The last few days I’ve been birding several times with my local birding club. I love birds, and love being out in natural surroundings. Our group has seen many spring migrants as well as some who nest here during the summer. One of the birds we’ve seen is the Veery, a beautiful little thrush who can be elusive unless he’s actually singing.
We were tromping on the path through damp woods with dense undergrowth, the Veery’s preferred habitat, when one of our group noticed movement close to the woods floor. We watched patiently until he finally flew to a low branch where we could get a good view of him.
This little bird had flown from Brazil where he wintered, to be in our woods. He migrates at night, and we now know that he can fly up to 160 miles in a single night, and at altitudes sometimes above 2000 feet. Here in our woods, Mama Veery will lay up to five eggs in a ground nest-cup of grass, moss, dead leaves and weeds, and raise her family who will also fly with her and her mate back to Brazil this fall. Amazing, isn’t it!
As we stood there, binocular-eyed, our little bird opened his beak, and softly sang. You’ve most likely heard beautiful bird-song, but if you’ve never heard the song of the Veery, you must! This little guy doesn’t chirp. Instead, he vocally spirals. That’s the only way to describe it. But in that spiral, he actually seems to harmonize with himself and make two sounds at the same time! His call is the most unique bird vocalization I’ve heard yet.
I watched as little Veery made his unique call softly several times, and each time I felt as if I were on sacred ground, watching something precious and special. I was awed again today as I weeded in my garden and heard another Veery in the neighbor’s trees.
Zeph 3:17 says “The Lord your God in your midst is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy. He will be silent in His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Since God created all we see and hear in the natural world, we can experience Him through His creation. As I listened to little Veery singing I sensed that in allowing me to witness the little bird’s soft yet vocal miracle of creation, God was rejoicing over me through softness and sound.
What a picture of God — rejoicing over us in silence, and with sound! He rejoices over each of us because He loves us and wants the best for us. He rejoices over every bit of our trust that we give Him, over every indication of our desire for relationship with Him. The thought of God singing because of me thrills my heart! I wonder if He sings in spirals?
Have there been times when you’ve sensed God rejoicing over you?
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Very nice, and your blog banner fits in perfectly with your theme. I love walking in the woods – well, in my case in parks on the slopes of volcanoes – but the same idea. I felt a sense of calm just reading about your experience – thanks for sharing!
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Ahhh, Hawaii! Would love to go back there for the purpose of birding! Yes, being in God’s nature brings me into a sense of calm, too.
Hi Pastor Sherry
I live in a beautiful part of south somerset in England and am reminded daily of God’s beautiful world. Fields and hedgerows, hills and valleys running down to the sea. Quaint country cottages fronted by beautiful blooms. Birds singing on mass in my garden to welcome me to each day. I love to take long walks in the countryside and a couple of weeks ago I came across a beautiful stone church set way back from the road in a forested glen. Surrounded by trees and wild flowers. It was such an unexpected site and as I embraced the scene the birds were singing and the wind was rustling through the trees. I felt a strong sense of joy. I treasure such moments. Thanks for reminding me.
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Oh Anne, how lovely! Sounds like such a beautiful, restful place to be. And what a treasure to come across the stone church nook. I was right there with you — maybe someday I’ll see it with my physical eyes! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sherry,
what a great storyand information!
Love the link to the website where you can listen to it.
I love watching the birds at my place. We have a pair of quails visiting our lawn. They look so cute with their little tuft on the top.
Here in New Zealand we have a native bird called the Tui which makes the most unusual sounds.
Thank you so much for sharing this.
Love and Joy
from
Yorinda
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You’re in New Zealand? I’ve heard from Australian & New Zealand friends that the birds there are really beautiful. Would love to visit someday. God has a great imagination, doesn’t He!
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small etc.
We live in the country backing onto fields and we set up a bird feeding station in our back garden.
We have pheasants visiting daily, sometimes a whole family, we have woodpeckers how are certainly at the top of the pecking order and we also have numerous smaller birds.
It is particularly good now because the young are appearing and the songs are always sweeter in the spring time.
