a bird who is bound he'll be heard is throwing his heart at the sky." At some point in his life, Hammerstein must have stood in a field and listened to a meadowlark.

Bird Devotional 85

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura

“Nor can they utter a sound with their throats.” Psalm 115:7

As my son, Daniel, and I walked up the trail to the War Eagle Monument high on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River, we began to see a few Turkey Vultures soaring on the thermal updrafts. When we came within sight of the monument we could see more than a dozen Turkey Vultures perched on the statue itself and on the railings nearby. When we reached a certain point, invading the birds’ comfort zone, the vultures ascended in unison and soon were riding the thermals with the others. In addition to the birds’ primitive ugliness, what struck me most was the absolute silence. Not a sound was coming from this large flock of birds.

Turkey Vultures are primarily silent birds. They have tremendous eyesight, and communicate by simply paying attention to visual cues from the other birds. They are quite large, with a wingspan of more than five and a half feet. Turkey Vultures are found across most of North America in the summer, and migrate to the southern United States to spend the colder months.

In today’s Bible verse the psalmist describes idols made by the hands of men: “They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats” (Psalm 115:6-7). In contrast to the impotence of idols, it is said of God, “You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:8-9). Today few people worship idols in the same sense that they did long ago. However, there are still things we allow to assume primary importance in our lives, things that we rely upon to meet our needs: money, possessions, success. Only God can really meet our needs. Everything else is as feeble as lifeless stone.

Father, I know that you are alive and that you hear me when I call out to you. Amen.

Pigeon Types

Rock Pigeons: Checkered, Dark and Brown

Our common urban pigeon, officially known in birding nomenclature as the Rock Pigeon, comes in five main plumage types: natural, checkered, dark, brown, and pied. I recently found birds of three of those types foraging together, and got this photo. The brown ones have to be my favorites, but you don't see those very often. Now tell me... if you weren't so stuck on the fact that they are JUST A BUNCH OF PIGEONS, wouldn't you say this is a trio of strikingly handsome birds?

Red or Blue?

Blue Grosbeak: A Democrat?

With the mid-term elections now behind us, we can all take a big sigh of relief. All that talk about red states and blue states got me to thinking, however. We all know that the Republicans use the elephant as their symbol and the Democrats use the donkey. Are there any birds that symbolize the parties? (Turkeys and vultures came to mind, but I couldn't decide which to assign to which party!) I decided maybe a nice blue-colored bird like the Blue Grosbeak would do nicely for the Democrats. And how about a nice Red Crossbill for the Republicans? But then my mind wandered to men of history who could be used to represent each party. So... even though the Wilson's Warbler was not named for Woodrow Wilson, and the Lincoln's Sparrow was not named for Abraham Lincoln, how about those two as the official birds of the political parties? Any better ideas?

Red Crosbill: A Republican?

Wilson's Warbler: A Democrat?

Lincoln's Sparrow: A Republican?

Canadian

Harris's Sparrow, a native Canadian

In my story yesterday about Harris's Sparrows, I left out one significant fact: Harris's Sparrows are the only birds that nest only in Canada, and in no other nation in the world. So, that means that all the Harris's Sparrows spending the winter in the U.S. were born in Canada, making them native Canadians. Welcome to our country, little fellas. Enjoy your stay.

All Spruced Up

Harris's Sparrow in my spruce tree

I have a large group of Harris's Sparrows in my yard this week. They are the largest of the native North American sparrows, and one of my favorites. I usually see Harris's Sparrows perched low in the branches, or feeding on the ground. However, a few days ago, I saw several of them high in my spruce tree. They were busily at work and seemed to be gleaning seeds out of the spruce cones. Later, I read that in the spring these birds' diets include young spruce needles. Spruce needles in the spring are soft and moist, and I can see how they could be an attractive food. The needles on my tree right now are hard and dry, so I doubt they are eating the needles at this time of year. Maybe when they come back through my yard next spring I will watch to see if I can catch any of them eating spruce needles. That would be quite a sight.

Hmmmmm... in the spring these needles will taste yummy!

Turn Around!

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings are fruit eaters and they travel about in groups, searching for food. A few days ago I saw a flock of Cedar Waxwings in my neighbor's tree. There was not much fruit remaining when I took this photo. I don't know whether the birds were so full they couldn't eat another bite, or if they just needed me to shout, "Hey, you dummies, turn around. Look right behind you!"