Jewel # 455 (Sept. 16, 2021)

 

Wilson’s Phalarope

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 busy Phalaropes - Part 1

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

You may never have heard of the pretty sandpile-like birds called phalaropes.  There are great numbers of them that travel thousands of miles every year, mainly between the cold Arctic lands of the north and the warm tropical countries of Central and South America.  Some travel even farther south, to West Africa, New Guinea and the coasts of Arabia.  Those that make the longest trips fly 15,000 miles each year in their round-trip migrations.

There are three species of this strange bird.  One is know as the Gray (but sometimes called the Red); another has the name of Red-necked (also called the Northern), and the largest of them all is the Wilson’s.

The Gray phalarope travels in early summer up into the Arctic tundra areas where great quantities of food await it.  The Red-necked  (Northern) prefers to have its summer home a little farther south, sometime as far south as Canada.  The Wilson’s variety chooses areas farther south yet, nesting in souther Canada and along the northern border of the United States.

Because the Wilson’s phalarope spends part of its time in California where it can be observed closely, more is know about it than the others, so we will limit our study mostly to that species.

The colouring of all these birds is different in summer than in winter.  The one called Gray has gray and white plumage  in winter, but is bright red in summer.  The Wilson’s, on the other hand is also a very pretty bird in summer; its wings, neck and the top of its head area combination of blue, orange and deep red with the rest of its body white.  In winter its colouring changes, giving it brown wings and legs and a brown crest on the top of its head, but plain white over the rest of its body.

The Creator equipped these birds with long legs, partially webbed feet and long beaks, all of which are useful as they wade along shorelines, searching for insects and food particles.  But they are also good swimmers and have been given thick, waterproof feathers that help them float high on the water.

With most birds, the male has the outstanding colourful feathers, but with these it is just the opposite. Especially during ht nesting period, the females are actually the prettiest and like to show off their colourful feathers when trying to attract a mate.  The mother bird is also a little larger that her companion (just the opposite of most other birds) and has some strange ways about her, which which we will look at in the following issue.

Meanwhile, let us never forget that “all thing were made by Him [the Lord God] and without Him was 

not anything made that made.  (John 1:3)  

(to be continued)

Love you all - Grandpa