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Hi Trevor,
Pheasants — how wonderful! Yes, birds sing more in the spring as they are establishing their territories and gathering mates. And I love the time of the chicks, too. Sometimes I see a whole family at my feeders — parents teaching chicks how to eat from feeders! Such wonder in the world!
What a very beautiful little bird call. I enjoyed visiting the site with the audio and hearing that. A very interesting, slightly nasal, call. Of course, now I’m sitting here whistling it to myself so I blame you for that
hehe. The Divine hand can be seen throughout the natural world and it behooves us to take the time notice and appreciate!
Kimberly
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Hi Kim,
I could think of worse things to whistle to yourself
I love all things in nature, so it’s easy for me to sense God’s presence in the natural world. Well, no, that’s not totally accurate — I do NOT love ticks, mosquitos, snakes . . . But there is much beauty and wonder in our world, and it points me to God. Thanks for visiting!
One of my favorite activities is to spend time in nature, such as camping, sports, playing my recorder or my guitar. Sadly, though, I have done very little of this in the last 6 or 7 years.
I used canoe down the Saco River in Maine with friends for several days in a row. I spent countless hours playing soccer. When I was in college, I would spent Saturday afternoons playing hymns on my guitar and recorder.
I have not done this is so long. Camping and music, in particular, would give me a sense of the beauty God left embedded even in a world marred by sin.
Zephaniah 3: 17 is reminiscent of Psalms 145: 15, 16 (NIV)
Your recount and these Bible verses remind me of the words of a prolific American writer:
“Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love… Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature… The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator’s love. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures.
“It is transgression of God’s law–the law of love–that has brought woe and death… Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God’s love is revealed…. The thorn and the thistle–the difficulties and trials that make his life one of toil and care–were appointed for [man's] good as a part of the training needful in God’s plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.
” ‘God is love’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green — all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.”
I could not have said it in a better language. Indeed, what a marvelous picture we have of God in nature through its beauty, silence, natural sounds!
Perhaps, I need to come out of my cocoon and enjoy God’s nature all over again for the first time. The wiseman said:
Thank you, Pastor Sherry for sharing this beautiful anecdote.
Blessings,
The Weather Ahead
Creative Tools for Understanding and Sharing the Holy Scriptures
Hi Victor, welcome to my blog! So glad you stopped in and commented!
I have always loved the quote you gave. Through the years the third paragraph especially has run through my mind “‘God is love’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass . . .” I could so resonate with that (especially the birds
We are taught so much from books, but we’ve not been taught to read God’s messages in nature. Yet they are there.
Your canoeing down the river sounds wonderful. I find kayaking to be a relaxing and restful activity — warm sun, cool water, birds, gently flowing river… I always sense God’s presence more in nature. God bless as you put nature more into your life again!
I must add that over the years I have always endeavored to have bird seed available to attract local birds to my yard. This summer I am enjoying seeing birds stop right on front of my double glass door which are in front of my bed. This year I began feeding them suet. They love this stuff. I have been reading about attracting butterflies.
It is beautiful to wake up in the morning to the sound of birds. I hope we never have to endure what has already been “prophesied” by Rachel Carson, American marine biologist and conservationist, in her book Silent Spring. An environmental buff that I am, I fear that some day soon we may begin to experience a silent spring without birds.
Blessings,
The Weather Ahead
Creative Tools for Understanding and Sharing the Holy Scriptures
Oh, Victor, I hope we don’t have to have any spring without birds. I’ve heard of the book. But I’m also hoping Jesus will have come before then. Heaven will be full of birds — I just know it!
Butterflies sound fascinating as well — I’d like to learn more about them, too.
The last day or so I’m having House Sparrow chicks and Starling chicks at my feeders — what fun!
I have always loved birds, but I don’t know why. I live in Barstow, CA, which as far as I know is not someplace famous for birds. Yet since I’ve lived here, I’ve seen white owls, cranes, woodpeckers, etc. One year at least 6 doves were born in a nest on my back porch.
