Dad and Mom its feeding time..

October 8, 2014 by Lee

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)with youngsters by Raymond Barlow

This is for every blessed parent who so anxiously works hard in raising their kids in the way of the Lord…
And for the kids being fed by their parents.

Birds emerge from the shell blind and so weak
they can’t even hold their heads up.
Parents must feed babies frequently because
baby birds digest their food quickly.

The larger the babies grow, the more food they require.

Baby Crows need at least half their weight in food

every day just to stay alive.

a baby Belted Kingfishers eat 1 to 1 3/4 times

their weight in fish every day.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) with young in nest

On average, a songbird nestling

receives four-12 feedings

of protein-rich insect food every hour.

Young Hawks are fed about once an hour.

Feeding duties aren’t always divided

equally between the sexes.

This varies with the species and

the inclination of the individual bird.

One male House Wren – a single male

whose mate disappeared – fed his nestlings

1,217 times between 4:15 a.m. and 8 p.m.

That’s about one trip every 47 seconds.

It’s astonishing how much a young bird can eat.

In one instance, a young American Robin,

who was supposed to leave the nest that day,

was experimentally fed all the earthworms it would eat.

Each worm was measured.

The Robin ate 14 feet of worms.

Orni-Theology

If birds can feed so much to their chicks every day,

how much would God expect us as a parent

to nourish our kids with spiritual food.

Well, do we feed the word of God to our kids every day?

Kids, are you eating well? Are you reading and listening to the Word of God?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1/blockquote>

Yours in YESHUA,

a j mithra

(Found this on the Kid’s blog. AJ wrote it especially for that blog before joining the Lord in Glory)

Birds – The Color That Only God Can Do

October 7, 2014 by Lee

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) by Dan

Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. (Psalms 111:2 ESV)

Here is a neat blog worth looking at to see all the beautiful color that God put in Birds.

Pelican Learns to Fly – YouTube

October 4, 2014 by Lee

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) by Ray

What an interesting video. Just had to share it.

I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. (Psalms 102:6 NKJV)

They are mentioned 3 times in Scripture. Isaiah 34:11 and Zephaniah 2:14 and the previous verse.

“Abandoned by his flock, Bigbird the pelican stumbled ashore after a storm and was taken in by the staff of Greystoke Mahale in Tanzania. Watch as Bigbird learns to fly for the first time.”

Birdwatching Terms – About’s Bird Bill Parts

September 23, 2014 by Lee

A bird’s bill, also called a beak, is a critical piece of its anatomy, not only for foraging, defense, singing and other behaviors, but also for birders to make a proper identification. Depending on the bird, a bill can provide clues to far more than species: age, gender, diet and foraging behaviors can all be learned by studying a bill. By knowing the basic parts of a bill and the bird’s face and head immediately adjacent to the bill, birders can be better prepared to look for the subtle clues bills can reveal about every bird.

What an amazing part of the bird from its Creator.

Overall Bill Features

Some of the most important aspects of a bird’s bill are not specific features, but the general jizz of the bill. When first studying bird bills, look for…

Size: How large does the bill appear in proportion to the bird’s head? Check for length as compared to the length of the head as well as the width of the bill and how that width may change along the bill’s length.
Shape: Bill shapes vary widely, from delicate triangles or thin, needle-like bills to thick, bulbous bills to sharply curved bills to radical shapes that include spoon-like tips or horny casques. When the shape is very unique, that can be a diagnostic clue for a bird’s identity even if other field marks cannot be seen.
Color: The color of a bill can be a clue for species, gender or age. Note the overall color as well as any specific markings, such as a colored tip or base, subterminal band or color differences between the top and bottom of the bill.

