DAY 189: FEASTING

Join the feast! 

Something for everyone.

Share and share alike.

I have always thought that wild creatures such as these would rather wait their turn at the kill, or risk being part of it, but in this photo three different creatures appear to be collaborating in the feed.

Of course, the vulture is the final guy who cleans up after all the other creatures have had their fill of the carrion, and is known as nature's undertaker.

DAY 188: BIRD IN A BOX

Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employers. Today, Boxing Day is the bank holiday that generally takes place on 26 December. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and some other Commonwealth nations.

In South Africa, this holiday was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994.

The bird in the box is simply my way of connecting the dots, on Boxing Day!

DAY 187: ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS

Merry Christmas to all my blog readers - May peace and joy be your portion as we celebrate and remember what Christmas is all about.  I'm so grateful that the Prince of Peace, Jesus, came to bring us the greatest gift of all. 

A memory from several Christmases ago:  
my aunt and uncle were visiting our home on Christmas Day, and after a lovely dinner we were all relaxing and chatting together in the lounge around the Christmas tree. The children had opened their gifts and there was wrapping and ribbons on the carpet.  My uncle happened to notice a Christmas card on the mantelpiece and was transfixed by the words on the front of it:

'AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE,
ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS IS JESUS'

DAY 186: PLAKKIES

Monday morning, and some poor souls have to get up and get to work, but others are blessed to have finished up for the year and can enjoy the 

Christmas season relaxing and having fun.  But plakkies are in, no matter what!

Plakkies?  

Ok, some of you know them as flip flops.....those totally inelegant bits of recyclable plastic that you wear on your feet, and the more they are worn down and scruffed up, the more comfortable they become.  The commercial world, with an eye to profit, have come out with an incredible array of variations on a theme, and the humble plakkie has morphed into footwear unimaginable from its basic beginning.  

Enjoy your plakkies......

DAY 185: HOT SAND

This brings back memories of when we used to spend lots of time on the beach and because you don't want sand in your sandals, you have to run barefoot across the HOT SAND! 

For some unearthly reason, there ARE people who can walk slowly and calmly across hot surfaces and not feel it. I'm not one of them, so don't call me when you need a firewalker!

 

DAY 184: BEHATTED.

Birdie looking very cute in flowery hat! 

The reason for this post is that my granddaughter is to be married in a few days time, so there has been a flurry of people looking for the right outfit to wear to the wedding - that is apart from THE DRESS, which of course no one gets to see before the big day. 

However, don't think for a moment that any of us will be wearing hats!  That's for the birds......

DAY 183: OSTRICH NONSENSE

And you thought only ostriches stick their heads in the sand! Here we have a bird sticking its head in the snow - wonder what it was looking for?

A few people made suggestions concerning bird/ostrich behaviour - they do this because:
- they're looking for worms
- they are predicting earthquakes by listening to the earth's vibration
  (um, what would they do with any information they glean?)
- just beneath the earth is an ostrich-network much like the internet, except for ostriches, to IM, text & share photos & do likes on Facebook!
- they're ashamed of their faces so they hide them underground!

Okay, that's a lot of nonsense - the real stuff is:

This tale originates from the fact that the male ostrich will dig a large hole (about 2m wide and 1m deep) in the sand for the nest/eggs. Predators cannot see the eggs across the countryside which gives the nest a bit of protection. The hen as well as the rooster takes turns setting on the eggs and because of the indention in the ground, they usually just blend into the horizon. All birds turn their eggs (with their beak) several times a day during the incubation period. From a distance it appears as though the bird has his/her head in the sand.

DAY 182: DOING THE HOKEY KOKEY!

                                 

See how beautifully colour coordinated these Blue-footed Boobies are. 

Blue feet and blue beaks.  And it looks like they're singing the old hokey-pokey song:  You pick your right foot up. You put your right foot down. You pick your left foot up, and you raise it way up high.

