Jewel # 366 (June 28, 2019)

Peregrines

"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 Kestrels and Peregrines (Part 2)

“I Know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.”

(Psalm 50:11)

In the last issue ”Wonders” article, we looked at kestrels, and now we will look at their close relative, the peregrine falcon.   You may recall that both groups are members of the hawk family and live in the same areas throughout the world, including the United States, Mexico and parts of Canada.  Their nesting habits are similar—sometimes in the hole of a tree trunk, on a ledge of a rocky canyon or even on a high ledge on the side of a tall building.

Male peregrines are mostly mottled brown and tan over their bodies and legs, with darker brown on their wings and tops of their heads.  Females have lighter grayish feathers over their backs and heads, contrasting with soft white throats and chests.

Compared with the blue jay-sized kestrel, peregrines are about the size of big crow.  One look at their hooked beaks and long, sharp talons would convince you thy can be very tough enemies of rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels and other land animals, as well as birds as big as sea gulls.

“Peregrine” means “traveling or wandering.”  They will at times fly hundreds of miles searching for a meal.  While kestrels don’t have enough speed to catch other birds in the air, peregrines can overtake many birds.  They fly as high as 1,000 feet, their sharp eyes all the while searching far below for prey.

These birds could not do all this remarkable hunting if the Creator had not provided them with eyes like telescopes.  They can spot a squirrel on the ground a thousand feet below or see a flying bird a great distance off and soon overtake it.  Sometimes when mates are flying together and the male captures a bird, the female will fly upside down below him and let him drop the captive into her open claws to take to the nest for their young.  At other times, flying alone and capturing a bird at a time when he’s not hungry, the peregrine will kill it in the air and then drop it to the ground.  When he comes back later to pick it up, he might catch a rat or other animal nibbling on it.

Adam and Eve brought sin into the world.  After that, many animals and birds, such as these hawks, became meat eaters for the first time.  But another time is soon coming when everything will be happy and at peace again.

Before that takes place, those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour will be with Him in heaven and will happily look down on a renewed world that will then be at perfect peace.  Will you be one of those looking down from heaven on that happy sight?  You can be if you will accept the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour.

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 365 (June 20, 2019)

Kestrels (Sparrow Hawk)

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

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Kestrels and Peregrines (Part 1)

“God created . . . every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

(Genesis 1:21)

Kestrels and peregrines are closely related birds of prey; both are falcons and members of he hawk family.  The Kestrel is often called a sparrow hawk and theperegrine a duck hawk.  Today we’ll learn about the kestrel, and we’ll look at the peregrine in the next "Jewel".

The kestrel is a pretty bird with a cap of bluish-gray, brown and rust colours on its white head and an outstanding display of rust, bluish-gray, black and spotted-white feathers over the rest of its body and wings.  It builds its nest in a tree, on the side of a high cliff, or sometimes even on a ledge of a tall building.

Kestrels make their homes in just about every part of the United States, Mexico and southern Canada.  Where winters are cold, they migrate south in the fall, but in the southern states they remain year-round.

Like all hawks, their food is mainly small animals, such as mice, moles, rats and also fish.  They also dispose of many insects, like caterpillars and dragon-flies.  Being the size of a blue jay, they don’t attack even the smallest birds in the air, for they are not swift enough to catch them.  However, if they see one of the smaller birds, like a sparrow or chickadee, hopping or resting on the ground, they will fly silently over it and then drop down and capture it.  People are not happy to see them catch birds but are glad when they catch mice, rats and insects.

Kestrels spend much of the daylight hours hovering over open fields or perching on posts or electrical wires near open fields.  Their sharp eyes are alert for prey to eat on the spot or to take to a mate or to young birds in the nest.  They have a peculiar habit which will help you identify them.  When perched on a post, they often pump their tails up and down, as though they are trying to keep their balance.  They also have an unusual call; it sounds like they are repeating, “klee-klee-klee.” 

The mother bird lays about five eggs in the spring, and the young hatch in about four weeks.  A month later they are ready to fly and are soon on their own.

Kestrels are part of God’s creation, and He has much delight in them.  But their lives are for this world only, compared with humans who have a never-dying soul.  God give us a special invitation: “Let the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).  Are you aware of God’s love for you?  Do you know His Son, the Lord Jesus, who loves you so very much that He died for you?   

(To be continued)            

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 364 (June 11, 2019)

Elephant Seal

“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 Elephant Seal 

“God created great whales, and every living creature . . . 

which the waters brought forth abundantly.”

(Genesis 1:21)

It’s not hard to see where elephant seals get their name.  Some of these huge mammals, sometimes called sea elephants, weight as much as four tons!  But the name comes not so much from their size, but from the large, 15-inch nose of the male.  It laps clear over his chin when his mouth is closed, reminding us of an elephant’s trunk.  The females weigh only about a ton when full grown, and their noses are not quite so large.

It is quite a sight to see the orange-pink or dark-brown, twenty-foot- long bodies stretched out in a huge mass of a thousand or more on a sunny beach.  It’s not unusual to see several large seals napping while another, half their size, is taking its nap sprawled across their backs for lack of other space.

The bodies of elephant seals have thick, tough, wrinkled skin, and their faces have long whiskers.  Their big flippers take the place of feet and legs, enabling them to move about on the sandy or rocky shores or, on rare occasions, to fight one another.  They are excellent swimmers and can dive deeper than most submarines, up to 4000 feet in their search for fish or other seafood.  They have been know to stay underwater a full hour before coming up for air.

Most of these seals live along the California coast, sometimes traveling as far as Alaska or Hawaii, but always returning to the beach where they were born.  Some that live on the beaches of Georgia  migrate clear across the Atlantic Ocean in the fall to the Orkney Islands north of Scotland.  This is where their pups are born and raised, and then they swim with the parents on the long trip to the United States the next spring.  Incidentally, pups are born with their eyes already open and are able to swim immediately.

At certain times great battles take place in the big colonies.  Each male (bull) wants to have the greatest number of females (cows) under his care.  Most have three to forty cows, and a few bulls may have more than a hundred.  The weakest bulls, however, may not have any and live apart from the others.

Mammals such  as these with there unusual appearances and ways, remind us that the Bible says of the Lord God, “Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 3:11).  But He tells us in another verse that His creation of people is extra special: “My delights were with the sons of men” (Proverbs 8:31).   In this verse we can hear His loving voice saying to you and me, “Hearken unto Me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep My ways” (verse 32).  Are you one who is willing and happy to keep His ways?

Love you all - Grandpa