Specific Bill Parts

When birders can get a good look at a bill, there are a number of different parts that can yield clues about the bird’s identity, such as…

Lores: While not part of the bill itself, the lores are the space between the base of a bird’s bill and the forward edge of its eyes. This area may be a different color or show a smudge or eye line that can be an identification clue.
Nares: More commonly called the nostrils, the position of the nares as well as their size and shape are important to note for bird’s identities. In some types of birds, such as raptors, the nares are covered by a fleshy cere, while in others, such as many seabirds, elongated tube-like nares help filter seawater.
Maxilla: Also called the upper mandible, the maxilla is the top half of a bird’s bill. Size, length and shape will vary, and some birds have knobs, fleshy wattles or other features that distinguish the maxilla.
Culmen: Difficult to see on many bird species, the culmen is the center line drawn down the length of a bird’s maxilla. In some species, this can be a very distinct peak that divides the sides of the bill, while it may not be noticeable in other species.
Tip: The tip of a bird’s bill may be different shapes, such as blunt or sharply pointed, depending on the bird’s general diet. Hooks are common at the tip of carnivorous birds’ bills, while many waterfowl have small bumps, called nails, on the tip of the maxilla.
Mandible: The lower half of a bird’s bill is called the mandible or lower mandible. The color may vary from the maxilla either along the entire length or just at one end, and can be a great clue for identification. Some birds, such as many gulls, may show spots or other markings just on the mandible.
Chin: Not directly part of the bill, the chin is the area of feathers immediately adjacent to the base of a bird’s mandible. In some species, the color of the chin may vary from the throat or face, providing a valuable identification clue.
Gape: This is a fleshy area at the base of the bill where the upper and lower mandibles meet. In young birds, it is often enlarged or may seem so because the birds have not developed their mature feathers to help conceal it, and it may be brightly colored so their mouths are more noticeable when they beg for food. On some species, such as the bananaquit, the gape remains colorful on adult birds.

Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) by Raymond Barlow

It can be difficult to see many of the subtle details of a bird’s bill, but understanding the different bill parts is a great way for birders to refine their identification skills and learn more about every bird they see.

Photo – Yellow-Billed Cuckoo (Above) © Dan Pancamo
Photo – House Finch (Below) © nigel

This is a good introduction to the bird’s bill. Look for more articles on the individual parts of the beak.

From About Birding/Wild Birds – Bird Identification

More Birdwatching Terms

Birdwatching Tips

Why Use The Birds of the World?

September 19, 2014 by Lee

Green-billed Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus) ©WikiC

The list of all the Birds of the World are updated about every four months. Which we try to keep up with their (I.O.C.) newest lists.

You are probably wondering why you would need it. Let me share some things about it and then give you some ideas how it my be handy for one of your school projects.

The I.O.C. is actually the International Ornithological Committee. “Ornithological” basically means those who study birds or bird related. They maintain a list of all the birds around the world. They set standards of how to name them, what scientific classification to place the birds in, and divide them into Orders and Families, etc.

They are needed because we may call a bird by one name, yet someone in a different country or area may call it by a different name. They realize that those two names belong to the same bird. It is a very hard task to keep track of all those 10,000 plus birds, but that is what they try to do.

They give every bird an English name as a standard. Then they also want every one to spell the words the same. For instance, some people spell the “Grey” or “Gray” to mean the same color. To keep things simple, all the birds are spelled as “Grey.” That is just one example.

There are committees all over the world working on the birds of the area they live in, then those committees get together to combine all the list to make one big list. That is what was just updated.

On our Birds of the World section, you will find the birds listed by Orders (40 main classifications), then by Families (240 groups of closely related birds). The reason all of that is not duplicated here would be very time-consuming. There are hundreds of pages and thousands of photos on that site.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) by Dan

Projects for school or your own information:

You know the name of a bird’s name, but need to find the Species name, Go to the Species Index to find these choices:

First Name of Bird
Last Name of Bird

If you know that it called Madagascan something, go to the First Name of Bird index and choose the “M” page

If you know it is a Duck, go to the Last Name of Bird index and choose the “D – Last Name” page.

The Families have four indexes to help you find the Families of birds.

When you find your bird in the right family, almost every bird has a link to a photo or video.

I will share more tips on how to use those indexes in another article.