The birds are seabirds called blue-footed boobies. No surprise how they got the first part of their name! They got the “booby” part from long-ago Spanish explorers, who called them bobos, which means “dummies.” The birds weren’t used to humans and so showed no fear of them. The explorers thought that was foolish behavior, because it made the birds so easy to catch for dinner.

Blue feet are neat for providing heat! That’s why the parent booby above wraps its wide, webbed feet around its eggs. Finally, a nearly naked chick breaks out of one of the eggs.

Blue-footed boobies live along the Pacific coast, from southern North America down to northern South America. Usually, the birds are out at sea, fishing. But when they come ashore to breed, it's time for blue foots on parade.

DAY 181: WILD GOOSE CHASE

You've heard of a wild goose chase, I'm sure......well here's the real thing!

Maybe the fox was trying to steal mama's eggs, or attack her babies.
But its obvious that geese are well able to defend themselves and are actually very aggressive.

There's another interesting story of two geese getting into a gorilla's camp at a zoo, with the latter ending up being chased by the cheeky geese - on the gorilla's own ground!

The next one is quite amusing (I put a link to a video clip on FaceBook) - two geese chasing the bestman and groomsman at a wedding.  The reason I found it priceless is that we have a family wedding coming up very soon, and they may well have geese at the wedding venue, LOL!!  I'm taking my iPad along so that I don't miss any of the action.........

DAY 180: FILE TRANSFERRING

If you're not computer literate, this will be gobbledygook to you......

But if you are, it will be amusing!

The best thing I ever found for file transferring is iCloud.  Everything I load or type on my iPad can be transferred to my Mac on an ongoing basis. I just love it.  Of course, the inventor of USB sticks is also a total genius.....

Day 179: CHICKENS WITHOUT HEADS

Have you ever referred to someone as resembling a chicken without a head?    (I have to confess that this phrase does pass my lips, quite often - must be an age thing!) well, you may be interested to know how accurate your observation was:

According to bestfunfacts.com, a chicken can actually live without its head.
I apologise, sort of, if you find this a bit macabre - but bear in mind it's only a chicken .....

Headless Chicken: Myth or Fact?

Fact: yes, this is a fact; a chicken can live without its head! As a matter of fact, one chicken was kept alive for eighteen months without its head–this is the longest documented incident of its kind. However, there are some unofficial stories of chickens living for up to three years without their heads.

Scientific explanation: as long as the executer does not damage the chicken’s brain stem, the 




chicken can continue to live for a short while without its head.

Other Chicken Fun Facts

- There are more chickens living on earth than people.

- Chickens can run at a speed of 9 mph. (The roadrunner is an exception!)

- A hen can lay about 300 eggs each year.

- So that the yoke does not stick to the egg shell, a mother hen turns her egg about 50 times each day.

A parting quip:

What do you call a rooster who wakes you up at the same time every morning ? An alarm cluck !  

DAY 178: CROW KILLS

Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu.  

A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.

However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.

MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.

The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah!!", not a single one could shout "Truck."

DAY 177: "CHER AMI"

Carrier pigeons are a fascinating lot!  Here's a story to marvel at :

"Cher Ami" was a registered Black Check carrier pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I.

He delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, "Cher Ami," shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that also had been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines, thanks to the faithful pigeon.

"Cher Ami" was awarded the French "Croix de Guerre" for his heroic service between the forts of Verdun. He died in 1919 as a result of his battle wounds. "Cher Ami" was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I.
"Cher Ami" is on display at the National Museum of American History, Behring Center, in the exhibition "The Price of Freedom: Americans At War."

DAY 176: SET FREE

We woke up this morning to the news that Nelson Mandela had passed away.

This photo is representative of the spirit set free to soar as it leaves the physical body.  My hope for Madiba's spirit is: Absent from the body, present with The Lord......

DAY 175: PARROT-TALK

David received a parrot for his birthday. 

