“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalms 103:5 KJV)
“Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19 NKJV)
What an interesting video! Enjoy!
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) by Nikhil Devasar
Family Circus – God’s good recipe
“Doth the hawk [Bar-tailed Godwit] fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26 KJV)
The Bar-tailed Godwit was tracked by a tiny transmitter they attached to her. She flew “nonstop for 7,257 miles (11,679 km) from western Alaska to New Zealand.”
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) by MAMuin
“What’s more, the bird probably didn’t even glide. Bar-tailed godwits use forward flapping for flight and “seldom” glide, according to Robert Gill, Jr., lead author of the study.”
“As for the humble godwit, its incredible journey and endurance is a fantastic testimony to the Creator’s design in the animal kingdom.”
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) ©USFWS
“This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” (Psalms 118:23 KJV)
All quotes from Bird Sets Nonstop Flight Record at 7,257 miles
Bar-tailed Godwit – Audubon
Bar-tailed Godwit – Wikipedia
Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) ©WikiC
The Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) is a medium-sized hummingbird which breeds only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. It is the only member of the genus Panterpe.
This is a common to abundant bird of montane forest canopy above 1400 m, and also occurs in scrub at the woodland edges and clearings.
This bird is 11 cm long and weighs 5.7 g. It has a straight black bill and dusky feet.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) by Judd Patterson
The adult fiery-throated hummingbird has shiny green body plumage, a blue tail, and a white spot behind the eye. It often looks dark, but when the light catches it at the right angle, it shows a brilliant blue crown, yellow-bordered bright orange throat, and violet-blue chest patch. The sexes are similar, but young birds have rufous fringes to the head plumage. The call is a high-pitched twittering.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird in Flight ©Raymond Barlow
The female fiery-throated hummingbird is entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in a bulky plant-fibre cup nest 2–4 m high at the end of a descending bamboo stem or on a rootlet under a bank. Incubation takes 15–19 days, and fledging another 20-26.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) Little color from side ©WikiC
The food of this species is nectar, taken from a variety of small flowers, including epiphytic Ericaceae and bromeliads. Like other hummingbirds it also takes small insects as an essential source of protein. Male fiery-throated hummingbirds defend flowers and scrubs in their feeding territories, and are dominant over most other hummingbirds. They will, however, allow females to share their food resources.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 KJV)
God’s Good Recipe For Birds
The Family Circus Artist surely came up with a great truth in this one. God’s “recipe” was Creation. His [God’s] wisdom is evident in all of his creation, especially the birds.
“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Romans 8:22 NASB)
What would this beautiful Fiery-throated Hummer look like if it weren’t under the curse of man’s sin?
Fiery-throated Hummingbird Panterpe insignis – Internet Bird Collection
Fiery-throated Hummingbird – Wikipedia
Fiery-throated Hummingbird – Neotropical Birds
“and for a long time birds and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens shall dwell in it: and the measuring line of desolation shall be cast over it, and satyrs shall dwell in it.” (Isaiah 34:11 Brenton)
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) by Reinier Munguia
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)
The little phrase “things not seen” is used three times in the New Testament, and interestingly enough, these refer to the past, present, and future works of God with respect to the things that are seen.
At the beginning of the “faith chapter” of Hebrews occur these remarkable words: “Now faith is . . . the evidence of things not seen. . . . Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:1, 3). That is, the material things of this present world were not made of pre-existing materials; they were supernaturally created by the word of the Creator! These things that are now seen provide evidence (or better, the “conviction”) of the things not seen—that is, of God’s creative work completed in the past.
The “processes” that are now seen (as distinct from the “materials”) date especially from the time of the great Flood. The “things not seen as yet” by Noah—that is, the present atmospheric circulation, the present hydrological cycle, the present seasonal changes, and many other key phenomena of the present order—all were instituted in the days of Noah when “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2 Peter 3:6).
Finally, “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for . . . the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Just as surely as the materials and processes of the present world once were unseen but now are easily seen, so the future eternal world will soon be clearly seen when Christ returns. HMM
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Flying ©WikiC
Lee’s Addition:
God’s Wisdom cannot be seen. As was mentioned in the last blog, God’s Recipe for the Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Creation came about by God speaking things into being. These birds did not evolve from this to that. No, God spoke, and they were. Full, complete, and ready to fly.
Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea) Male ©WikiC
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 KJV)
The Family Circus Artist surely came up with a great truth in this one. God’s “recipe” was Creation. His [God’s] wisdom is evident in all of his creation, especially the birds.
Family Circus – God’s good recipe
Here is the Brown-throated Wattle-eye that is a beauty.
Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea) Male ©Flickr Isidro Vila Verde
The Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea), also known as the common wattle-eye or scarlet-spectacled wattle-eye, is a small, insectivorous passerine bird. The wattle-eyes were previously classed as a subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, but are now usually separated from that group.
