Jewel # 359 (April 25, 2019)

Hairy South American Bird Spider

Widow Spider

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17) 

To my dear grandchildren

Spiders Aren’t Popular

“The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.”

Proverbs 30:28

It seems most people don’t want to talk about spiders, and they definitely don’t want to find one creeping on their bare arm or neck!  It’s easy to understand why.  Spiders are not attractive, like a bird or brightly coloured butterfly, but are rather scary-looking.

Many people think spiders are poisonous, or at least dangerous.  However, spiders are actually helpful, because they eat large quantities of flies, mosquitoes and other harmful insects.  But still, it is most unpleasant to walk into a sticky web and have it cling to your face, neck or arm.

The many varieties of these often unpopular eight-legged creatures have some amazing ways which the Creator has provided for them.  Scientists have discovered that there are 50,000 to 100,00 species throughout the world, some of which are extremely interesting.

Some are as tiny as the head of a pin.  Others range in size up to the largest one discovered so far, the hairy South American bird spider.  This giant measures almost 12 inches across its body, not including the legs!  It catches and disposes of small birds and creatures the size of lizards.

People In North America don’t need to be concerned about giant spiders, but they should be aware of the six spices that are poisonous—the sack spider,  the brown recluse, the black widow and other related widows—the brown widow, the red legged widow, and the varied widow.  Most often these choose dark, hidden spots for their homes.  If it is necessary for you to crawl through a dark attic or an unlit basement, be sure you have a flashlight to make certain there is no poisonous spider there.

Incidentally, of the four “widow” spiders, only the females are know to bite people.  They are so vicious that when a male spider wants to be friendly, she will often kill and eat the poor fellow.  Males do not bite.

The silk-like webs of spiders are strong and elastic and are constructed in a variety of shapes.  Some spiders, wanting a new home base, climb onto fence posts or branches and release silk.  As the strands become longer, the wind lifts the spider off their perches and floats them off to a new area, often many miles away.  This is called ballooning.

The Bible verse quoted above reminds us that the Creator is aware of spiders.  If He looks on these odd creatures which have only a short life and then are gone forever, how much more does He think of you and me who have a soul that lives forever after our time on earth is over.  Our Lord’s invitation to us, young and old, is, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  

If you have not yet accepted that loving invitation, won’t you accept it today?      

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 358 (April 16, 2019)

Goshawk

Eastern Goshawk

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

The Fierce Goshawk

“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?”

(Job 39:26)

There is a wide variety of hawks in several countries of the world.  The goshawk (or goose-hawk) got its name because at one time it was noted for killing geese bigger than itself.  It is only about two  feet long and a bold hunter.  Mice are one of its most frequent catches.  Its home is often in dense forests, both in Canada and the northern United States.

Th eastern goshawk is the most common of the species in North America and spends most of its time hunting birds and small animals.  One feature that helps its hunting is that its short wingspan enables it to fly through dense forest that most other birds avoid. 

It has short, rounded wings and a long tail that enables it to twist and dart at lightening speed, changing direction instantly when pursuing small animals or other birds.  It likes to nest high in a tree where it may watch for prey or unwelcome creatures approaching.  It shows no fear of any bird or animal or even people.

The goshawk’s appearance gives a clue to its fierceness.  Feathers are black, gray and white, and its round orange eyes with black pupils add terror to those who get a look at them.  Legs are heavily feathered with strong claws on the feet.  This predator’s face is centred with a short, hooked, black beak, from which small victims it has captured frequently dangle as they are being flown home to feed pure-white chicks.  They are always hungry for more.

The mother is a most vicious defender when little ones are in her care and will quickly attack anything approaching that she thinks is a threat to them.  The father is more satisfied to make threatening screams that sound cruel enough to send intruders away in a hurry.

The father is good at capturing food for both the mother and chicks.  When bringing food, perhaps a pigeon, he makes a clicking signal a short way from the nest.  The mother bird hears this and flies out to snatch the food from his beak.  Sometimes, while she is still flying below him, he will drop it, and she always catches the prey as he goes back to find more food for the brood.

Hawks were peaceable  birds until Adam and Eve brought sin into the world.  Sin resulted in upsetting all living things, as this short account of goshawks has brought to our attention.  So hawks are mentioned in the Bible as “unclean” birds, which meant they were not to be eaten by the people of Israel.  Also, when God spoke to Job about some of the wonders of creation, He asked Job the question in the Bible verse at the opening of this article.  He wanted Job to think about these wonders and remember God’s wisdom and power.  And we should remember them too. 