This parrot was fully grown with a bad attitude and terrible vocabulary. 
Every other word was an expletive. Those that weren't expletives were, to say the least, rude. David tried hard to change the bird's attitude. He was constantly saying polite words and playing soft music, he did anything he could think of. Nothing worked. When he yelled at the bird, the bird got worse. If he shook the bird, the bird got madder and ruder. Finally in a moment of desperation, David put the parrot in the freezer. 

For a few moments he heard the bird squawking, kicking and screaming and then suddenly, there was quiet. David was frightened that he might have actually hurt the bird and quickly opened the freezer door. 

The parrot calmly stepped out onto David's extended arm and said: "I'm sorry that I might have offended you with my language and actions, so I ask for your forgiveness. I will try to correct my behavior." 

David was astounded at the bird's change in attitude and was about to ask what had changed him when the parrot continued: 
"May I ask what the chicken did?"

DAY 174: BABY CHICKCHICK

Why did the chick disappoint his mother ? 

He wasn't what he was cracked up to be !

But after all this little guy has been through to enter this world, he deserves to wear a straw basher with a red band, and even do a tap dance, if he is so inclined.

Prior to all this merriment, however, is the reality of being hatched.  During the incubation process, a chicken egg has to lose 13 percent of its weight for the baby chick to be able to properly turn in the shell to peck its way out. If the chick is too large or sticky, it cannot position itself at the broad end of the egg to use its egg tooth to tap open the shell. If all goes well, the chick will use this tooth to rip open the egg.

• A baby chick like this one takes two years to grow into an adult. Most chickens could live about eight years if they are not slaughtered for food or do not die from disease or predators. The world's oldest chicken, a magic show bird named Matilda, lived for 16 years.

DAY 173: IMPRINTING

An amazing  and very curious example of genetic and environmental influences on animal behavior is provided by imprinting. It is a phenomenon exhibited by several species when young, mainly birds, such as ducklings and chicks. 

Upon coming out of their eggs, they will follow and become attached (socially bonded) to the first moving object they encounter (which usually, but not necessarily, is the mother duck or hen).

The first scientific studies of this phenomenon were carried out by Austrian naturalist Konrad Lorenz (1903 - 1989), one of the founders of ethology (the study of animal behavior). He discovered that if greylag geese were reared by him from hatching, they would treat him like a parental bird. The goslings followed Lorenz about and when they were adults they courted him in preference to other greylag geese.  He first called the phenomenon "stamping in" in German, which has been translated to English as imprinting. The reason for the name is because Lorenz thought that the sensory object met by the newborn bird is somehow stamped immediately and irreversibly onto its nervous system. 

DAY 172: LIKEMINDEDNESS

Likemindedness = togetherness = unity = peace......an excellent mathematical equation.  Or a recipe for happiness, whether in marriage, friendship, teams, playing games, etc.  That doesn't mean we all have to come out of the sausage machine looking the same, which would be boring, but it does mean that we
strain towards the same goal.  

Unity in diversity is another term for likemindedness.  I'm so glad that we have been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) and as we walk with the Lord, working out our salvation with fear trembling, that unity in diversity mix in people makes life so interesting....and challenging.  Never a dull moment!  

DAY 171: HOU JOU BEAK!

This awesome picture has been around on Facebook etc. for a while now, but is worth a mention as not only is it very unusual & so well captured by the photographer, but it also fits in so beautifully with my previous post on words!

The bird on the left HAS to be a male, and the one on the right the female being told to 'hou jou bek (beak, LOL).  

However, there are always exceptions to the rule so one has to generalise - I know several females who find difficulty in opening their mouths (YES, REALLY!)
except to be polite, but I guess that changes with age and experience of life.  

DAY 170: 156 WORDS

                                      

Two thousand squawks, I mean words, per day, or five thousand?   

That depends on whether you are male or female.  

The bird on the right is male, I think, and his lady is telling him 

EVERYTHING he needs to know.

