White Throated Sparrow

We had snow Wednesday night and this bird came by our feeder the next day.He seemed to be looking at me as I sat waiting for birds to come by for photos. A number of birds are taking advantage of our feeder during this last snow.

Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?"

God is concerned about the birds. He is also concerned for us. Turn to Him for help and guidance.

Father, I thank you for all You do for me.

Dark-Eyed Junco

Dark-Eyed Junco or more commonly called Snow Bird
They show up at feeders when it snows. I see them without snow also.

There are different color variations of this bird. This bird and the ones that visit my place are the slate

The bird is adaptive and occurs in a variety of habitats.
White outer tail feathers, also the bill and  belly are white also. It is a sparrow shaped bird.

These birds don't eat off the bird feeder. They only eat on the ground. That is what I have observed. It looks to me as if the birds throw some of the feed on the ground for other birds to eat.

This bird generosity is intriguing. Maybe they are just sloppy, but I like to think they have some unselfishness.

Let us not just look out for ourselves. But instead care for others.

Romans 15:1,2 “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.”

Father, I yearn to follow the example of others and give to those in need.

American Sycamore Bud

During the growing season the bud is fully encased by the leaf stem.

The circles where the leaf scar is, are bundle scars where  the vein from the leaf attaches to the twig. Young tress and branches have thin bark that peals off with white bark underneath. The bud and the bark make this tree easy to identify in the winter.

The way this tree is made reminds me of a life principle of growth. When we grow we are protecting the future. The bud inside the leaf stalk was being protected. When we grow in spiritual things we are setting the stage for the future.

Let us not neglect our future as we are living in the present. Instead, know that each thing we do is not only useful now but can be a building block for things later in life.

Matthew 2521 "His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master."

Father, I believe You and what You have said in Your word. I live in expectation of Your blessing to enable me to help others better. In Jesus name it will happen.

Water

Water is life!

Ice fields, oceans, rivers and lakes occupy about 324 million cubic miles.
Ground water under the surface of the earth, occupies another 2 million cubic miles of water.
In the atmosphere there are another 3,100 more cubic miles of water.

Water has many unique qualities. It expands when it freezes instead of getting smaller. This expanding water allows life to live in lakes. If the ice sank to the bottom, the lake would more easily be frozen completely. The event of heavy ice would kill off all the fish and other life. When ice is at the top of the lake the water below is maintained.

The energy to freeze or thaw water is massive. Heat is given off as water is freezing. If you put some water outside in 0 degree F. The water temperature will drop till it gets to 32 degrees. Then as the water turns to ice the water will stop dropping in temperature until all the water has frozen. This pause happens as some of the energy in the water is given off. After all the water is frozen, the temperature of the water will continue to drop.

Water is attracted to itself. When it is in a thin straw or tube the capillary force will draw water  up. This action allows plants to bring water out of the ground and provide cooling and water for  growth.

If water was not attracted to itself trees would not be able to bring water up the tree bowl to the leaves that are collecting the sun and creating food in photosynthesis.

The human adult body has about 60% water in it. I know the need for water first hand. As I worked in the hot sun my thirst developed and I would sweat. To not have water brings the possible of heat stroke. We need water.

Just as life on earth can't exist without water. So our life with Christ can't exist without His word.
John 4:14  “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Thank you Father, that I can drink freely from the water of life without cost.

Revelation 21:6 “Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”

Streams

Summer creek with little slope. The water only flows here during rain. There is a little bit of water flowing but not much.

Water finds the lowest point and creates a stream, washing all the dirt away leaving only rock. Streams come in two categories. Streams and intermittent streams. Intermittent streams only flow part of the year when there is enough rain to keep it flowing.

The life found in the stream varies according to how deep the water is and how fast the water flows. Some fish prefer fast flowing streams. While other fish can't handle fast water, only living in slower flowing water. The depth of the water will  dictate to an extent the fish that live there.

