Tag Archives: Youth

Gaze Stabilization – Bobble-Body

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A friend placed this video on my Facebook. Another friend commented that instead of a bobble-head, it seems to have a bobble-body. That appears to be a very appropriate name for this Kingfisher’s actions.

Kingfisher, which aired on the BBC’s Winterwatch

Audubon’s comments had this remark about this birds video:

“Here’s an experiment: While reading this sentence, shake your head back and forth, and then nod up and down. Notice how the words on your screen remain in focus? Congratulations, you just experienced “gaze stabilization.”

It’s this natural ability that allows us to maintain a clear line of vision even when our bodies are in motion.”

Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) ©WikiC

“Gaze stabilization found in nature has inspired modern technologies, such as those used to stabilize images in cameras and drones. “Any cameras that films movies have image stabilization,” Dickman says.” Read this whole artcle at For Birds, a Steady Head Is the Key to Incredible Focus

Gazing, or keeping our eyes focused on things, is mention frequently in Scripture.

“Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you.” (Job 35:5 NIV)

Stephen Gazed: “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:55-56 NKJV)

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) by Ian

“He has regarded the prayer of the destitute And has not despised their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. For He looked down from His holy height; From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free those who were doomed to death,” (Psalms 102:17-20 NASB)

“At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk.” (Acts 14:8-10 NASB)

Where are we gazing?

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB)

ABC’s of the Gospel

Many Mouths To Feed!

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I have been a subscriber to Alois Absenger. He is a great photographer in Southeast Styria, I believe. I could not resist sharing his latest photo.

Which One Do I Feed First?

11 Mouths to feed ©Alois Absenger

11 Mouths to feed ©Alois Absenger

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NIV)

Check out his site at: https://aloisabsenger.wordpress.com/2020/06/19/11-hungrige-kohlmeisen/

ABC’s of the Gospel

Having A Parade – Family Circus

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Family Circus - Ducks having a parade

Family Circus – Ducks having a parade

Mallard Duck army marching (I know it's not a King, but it's cute) ©WikiC

Mallard Duck army marching (I know it’s not a King, but it’s cute) ©WikiC

“There are three things which are stately in their march, Even four which are stately when they walk:” Can you find out what they are? See – (Proverbs 30:29-31 NASB)

Penguins line up for diving by Poplively

Group of birds flying in formation in front of sunset.

Group of birds flying in formation in front of sunset.

Sometimes they line up in the water:

Ducklings at Lake Morton 4-13-16 by Lee

Here is the previous verse: “There are three things which are stately in their march, Even four which are stately when they walk: The lion which is mighty among beasts And does not retreat before any, The strutting rooster, the male goat also, And a king when his army is with him.” (Proverbs 30:29-31 NASB)

Wordless Woodpecker

 

 

Creation Moments – Birds

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Creation Moments has articles frequently about birds. I seem to get behind in checking my mail, so they sort of “pile up.” Today’s post is excerpts, with links to some of those posts.

Dueling Bird Songs

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) - ©WikiC

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) – ©WikiC

“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;…” Song of Solomon 2:12

“There is a lot more to bird song than meets the ear. Digital recording and computer technology have enabled researchers to study, in detail, various song-birds’ reactions to neighboring birds’ songs.

“In most species, singing is the male’s job. There is much more going on when he sings than simply establishing territory or attracting a mate. Researchers refer to one characteristic of bird song as “song matching.” While a male bird doesn’t like another male in his territory, he is more tolerant of a related male in a neighboring territory than of a complete stranger. A male will challenge a stranger by repeating the stranger’s song……”

Continued at Dueling Bird Songs

Hooded Crow. Warren Photographic

Are European Crows Evolving?

“And God created … every winged fowl after his kind…” Genesis 1:21

“A recent report on the Science Alert website discussed the evolution of two species of crow in Europe. The two species concerned are the carrion crow, which is black, and the grey-hooded crow. These crows are very different in appearance. They both populate continental Europe, with the grey-hoods in the East and the carrion crows in the West. Their boundary appears to be approximately where Germany’s Elbe River is. At this overlap point, it is possible for birds of the two species to interbreed. The hybrid birds are themselves fertile, which, while unusual for hybrids, is by no means unknown…..”

Continued at Are European Crows Evolving?

An Old Dead Bird And An Egg

Fossil-Avimaia Schweitzerae With Unlaid Egg ©WikiC

Fossil-Avimaia Schweitzerae With Unlaid Egg ©WikiC

“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.” Genesis 1:22

“I like to keep ducks because I love their eggs. Last summer, one of my ducks became ill, with eggs trapped inside her. Despite my best efforts, she died. Scientists believe the same thing may have happened to a specimen of Avimaia. This fossil, dated by evolutionists at 110 million years old, had evidence of an unlaid egg inside it.” ..