I'm grateful for a husband who understands me and let's me ramble on

until my five thousand run out!  I'm not so happy though when 

I want to hear stuff from him and he drips out about fifty words only. 

Grrrrrrrrrr!

But it can get a bit much when one is a captive audience to a whole 

barrage of stuff in which you have no interest whatsoever ..... Like,

recently we were at a restaurant for dinner and seated unfortunately

close to a couple - she had a very piercing voice which blasted out, non-stop,

at least ten thousand words in the space of an hour!  Her partner spent

the time eating and looking bored, and so did we......

Do you realise you have just read my 156 words?

DAY 169: GREY CROWNED CRANE

Our very own grey crowned crane is more than just an impressively decorated feathered friend, but is also quite unique among its fellow crane species, i.e. wattled cranes and the blue cranes, because this particular crane is the only one that roosts in trees.  

It's sad to discover that the grey crowned crane is quite an endangered species - apparently it spends a lot of time foraging in farmlands, and is at risk with the farmers who think the cranes are eating their crops.  The truth is that they eat grass seeds and insects off the crops, so they are an important part of the ecosystem. 

DAY 168: CLEVER LITTLE CHICKS

It's a myth that chickens are stupid. Would you believe this - new research has shown that newly-hatched chickens are capable of skills that it can take human babies months or even years to master.

Fields of intelligence ranging from structural engineering to self-control appear to come more naturally to chicks than toddlers.

In one test, the birds were allowed access to more food the longer they waited to start eating. While 93 per cent of hens were able to grasp this skill, comparable studies have suggested many humans cannot exhibit this kind of self-control until the age of four.

The study suggested that chicks are born with the ability to keep track of numbers up to five - preferring larger groups of eggs - a skill which babies need to be taught.  Chickens also reportedly have an instinctive ability to recognise structurally sound objects, favouring these over ones which seem dubious or inconsistent. And they show awareness of objects which fall out of sight, keeping track of them in a way that is alien to babies up to the age of about one.

Professor Nichol, who reviewed 20 years of research on the topic for the University of Bristol, said:

"Chickens may not be about to make a significant mathematical, scientific or literary contribution to the world, but the study shows that chickens have the capacity to master skills and develop abilities that a human child can take months and years to accomplish."

DAY 167: NOSEY BUSINESS

Busy, busy, busy......

Don't disturb, busy doing what I am meant to be doing.

That is what is important!

We can spend time doing stuff that bears no fruit, or we can lock into 

what we are meant to be doing.  We have all been wired in very specific 

and different ways, and we know, deep down, when we are moving in that 

important direction.  

It's good to have your nose in your own business!

DAY 166: LIVING SERIOUSLY

Life as it is lived today, is hectic, stressful, busy, and generally speaking, there is much to be very serious about.  There are a few naturally jolly souls around, I'm sure, but most people have their serious noses fixed firmly to the grindstone. 

Other matters that make for serious hearts and faces are health problems, lack of finances, relationships, the general state of the world today as explicitly revealed to us in the media, and so on.   So, the question, 'why so serious?' could elicit many easy answers.

I haven't found a picture saying 'why so happy!' - but one of the recipes for a happy life must surely be a sense of humour.  The more important formula for happiness is found in the words of Jesus:

'Come unto Me, all who labour and are 

heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'

DAY 165: PENGUIN PEBBLES

That's rather a lovely thought.  Almost like an engagement ring!

I wondered how accurate this info is, so googled it and found the following:

Q) Is the story about penguins giving a pebble a true story? 

A) Yes this is a true story. When choosing a mate a penguin must find a perfect pebble to offer to their desired mate. If accepted, the penguins become monogamous mates for life. Even if separated by ice barges or storms they will stay true to their first accepted mate searching forever for them until found. This is the documented historical truth about penguins.