This species breeds in west, central and northeast tropical Africa. This common species is found in secondary forest and other woodland areas, including gardens. The eggs are laid in a small neat lichen and cobweb cup low in a tree or bush.
The adult brown-throated wattle-eye is a stout bird about 14 cm (5.5 in) long. The breeding male has glossy black upperparts, and white underparts with a neat black breast band. There is a strong white wingbar, and fleshy red wattles above the eye.
Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea) Male ©Flickr Allan Hopkins
The females are grey-black above, and also have the white wing bar and red wattles. There is a small patch of white below the bill, and the throat and breast are maroon, separated from the white belly by the black breast band. Young males are washed-out, greyer versions of the female.
Black-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata) Female ©Flickr Johann du Preez
These active insect-eating birds are found in pairs or small groups. The ringing call of the brown-throated wattle-eye is a very characteristic six note doo-dd-dum-di-do-do.
“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” (Ecclesiastes 12:1aKJV)
*** Survey – Should this become a series to introduce some of the special Avian Wonders from the Lord? ***
Common Nighthawk(Chordeiles minor) by Daves BirdingPix
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind, (Lev 11:16)
Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba) ©WikiC
“Even the stork in the sky Knows her seasons; And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush Observe the time of their migration; But My people do not know The ordinance of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 8:7 NASB)
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Matthew 24:44
According to the Bible’s history, human beings were created perfectly by God about 6,000 years ago. We should note that this means we were not only morally perfect, but genetically perfect as well. According to evolutionists, our ancestors split off from the monkeys millions of years ago. Both viewpoints agree that each generation of human beings adds mutations to the ongoing human gene pool.
How many mutations are added by each human generation? Researchers with the University of Sussex and the University of Edinburgh looked for the answer to this question. They examined DNA from living parents and children, as well as known mutation rates for mammals. They assumed that some mutations would be fatal and thus not added to the overall gene pool. They also assumed that a very few mutations might be helpful, an assumption that has never be demonstrated to be true. They finally calculated that 100 harmful mutations are added to the human gene pool by each generation. Their published conclusion was that, considering the millions of years humans have been evolving, we should have easily accumulated enough mutations to make us extinct a long time ago!
This research is clear evidence for a recent appearance of man, and implies that the Earth was created a relatively short time ago, as portrayed by the Genesis. However, human life on Earth will end when Jesus Christ returns to collect all believers to live in a new heavens and Earth.
Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes † migratorius †) ©WikiC Specimen
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) by AestheticPhotos
“And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,” (Leviticus 11:18 KJV)
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) by Africaddict
“And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” (Genesis 1:22-23 NKJV)
What an interesting name for a bird. He is not a policeman (cop), but its head does, sort of, look like a hammer. Don’t you agree?
Goodly Hammer ©Flickr Lenore Edman
Hamerkops are in a family by itself, because the birding authorities are not sure which family to add it to. So, they made a family, called the Scopidae Family.
“The single Hamerkop in this family lives in sub-Saharan Africa and has unique habits and behavior. It has a few features like those of herons. It has an odd mix of other habits which are similar to the shoebill, flamingos, and storks. It has ectoparasites that are otherwise found only in plovers. Given this, its origin and relationship to other birds are considered unclear (Roberson 2012), so it is considered here to belong to its own kind.” By Dr. Jean Lightner (See below)
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) at NA by Dan
It is found in Africa, Madagascar to Arabia, living in a wide variety of wetlands, including estuaries, lakesides, fish ponds, riverbanks and rocky coasts.
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) With Nesting Material ©WikiC
The strangest aspect of hamerkop behaviour is the huge nest, sometimes more than 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) across, and strong enough to support a man’s weight. When possible, it is built in the fork of a tree, often over water, but if necessary it is built on a bank, a cliff, a human-built wall or dam, or on the ground. A pair starts by making a platform of sticks held together with mud, then builds walls and a domed roof. A mud-plastered entrance 13–18 centimetres (5.1–7.1 in) wide in the bottom leads through a tunnel up to 60 centimetres (24 in) long to a nesting chamber big enough for the parents and young.
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) Nest in Acacia Tree ©WikiC
Nests have been recorded to take between 10 and 14 weeks to build, and one researcher estimated that they would require around 8000 sticks or bunches of grass to complete. Nesting material may still be added by the pair after the nest has been completed and eggs have been laid. Much of the nesting material added after completion is not sticks but an odd collection of random items including bones, hide and human waste.
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) by Africaddict
This is just another one of The Lord’s Avian Wonders. Just thought you might enjoy reading about this neat bird.
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Hamerkop’s Scopidae Family
Birdwatching the National Aviary – Tropical Forest
An Initial Estimate of Avian Ark Kinds by Dr. Jean Lightner on November 27, 2013
Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) LPZ
“Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.” (Psalms 104:17 KJV)
Birds of the Bible For Kids 