Love you all - Grandpa        

Jewel # 357 (April 9, 2019)

RainbowLorikeet

Blue-Naped Parrot

Blue & Gold Macaw

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord

of hosts, in that day when I Make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

The Colourful Parrot Family  (Part 2)

“O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; 

for Thou has done wonderful things.”

(Isaiah 25:1)

A photographer using colour film or an artist with a good selection of bright colours will always find parrots interesting subjects.  

The Parrot called rainbow lorikeet is a good example of one with many bright colours—red, blue, green and orange all blending so beautifully.  This one ives in Australia and, contrary to the appetites of most parrots, its food is mainly soft fruit and nectar from plants and trees rather than nuts and seeds.

The blue-naped variety of the Philippines is another very colourful one.  The head feathers behind its reddish beak are a brilliant green, with a large patch of blue on its neck (which is how it got its name).   The rest of its body feathers are a combination of light green, blue, yellow and black—very pretty.

The country of Peru has an abundance of macaws, which are the largest type of parrot.  These weigh between two and four pounds and can reach lengths of nearly 3.5 feet from the beak to the tip of the tail.  They also have a wingspan of up to 60 inches.  These large parrots have large, yellow beaks, which are conspicuous because the head, throat, neck and shoulders are all bright red.  The wings are orange and the body is a brilliant blue.  Another feature of macaws is their long, pointed tails which have a blend of green and red feathers—strikingly beautiful birds.

The blue and gold macaw, also of Peru, is well-named.  It has bright blue top feathers, and its neck is yellowish-gold in back but black in the front.  Its white, round face has a small, sharp, black beak.

Another part of this family lives in nearby Brazil.  It is the well-named scarlet macaw.  With the exception of blue spots, its entire body is a display of brilliant scarlet feathers, including its wings and tail.

The red-spectaacled parrot also lives in Brazil.  Its name comes from a wide band of crimson-red across the top of its head that also surrounds its eyes.   It has a short tail, mostly deep green in colour and red on parts of its wings.  It is noted for its exceptionally long, strong claws.

If you have a parrot in your home or schoolroom, you may say, “Our parrot isn’t coloured like any of those!”  That’s an interesting feature of these birds—the Creator has given us such a great variety of parrots that it would be difficult to try to describe them all.

They remind us again of the splendour of God’s creation.  And not only has He created them, but the Bible tells us that He watches over them at all times.  Do you know that He watches over you with an even greater care?  He invites you to “trust . . . in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4). 

 Is He your Saviour?   

Love you all - Grandpa  

Jewel # 356 (March 29, 2019)

Lorikeet Parrot

Hyacinth Macaw

Burrowing Parrot

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

The Colourful Parrot Family  (Part 1)

The Lord God doeth great things past finding out; yea,

and wonders without number.”

(Job 9:10)

Parrots are one of the few kinds of birds that can be captured in the wild, taken into a house or aviary and soon become “one of the family.”  They are popular as pets because they become affectionate and tame and can be taught to talk.  Probably many of you have had some contact with parrots.

Some parrots not only mimic people with words plainly spoken, but they also learn how to use them.  Some will call for certain foods by name or greet people with a loud ”hello” or “good-bye.”  Some have even been taught to call out the word “want” for something they want, as well as “no” when they don’t want what is being offered to them.  However, teaching a parrot to talk takes a lot of patient training, and not all parrots can learn that much.

There are many varieties of parrots, ranging in size from the small, brilliantly coloured lorikeets of Australia, which are about 10 to 12 inches long, to the largest, the hyacinth macaw of Brazil, which measures about 40 inches from beak to the tip of its tail.  These are a deep blue colour all over, except for yellow eyes and a small yellow band across the neck.

The 315 species of parrots are found in many parts of the world, including Africa, the Philippines, southeastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  About half of the species are found in Central and South America, as well as the tropical areas of the West Indies.  None are natives of North America.

In their homelands, parrots prefer to nest in holes in dead trees, and with strong beaks and claws, they will enlarge holes that are not big enough.  They usually cover the floors of these nests with small bits of wood or leaves.  The burrowing parrot is an exception to the tree-nesting parrots.  Large colonies of these dig burrows into cliffs close to one another and can make an awful noise when all are chattering or calling at the same time.  Another, the night parrot of Australia, hollows out a nesting spot in the base of a clump of coarse, tall grass.

These remarkable birds are included in the opening Bible verse as it talks of wonders of God’s creation without number.  He is the One who has provided so great a vary of wonders.  Revelation 4:11 reminds us that all were created for His pleasure: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Next week we will take a look at some of the individual species of parrots and their distinguishing colours and habits.

(To be continued) 

Love you all - Grandpa