So, needless to say, someone saw the opportunity to make money out of it, and hey presto! we have a website where, for a price, you can order 'A PERFECT PENGUIN PEBBLE' as a romantic gift for your loved one.  You may also entertain wonderful thoughts that it įs a genuine 'penguin pebble' whatever that may mean - but hey, someone went and picked up an old pebble on the beach.

Hmmm, some peeps are truly gullible.........

DAY 164: IN THE MOMENT

In BIRDS AND STATUES PART 3, check how the bird is standing to attention, ready for military action, mirroring the stance of the soldier statue!

I guess you could say he was 'in the moment' - and isn't that such an important aspect of life?

It's very easy to allow life to pass one by, and it's comfortable too. But life is too short and too interesting not to be fully alive.  May The Lord grant us the ability to enjoy every day granted to us, with thanksgiving.

DAY 163: BIRDS & STATUES Part 2

This man-statue had sufficient time and warning, and looks quite intimidated by the pigeons.  No doubt who has the upper hand (wing) in this particular situation.

Sometimes in life it pays to simply cover your head, hunker down, and stay out of trouble. Other times you have to stand up and fight, or argue - but generally a soft answer turns away wrath and the clouds blow over.        

DAY162: BIRDS & STATUES Part 1

When the artist fashioned his masterpiece, did he anticipate the delight it would bring to the world of birds,  I wonder.

Birds are always looking for places to roost, build nests, watch the world pass by, and certain other things which I wont mention for purposes of delicacy!!
But statues do make for some interesting backgrounds for my blog, so expect more.  

This particular statue fuels my imagination - imagine if it suddenly came to life (like the various museum figures in the recent movie) - well, our feathery friend would either escape within a feathers-breadth, or would get totally flattened and never know what hit him.......

DAY 161: CLOSE FELLOWSHIP

Friendship is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Time spent chatting with people you enjoy, swopping ideas and catching up on news.  People you can just be yourself with, no agenda, sharing food and memories, music and hobbies.  

But fellowship is something even sweeter and more enjoyable - and different. No matter how well or little you know the people, fellowship is something that draws people together in a common belief.  Because we have been made of one blood in Jesus Christ, we are family.  And we will always belong to one another, throughout eternity, according to God's promises.

DAY 160: LONG-PLAYING RECORDS

Not so strange to see this little guy trying to get some sound out of the music player - birds enjoy music, that's why they sing so well!

And the other interesting thing is that vinyls, or LPs are back. We were looking at a gizmo in the music shop recently that transfers your vinyl onto a flash drive!  So you can resurrect all your old jazz and Elvis LPs and transform them into mp3s and do all sorts of magical things.  Of course, you first need to have a spare R3000 hanging around, or someone that loves you very much and can spend a hefty sum on a birthday pressie!

If you live long enough everything makes a comeback, it seems.  

DAY 159: KNOCK IT OFF!

Any parent will relate to this situation, i.e. when the kids get irritable with each other and the slightest infringement is met with murderous retaliation! Its very real at the time, but there is a time to grow up and out of all that nonsense: 

1 Corinthians 13:11:  
When I was a child, 
I spoke as a child, 
I understood as a child, 
I thought as a child; 
but when I became a man, 
I put away childish things.  

Day 158: LIVING UNDER A RED LIGHT

This is where Mama decided to build her nest, so this is where they live!
They could be living on the branch of a beautiful green tree in a meadow, but no, this is where Mama chose.

'Bloom where you are planted' comes to mind.  Make the very best of what has been given to you. Don't waste time complaining & grumbling about your lot in life, but look for the way the Lord is leading you to live the abundant life promised to us in scripture.  There may be a red light NOW (lol) but it will change to green every time! 



 

DAY 157: OBSTACLES

Our little friend here appears to be a bit overtaken by the obstacle in front of him.  It reaches up to his little chest, and looks rather forbidding with jagged edges.

Its the same with some of the obstacles we face in life, from time to time - they seem to reach up so high and make us feel as if we are trapped. They also have ugly jagged edges sometimes.