Christian growth is refereed to as being better if people live and use a stream instead of a lake or pond. If our source of water is on again and off again there would not be good health. We need to have  a steady diet of Scripture to thrive spiritually, along with fellowship, prayer, giving and serving.

Father, don't let me be an intermittent stream for You. I want to seek you with my whole heart.

Blacked Capped Chickadee

Small little bird that hangs around our feeder all winter. As I watch it come to the feeder, it first lands on a near by bush for 3 seconds. Then it flies to a branch above the feeder for a couple of seconds. Then it lands on the feeder and gets a seed. This takes about 1 to 2 seconds. It flew back to the bush to crack the seed shell and eat the kernel. After a few times of this it noticed I was sitting near by. The next time after getting a seed it flew to the other side of the street to eat the seed kernel. But the bird kept coming back because I was far enough away.

It has a long tail so the measurement is deceptive of 5 1/2". The House Sparrow measures 6 1/4" for comparison. This bird also has a shorter tail. The Blacked Capped Chickadee has a head a little big for its body size. We live on the southern end of the range in mid Missouri. The Carolina Chickadee comes into Missouri as well. Their calls are different but this does no good for identification, because they learn each others call.

They breed to a hybrid. The Blacked Capped has a little bit of gold in its breast while the Carolina has a white breast.

The bird is inquisitive and will come by when I'm hiking in the woods to see what I am up to.

They are able to store food and remember where they hid it and what kind of food is where. They can remember where they hid their food up to 28 days. They usually hide the food in tree bark or lichen patches.

Let us take the example of the Chickadee and store God's work in our heart for Christian living and spiritual nourishment.

Psalm 119:105 "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. KJV

Father, thank you for this fun bird that shows the way to live in the cold winter. Let me store your Word in my heart to serve You.

Frost

The fog was heavy this morning bringing more moisture to the ground. Got a photo of frost on this small leaf.

Genesis 27:28

"Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, 

And of the fatness of the earth,

 And an abundance of grain and new wine;"

Father I look to you for sustenance and strength each day. Remind me to look for the morning dew in the morning.

Monarch Butterfly on Calico Aster

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

God has given us His promises to rely on in life. There are many things that come our way but as we rely on God, He brings us through it all.

God is not asleep. He is with us through thick and thin. The problems in the day will not overwhelm you. And the problems at night will not destroy you. We can trust in God and rely on Him in all we face in life.

Can we believe God's promises? Yes we can believe Him. Reject the doubt that naturally comes with trials and instead trust what God says. Jesus is our savior, friend, helper and He is right now in heaven praying for us as we believe what He has promised us.

Father I look to you to help me through all the problems that come my way.

American Woodcock

Well camouflaged bird, that walks slowly along the forest floor. It probes for bugs in the forest soil with its long beak.

The unusual placement of their eyes permits them to keep watch for danger in the sky while they have their heads down searching for food.

The newly hatched chicks leave the nest a few hours after hatching and rely on their mother for food for only a week.

People are on the other end of the scale. We rely on our parents for 20 years or more. The more help you get, the better prepared you are for problems that lay ahead.

Proverbs 15:22 

"Without consultation, plans are frustrated,

But with many counselors they succeed."

Father, I look to You for guidance in my life. And to give me good friends to help me also.

Snow Geese

What a marvelous sight I found at a nearby wildlife refuge. And there are a lot more coming.  They were always honking. When more of them would take to the air volume went up. And the volume went down when most of the geese settled down on the water.

The population was down so far in 1916 that hunting was stopped. It was started again in 1975. The population is so high now that the breeding grounds in Canada are being damaged by the overpopulation. There are some dark birds in this species and they are called blues.

They breed in Canada all the way up to the Arctic ocean. They winter along the Mississippi river down to Mexico and the Gulf coast. Some Snow geese that winter along the Pacific ocean will breed up in Siberia and some of those that winter along the Atlantic ocean will breed in Greenland.