“These deep-time ages do not make sense in the light of the creatures’ appearances. For example, the fact that the avimaia fossil has this unlaid egg within it suggests that the process of egg laying has not changed for these birds, which even evolutionists are having to admit must have co-existed with the very type of dinosaurs which supposedly evolved into them……”

Continued at AN OLD DEAD BIRD AND AN EGG

You can find more of these type articles in the Interesting Things and When I Consider

Who Paints The Leaves?

Hoatzin Bird from Answers in Genesis

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Hoatzin ( Opisthocomus hoazin) by Ian

Hoatzin Bird: Evidence Against Evolutionary Ideas from Answers in Genesis, by Harry F. Sanders, III

Answers in Genesis has a very interesting article about the Hoatzin Bird on line [. See Hoatzin Bird: Evidence Against Evolutionary Ideas, by Harry F. Sanders, III.

I would like to share a few quotes from the article, trusting that you will follow the link to read the full article. The Hoatzin is one of those birds that the evolutionist can’t figure out what to do with. It is not a typical bird that can be neatly tucked into a family or an order. Evolutionist try so hard to convince us that dinosaurs evolved into birds, that they are really puzzled about this unique Avian Wonder from Our Creator.

“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.” (Psalms 148:5 KJV)

“The hoatzin is a very unique bird, something of a conglomeration of traits typical of birds, reptiles, and even mammals. As a bird, it shares characteristics typical of birds such as being warm-blooded, having feathers, and so on. It is roughly the size of a turkey, with a colorful, crested head and long tail feathers. However, its most interesting and unique features are distinctly un-birdlike.”

The Hoatzin history is traced through Africa mainly, and then found in France, Brazil, and Columbia. Yet, all they find is a single bone or two in each place, and come up with their conclusions.

Hoatzin(Opisthocomushoazin) by Kent Nickel

Hoatzin(Opisthocomushoazin) by Kent Nickel

“The enigmatic Opisthocomus (hoatzin) still cannot be confidently placed, but some putative sister relationships can be rejected.”10 The hoatzins unique traits and obvious discontinuity from other birds have completely impeded any evolutionary attempt to classify it. Evolutionary scientists have no explanation for the origin of the hoatzin, despite numerous attempts to create a phylogenetic tree that will fit them.”

One of the paragraph headings tells the whole story, at least as I see it. “Designed to Do What It Does Do” It eats leaves only, has a claw on wing when born, has a unique stomach and digestive system,

“Even ignoring the devastating blow hoatzin deals to Archaeopteryx as a transitional form, it causes evolutionists other significant problems, as evidenced by the trouble it gives to their cladistic models. They simply cannot determine what its ancestor was. However, if they would pause long enough to consider Genesis 1, they might recognize that hoatzin likely is its own created kind and thus its ancestor was a hoatzin.29”

[Above quotes from the article Hoatzin Bird: Evidence Against Evolutionary Ideas]

Interesting Facts:

  • Hoatzin can reach 25 inches in length and 1.78 pounds of weight.
  • Hoatzin has a long neck, small head with reddish-brown crest, and blue facial skin with red eyes. Its body is covered with dark and light brown feathers combined with white and yellow feathers.
  • Hoatzin has a long tail composed of ten, loosely attached feathers.
  • Hoatzin is a clumsy bird. It spends most of the time near the water and on the branches of the surrounding trees.

From Wikipedia: “The hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), also known as the reptile bird, skunk bird, stinkbird, or Canje pheasant, is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America. It is notable for having chicks that have claws on two of their wing digits.

It is the only member of the genus Opisthocomus (Ancient Greek: “long hair behind”, referring to its large crest). This is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae. The taxonomic position of this family has been greatly debated by specialists, and is still far from clear.”

Hoatzin

Interesting Birds – Hoatzin

Hoatzin – The Stinker

Opisthocomidae – Hoatzin

The Wise Owl

Creation Moments – Evolution of Feathers

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Evolution of Feathers

Genesis 1:22-23

“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”

One of the most obvious objections to the alleged evolution of birds from therapod dinosaurs is the evolution of feathers themselves. In order to change a therapod dinosaur, which would appear to have bare reptilian scales, into a bird with feathers, it is supposed that the scales must fray into pieces to make the distinguished feathery structure.

Many evolutionists have noticed the difficulty in suggesting so many changes, and it is partly for this reason that therapod dinosaurs themselves are often depicted covered with feathers. However, by doing this, evolutionists have merely moved the problem, and not solved it.