Another reason is because we believe the Lord created all the beautiful birds and He should get all the credit.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)

So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 NKJV)

Child’s Book of Water Birds – Re-visited

September 15, 2014 by Lee

The Child’s Book of Water Birds

Revisited

An anonymous writer wrote the Child’s Book of Water Birds in 1855. You can see how Project Gutenberg published it as an e-book. (Public Domain) CLICK HERE

Below are the links to my “Re-visited” versions here. Moved these over from the Birds of the Bible for Kids blog and can be found in the Kid’s Section under Watching Birds.

The six different birds were written to a very young reader. I trust you will enjoy reading them for yourself or to your children or grand-children. They can be used to introduce you/them to birds.

Here are my versions of the Six Birds:

The Swan

The Coot

The Dabchick

The Teal

The Goose

The Oystercatcher

The Bible tells us that we are to

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 KJV)

Introducing children to the amazing birds the Lord has created is a tiny step to help with that training. Introducing them to the Lord Jesus Christ, is the major step.

Wordless Birds

Golden Eagle – Fly Like A Bird?

September 8, 2014 by Golden Adventures

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Flying ©WikiC

Relocated – Click Here

Bible Birds – Cuckoo Introduction

September 5, 2014 by Lee

Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira) at NA by Dan at National Aviary

Bible Birds – Cuckoo’s Introduction

Relocated Here

Eagles and Ravens

August 25, 2014 by Lee

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by PattiKru

EAGLES AND RAVENS

He is Very Brave

“Some white-tailed eagles were boasting one day of their bravery,” commenced daddy. “They were also saying how fine they were in every way and that their very name meant something splendid and free and strong.

“As a matter of fact, though the white-tailed eagles won’t admit it, they are less brave than any of the eagle families.

“The ravens are not kindly at all and they love to fight. They had often thought it would be great sport to have those ‘silly white-tailed eagles,’ as they called them, admit that they were not brave and have their leader beg for mercy from General Raven.

“And, as you can imagine, when Brother Black Raven heard the eagles boasting he knew it was high time to begin and frighten them.

“So he called all the ravens together. Some of them were having their naps, but as soon as Brother Black Raven called them, up they got in a great hurry, spread their wings and drilled a little bit just like soldiers. Only instead of marching they flew.

“As General Raven came near the nest of the white-tailed eagles, he said in a very queer, croaking sort of voice:

“‘Good-morning!’ That was rather mean of him to say, for, of course, he didn’t really wish them a ‘Good-morning.’

“‘Do you want to fight?’ asked General Raven.

“Still not a sound from the eagles. There was a slight fluster and trembling, which the ravens could hear and which made them grin with delight, but the eagles never said a word. They didn’t even look at the ravens! For they were so frightened they didn’t dare look at them, and they kept thinking, ‘Oh, won’t those awful ravens and their ugly old general go away?’ The eagles, of course, thought the ravens were very ugly because they were so afraid of them.

“‘For the last time, do you want to fight us, eh?’ asked General Raven. And still the eagles said not a word—nor made a sound. ‘Well, let me say then for all of us,’ said General Raven, ‘that we think you’re very cowardly, and we heard you talking before we came of your bravery. We wouldn’t fight you because you’re afraid of us, but you’ll have to admit it after this,’ and with a deep chuckle off went General Raven and his followers.

“The eagles did not go on boasting, but they were very contented that the ravens had gone away!”

Northern Raven (Corvus corax) by Kent Nickell

Lee’s Addition:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3 NKJV)

By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom. (Proverbs 13:10 NKJV)

We should be careful not to think too much or ourselves or boast. We can have confidence through Christ, but should never get “proud.”

From Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories – Gutenberg ebooks By Mary Graham Bonner With four illustrations in color by Florence Choate and Elizabeth CurtisThese stories first appeared in the American Press Association Service and the Western Newspaper Union.

Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca McCann, creator of the “Cheerful Cherub,” etc.Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner – 1917