Females will spend up to 18 hours a day foraging for food at their breeding grounds. But once they are sitting on their eggs they don't eat much. The oldest known snow goose  was 27 1/2 years.

Wing span 54" weight 116 oz. (7 pounds 4 oz) 2-6 eggs a year with one brood.

They sound a warning by honking before they take off and we shold pay attention to the warnings written in the Bible.

Joel 2:1 "Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!......"

Father let me be aware of Your warnings and serve You to help others follow You.

American Coot

I don't ever see coots flying. They are content to swim away or run along the top of the water. But today was different. This was not just another day at the lake for these coots. Danger was in the air. I saw a Bald Eagle and all the birds knew he was around.

Danger has a way of waking people up. Defenses and preparations are made. The trouble is most people don't have a clue there is danger and live life as if nothing at all is wrong.  But we have an enemy and he is prowling to devour people spiritually. Many are easy pickings and lose their life spiritually because of the devastation that comes their way.

Don't be an easy target. Instead prepare for the future by returning to God and staying close to Him.

Mark 4:15 "Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them."

1 Peter 5:8 "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Father, I look to you. For You will pluck my feet out of the net. (Palm 25:15)

Killdeer

The Killdeer is a plover and is a shore bird. But they don't always stay by the shore. I found this bird at a baseball field. Their name comes from their call that sounds like a shrill killdeer.

Many of the plovers run along beach shores to gather their food. Killdeer run for a while than stop to see if they have stirred up any insects.

The oldest Killdeer was found rebanding in Kansas, 10 years and 11 months.

Killdeers will try a broken wing trick to get predators to not go near their nest.  This works fine but horses will still step on their nests as they roam through the pasture.

I enjoy seeing these birds and the energy they show as they work the ground for food. 

1 Peter 3:10 "For,The one who desires life, to love and see good days,

Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit."

Father, thank you for the energy that comes from you to enjoy life and all You make.

Fire

Fire is a destructive force in nature. It can also be a cleansing force. Much of the undergrowth in the woods will be cleaned out during a fire.

Earth is the only planet in the Universe that fire will burn, no where else has that much oxygen.

Place a cold spoon over a candle and you will observe the water vapor condense on the metal...

A fire that burned in London in 1666 burned up much of the city. It also burned up the rats and fleas that were spreading the Bubonic plague that had killed more than 65,000 people the previous year. After the fire the plague stopped.

The Black Dragon Fire of 1987 is the largest wildfire in modern times. It burned some 20 million acres across China and the Soviet Union, an area about the size of South Carolina.

The Yellowstone fire of 1988 burned for months and did not go out till the arrival of cooler weather and rain. This fire burned 793,880 acres or 35 miles square.

Do we want God's fire in our life?  Hebrews 12:29 shows God is a consuming fire. If we are serving Him, His fire makes us hotter.

Father, show me how to burn brighter for you.

Fire Break

Hiking these woods I came across some workers that were blowing leaves and making a clear path in the ground. They said they were clearing this path for a fire break. They were going to burn the leaves and debris on the ground to maintain the Savannah woods.

Before civilization fire came through the woods from time to time.  This kept the undergrowth down and trees that were more resistant to fire thrived.

Fire is like problems. In the past foresters tried to stop all fires. But the forests started to change from Oak trees to less desirable trees. So now foresters burn occasionally to maintain the woods as they now.

We don't like the problems that come our way. Problems will make us stronger if we respond to them from the directions in Scripture. When we trust God we grow in Christ. When we turn to man to solve our problems we fester in the weakness we live in.

James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Don't complain about your problem. Turn to Jesus and look to Him for the answer.

Father I thank you for your provision You have promised.


Here is a link to this area, showing what it looks like in summertime.

Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo leaves at end of bud. There seems to be 8 clustered at the end of the bud.

This ancient tree seems to know that it is the light the provides its ability to survive. All the leaves at the tip of the twig is a sign for me to seek the light.

Micah 7:8 "Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me."