The good news in the case of our birdie is that all he has to do is spread his wings and fly, and he will be on his way, free as a bird (lol). Maybe he forgot he has wings! 

Our good news is that no matter what obstacles face us, we are overcomers through the One who loved us and gave His life for us.  Victory in Jesus!  All we have to do is spread our wings and fly, free as the bird!   Let's never forget that we were born to fly........

DAY 156: GANNETS PART 3

  

As you can see from the picture the gannets all look exactly like each other, and there are hundreds & hundreds of them all clumped together in a relatively small space.  So the question arises - they fly off to scavenge for food & return to feed their young, but how do they know who is who and where their young and their nesting places are when they return?

As we sat in the bird hide, watching the gannets with great fascination, lots of questions like these arose in my mind.  There's a constant activity, with birds flying out, others returning & circling above the masses, making a tremendous amount of noise.  These birds are so incredibly programmed to find their way, find their nesting place amongst the multitudes, find their food and so on.  

Another interesting point is that each bird needs to consume about 500 - 750 g of fish per day to survive.  That's about 2 cups!  So they are amazing fishers 
and dive down into the waves to spear fish.  

DAY 155: GANNETS Part 2

All birds are interesting, of course.  So when you can spend some time looking at them and watching their behaviour, it helps you to realise how varied they are, just like human beings!

During our viewing at the Lambert's Bay bird hide, we watched the Gannets performing their rituals - one of which is pictured above, called 'scissoring.'  They do this several times, then bow to each other like in old fashioned English dancing.  Very cute. 

DAY 154: GANNETS - Part 1

We've just spent a week at Mykonos, Langebaan, and during that time, paid a visit to Lambert's Bay - it took about 2 hours to do the trip up the West Coast but was well worth it.  

For those who have never been to Lambert's Bay, the main attraction is the Cape Gannet colony. (The fish & chips were also good!)  There are approximately twenty thousand pairs of breeding gannets on Bird Island, which actually isn’t an island at all, but an area joined to the mainland by a short causeway.  It’s a very (VERY) smelly & noisy place so it’s a relief to go into the bird hide to get away from the stench of the guano.  From the hide one has a really magnificent view of the birds as they gather in their thousands.   

A telephoto lens would have been nice........   

DAY 153: CHUBBINESS

We sometimes find ourselves in peculiar situations, and wonder how it happened!  Like this little chap.  

Suggestion:  He was very hungry or very greedy, and began eating away at the slice of bread, and before long, while indulging himself, he became trapped by his appetite.  

Hmmm....I think I must check out some diets....or maybe a healthier lifestyle that will lose me a few kgs.   My dad used to say: you only get chubby as a result of eating.  I think he was right......

DAY 152: ALL THINGS BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL

Birds inter-acting with humans:

If you also close your eyes, you can almost feel the softness of the downy duck!  I can understand how irresistible it was 

to want to give the little creature a little kiss....

We're so blessed to have been given our five senses - imagine life without being able to 

- see all the beauty around us

- smell the wonderful aromas of life

- taste delicious food ....and CHOCOLATE

- hear wonderful music and other good sounds

- touch and handle, create with our hands

1. 
   

Reminds me of the hymn we sang as children...

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings

He made their glowing colours

He made their tiny wings

DAY 151: WHAT'S NEWS?

Birds inter-acting with humans:

You didn't know birds can read....

You didn't know birds are interested in the news headlines....

Neither did I!

But here we have proof.

An imaginary conversation could be:

'Hey bud, read faster, I've been through both pages

and are you sleeping or what?' 

That's the bird...

The guy - he's in his nothing box!

DAY 150: DONT EVER GIVE UP!

Birds inter-acting with other creatures:

If you are living in a 'dog eats dog world' don't be surprised. Even a frog doesn't stand much of a chance against a pelican, but he didn't give up easily....he fought until the bitter end, and the pelican undoubtedly flew away with a full tummy but a sore neck!