Part of the issue is that key parts of the feather have to be very exact in their construction in order to work. For example, the ‘hooks and eyes’ on the feathers (known as barbules and hamuli) must be exactly the right size to fit together. If they were a little short or a little long, then there would not be an  airtight fit for flight, or a watertight fit for waterfowl. The only response that evolutionists can have is that this exactness is not necessary for their feathered dinosaurs, so they are allowing that the evolution of exact barbules might be later than that of original feathers. But this explanation is weak and does not pass the Occam Razor test of simplicity, whereas the careful, accurate design of feathers, independent of scales, clearly does.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the beauty and simplicity, yet intricacy, that we see in the designs that You have made. We stand in awe and praise Your Name. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: Bergman, J., The evolution of feathers: a major problem for Darwinism, Journal of Creation (formerly TJ) 17(1):33–41, April 2003. Image: Public Domain.

Copyright © 2020 Creation Moments, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Genesis 1:22-23 “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” O…

Source: Evolution of Feathers

ABC’s of the Gospel

Heron Fishing With Bread and Patience

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Black-Crowned Night Heron at S Lk Howard

Black-Crowned Night Heron at South Lake Howard by Lee

Thought you would enjoy another bird using bread to fish:

This one is having better fortune than Simon Peter and fellow fishermen. They fished all night with no catches.

“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.” (John 21:3-5 KJV)

Heron Fishing With Patience and Bread

Green Heron Fishing With Bread

Birdwatching At Home – Green Heron

Wordless Birds

Pigeon and Puppy – From Dodo

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©The Dodo

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor [friendship]. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 NASB) [added emphasis]

©The Dodo

ABC’s of the Gospel

How Many Feathers? – Creation Moments

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Tongtianlong Cropped ©WikiC

“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:25

 Today, we often see pictures of dinosaurs covered in feathers, which used to be represented with bare scales. Why has this change occurred? There is a preconceived notion, held by many evolutionists, that birds evolved from therapod dinosaurs, such as tyrannosaurus and the smaller raptor dinosaurs.

One such dinosaur reported in the media just a few years ago was Tongtianlong limosus. Apparently, its name means “muddy dragon on the road to heaven”. This sheep-sized dinosaur was discovered in China, and the fossil had an arched neck and raised head, as if it was trying to get free of something. Artists’ impressions of the creature show it covered with feathers, and reporters and researchers alike assume that this is correct. One scientific commentator said, “Modern birds came from dinosaurs … and it’s dinosaurs like Tongtianlong that give us a glimpse of what the ancestors of modern birds would have looked like. Fossils like these capture evolution in action.” Yet, this is simply not the case and appears to be an example of circular reasoning. The fossil shows no sign of feathers – not even the so-called dubious proto-feathers associated with other finds. It is simply the type of dinosaur that has caused it to be so classified by evolutionists, exercising more artistic license than is appropriate for serious scientific work.

In the Bible we read that God made birds on day five, and He made land animals on day six, so birds could not have evolved from dinosaurs.

Prayer: Lord God, You made everything right, in the way that You designed it, according to Your glory. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: Robinson, P. (2016), Sorry, how many feathers did you find?, < https://creation.com/sorry-how-many-feathers-did-you-find >, accessed 5/1/2019. Image: CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

Used With Permission: © 2020 Creation Moments, Inc.

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” Adolf Hitler

“If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” [Jesus’ Words] (John 3:12 NASB)

If people do not believe the things that the Lord said about His Creation, and continue to make up false theories, how will they ever believe the truth of Christ’s offer of salvation?

Will they prepare for heaven? God’s Word is true, yet many refuse to believe it. They would rather lie, than accept the truth. So sad. Maybe a good title for this article should have been,

“How Many Lies!”

Creation Moments – How Many Feathers?

Creation Moments

More Creation Moment articles here

ABC’s of the Gospel

Laughter From A Bird

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Kookaburra Lowry Park Zoo 12-31-15 by Lee

Laughing Kookaburra Lowry Park Zoo 12-31-15 by Lee

A friend sent me a message with a Kookaburra video. and was wondering if this is a Kookaburra. In response, I reminded her of these previous articles here. We all need to laugh and let off some of our pent up boredom, fustration, idleness, loneliness, or just Need A Good Laugh for our soul’s Well-being.

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13 KJV)

Meet Merlin, from the Orlando Sea World:

Here are some more cool things about the Merlin the Kookaburra and other critters at Sea World:

Here are some of the articles from the past with these good-natured birds:

Kookaburra Encounter at Brevard Zoo – 2014

Birds Of The Bible – Joy And Laughter – 2013

From Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures Plus:

Kookaburra – Chattery Birds With A Merry Heart – 2010

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Laughing Kookaburra -2011

Kookaburra Encounter – 2014

Tickle Me Tuesday Revived – Laughing Kookaburras – 2019

Kingfishers And Kookaburras – From Creation Moments – 2020

Kookaburra at Brevard Zoo by Dan

Laughing Kookabura Brevard Zoo

Laughing Kookabura Brevard Zoo

Lee and Kookaburra at Brevard Zoo by Dan

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) at Cincinnati Zoo

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Have a great day, and may you keep a smile on your face and in your heart.