Go to this link to read my other posts on Ginkgo trees.

Immature Turkey Vulture

Immature because the head is mostly black. The mature Turkey Vulture has a red head. Two tone wings and wings making a V and not flat are ID signs of a Turkey Vulture.

I have noticed these vultures like to gather in the morning and evening and fly around in circles for a while before departing to sleep or head out for the day. This communal activity is interesting.

Vultures are usually looked down on because they eat dead meat. This is God's way of nature. I have heard that a vulture will come up to an animal they think is dead. But when the animal moves it is revolting to them.

They have a good sense of smell, but not good enough to detect rotting flesh from the high altitudes they maintain while looking for food.

Habakkuk 1:8 "Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour."

Thank you Father, for the sanitary service these birds provide.

Fall in Late Afternoon

Late afternoon sun enhances and late fall colors bring out a unique scene. There is always things to see in nature, but sunrise and sunset accent their beauty.

The Lord will bring beauty to our life as we make ourselves available to Him.


Matthew 4:16 "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned."

Father, I look to Your light, to lighten the darkness I find myself in. For You bring my way to fullness.

Turkey

Photo taken at Bass Pro Shop

The wild turkey and the Muscovy Duck have been domesticated. No other bird in North America has been domesticated.

Wild turkeys are native to North America. Wild turkeys (a different race of turkey from the US), were brought from Mexico to Europe in the 1500s and when they came over to North America they brought them with them. They flourished till the early 1900s. Farm turkeys were released to try to increase the wild population but they didn't survive. Wild ones were then introduced, taken from more populous areas and this worked.

Now Wild Turkeys are prevalent over the 48 states of the US.

Length 43 to 45 inches
Wingspan 49 to 57 inches
weight 23 pounds

Turkeys are consumed at Thanksgiving and I will use them as a type for thankfulness. Our thankfulness brings a better life, instead of complaining about problems. It is thanksgiving that allows us to enter the presence of God.

Psalm 100:4,5 

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

5 For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations."

As we come to God with thanksgiving we receive grace and mercy to help in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

" Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, 

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Father, I thank you for Your blessings of grace and mercy.

Northern Shoveler

Drake 

 Hen

This duck is widespread over North America. They are monogamous. They nest in grassy areas, away from open water. They are a common duck not having any danger in their population. They are 19 inches long and weigh 1.3 pounds. The large bill looks like the duck is out of balance.

The Shovelers have a larger bill than other ducks. The N. Shovelers bill is about 2 1/2 inches long. Their bills have filter type projections on their bills to separate the water from the food they eat.

The oldest Northern Shoveler was a male about sixteen 1/2 years banded in California and found in Nevada.

They don't feed in the mud at the bottom of the pond. This feeding habbit keeps them from getting lead buckshot in their system. The lead kills off those who eat this substance.

Like the N. Shoveler, Christians can stay away from trouble by not allowing immoral or too much media to occupy their mind. To follow Christ requires faith, trust and belief. When the teachings of the Bible are pushed out by bad stuff or just too much stuff, their health spiritually suffers.

Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Father, I thank You for all the varieties and difference there are in nature.

Smart Deer Buck

Sunday afternoon at near dusk, we decided to walk around the block and found this nice buck. It is hunting season so the buck moved to houses for safety. The woods near us,  listed as a green way, has had deer hunters with illegal feeding of corn by the deer stand in years past. This deer must know all about this and has come to the houses where no one takes any shots.

Christians must live smart as well. There are traps in life. Some are: alcohol, drugs, illicit sex. Other traps are less obvious but are just as dangerous. Such as: neglecting family by working too much, spending too much time in recreation and not serving God as they should. Spending time on media and not in the Bible and prayer.

Let us not be fooled by the traps of this world but instead serve God with all our heart.

Psalm 91:3
"For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence."

Psalm 124:7
"Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped."

Proverbs 6:5
"Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler."

Thanks Father, for Your protection.