Makes one think about the stuff that grabs you around the neck......I think man's (and woman's) natural predator is actually our own thinking mechanism - the brain.  Switching it on and switching it off at the appropriate times. Aha! There lies the problem....but the important message is:  don't you dare ever give up!

DAY 149: MEALS ON LONG LEGS

Birds inter-acting with giraffes....

The tickbird (or oxpecker)and the giraffe have a symbiotic relationship that some scientists describe as mutualism and some as parasitism. This interspecies partnership is lopsided in favor of the giraffe and other animals, because they can live without the tickbird, while the tickbird is dependent on them for much of his food.

A secondary benefit to a host from the tickbird's presence is a sort of early warning system, since the birds make a hissing sound if they sight an enemy. This is of less benefit to the giraffe than to other hosts because the giraffe has the advantage of great height and keen eyesight and is fully capable of spotting predators without the bird's assistance. The tickbird is likely of greater benefit in this capacity to the nearsighted rhino.

DAY 148: WHO'S THE BOSS?

In order to be the boss in a situation like this one,  the aspiring boss must be certain of a few important things:

- you are bigger

- you are crosser

- you can fly

- you are sure the croc doesn't enjoy eating pelican feathers

- you saw the croc gorging himself on a big meal before you                

  decided to stomp on his head!

Preferably all the above....and good luck!

DAY 147: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Birds inter-acting with exactly their own kind.....

Birds inter-acting with other kinds of birds.........

Birds inter-acting with other creatures...............

Like a Praying Mantis.......

But in this picture, I don't think the Praying Mantis is doing much praying - he looks like he's ready for a fight....

like: 'put 'em up, pal!'

And well he may put up a fight, but you and I know who will win this one.......shame!

We too, are in a battle, but a spiritual one.  Fight the good fight stuff.  However, the battle has actually been won and all we have to do is enforce the victory and possess the land. 

Think of the golden crowns, and the Rider on the white horse referred to in the Book of Revelations.....Jesus has won the victor's crown.  Glory!

DAY 146: DNA

This is almost a spin on the chicken and egg story!

Family resemblances are fascinating - how cleverly, brilliantly our Creator planned the human race.  The way DNA works (the little that I understand about it) is marvelous in the extreme.  As the bible records 'we are fearfully and wonderfully made!'  And to think there are scores of 'dufuses' that still think it all just happened....whereas the intricacies of the human body and human families genes alone are worthy of our utmost fascination. Where there is such extraordinary intelligence, there must be an extraordinary intelligent Creator.

DAY 145: WHAT CAME FIRST ETC.

The eternal question: what came first.

If you research this on the internet, all you basically get into is whether people are evolutionists or creationists.  

What is much more interesting to me (as a creationist) is the most amazing fact that a hen manufactures in her body, a WHOLE egg every 24 hours.  

If you love eggs - fried, poached, scrambled, in omelettes, etc. etc.........
that is more important.  

DAY 144: FOLLOW THE LEADER

Awesome leadership? Awesome follower-ship? No, just the kids following their mom, trusting her to take care of them.  

I don't know whether her entourage were very wise on this occasion, as roads were made for vehicles not birds, but I have heard many heartwarming stories of drivers stopping on roads and even highways, to allow the safe crossings of our fine feathered friends.

Following and submitting to leadership in the case of humans, is a choice, an act of your will, not just an instinct.......

DAY 143: REAL COOL.....

On a very hot day like today, it would feel good to splash around in some water to cool off.  This little character was pretty desperate so hopped into the nearest source of cool water, and looks quite relieved about it all. 

In fact, it seems that this little guy was actually suffering from heatstroke, as the symptoms are that he has his wings away from his body and looks like he is panting.  He urgently needed cooling down as continued heat could lead to a convulsion.

So well done, little parrot - you are real cool!