All year long I’m surrounded by the doves and sparrows. There are some other types of birds too, but I don’t know what all of them are. Although I enjoy looking at birds whenever I see them, I’ve never gone out with bird-watching as the objective. Maybe it’s something I should try.
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Hi Dave, for someone who doesn’t live where there are birds, you are seeing a lot of them! If you enjoy birds and love seeing them, I’d encourage you to get a good pair of binoculars and go out with a local birding club. I see many more when there are more eyes to see them. If you do, please let me know how it goes!
As for birding, I love being the birds, I love being outside, I love the fresh air and exercise, and it brings to me more of a sense of God’s presence than I have when I’m indoors.
What a beautiful story. I really never noticed the birds much until I moved to KY from FL. We where actually amazed by all of nature. The season changing, the birds coming and going and the arrival of Spring. Some of our best catching up times have been sitting watching the birds right outside our 3rd floor apartment balcony porch.
It was the saddest day when the management cut down the Oak Tree where all our birds lived.
Hi Debi,
Yes, I can imagine that the seasons were quite a shock, coming from FL! The seasons are a death and resurrection every year.
So glad you got to enjoy your birds for awhile. I’m a tree lover, and always hate to hear of a tree being cut down. I hope you will find another place where you can watch them.
Hello Sherry,
I have an nice bird story to share with you. About 3 weeks ago before leaving France and going off to England on business I planted geraniums in window boxes and placed them on the windowsills on the front of our house. I do it every year for summer, our house is a big old stone house on 4 floors built in 1860. The geraniums look lovely against the color of the stones. I digress!
When I returned from England on Tuesday last week I saw that a Dove had laid 2 eggs inside the middle window box on the very top floor … this is most unusual! She is such a pretty bird a pinkish brown with the prettiest dark brown eyes. I’m trying not to disturb her and I feel very honour that she chose our window box in which to raise her young.
Sadie-Michaela Harris recently posted..Facebook Pages changes- SSL Certificate requirements that you need to know about
Sadie, I love it! I know nothing about European birds — do you know what kind of dove she is? You are going to have fun watching her raise her chicks. Sounds like she is close by, so you’ll get a wonderfully up-close view. What a treat and an honor! I’d love to be kept updated!
Hello Sherry
God is all around us. All we have to do is take the time to stop, listen, watch, which is exactly what you did when you went on your walk and observed the bird singing. It is a divine feeling to realize that in doing so we connect so deeply with a force so powerful and yet so gentle as to be given a voice through a Veery bird.
Thank you for your insight
Keep the Smiles,
Stevie
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Hi Stevie,
You are so right — God’s presence is in every moment of our day. We’re usually so busy we don’t pay much attention to Him. But He enters our life in so many ways, like the singing of a Veery. My prayer for all of us is that we do take time to stop, listen, and watch, so that we can connect with God. Thanks for your comment!
What a neet and cool little bird.
I have never heard bout this little creature, but the song he sings is really neat to listen too. Then to read and realize that this little beast has flown such a long distance to sing his song, it makes it all that much more special!
Thanks for letting us know, very cooL!
-Dereck
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Hi Dereck,
I agree with you — his song is wonderful, and so is he! Birds are amazing! They are such delicate yet hardy creatures, and God dsigned each of them so differently. Thanks for stopping by!
Every time I see or hear a bird I seldom hear, or see a rare wildflower, I feel as if I have been handed a special treat from my Father. Those moments are many, here in rural Alberta. Just yesterday a little house wren sat on our deck and sang his little heart out for ten minutes, non-stop. We used to have wrens here, but haven’t for the past several years… so it was a real treat to hear his song again!
I love nature, with all of its wonders. This past week we’ve been treated to the awesome power and force of a river swelled far beyond its normal size… 18 feet higher than normal!! Not so good for the bank swallows, who nest in hundreds of tiny holes in the cliffs in various spots along the river… but great for us, as we watched it overflowing its banks in some places. Heavy rains high in the mountains caused the snow to melt much faster, hence the swelling of the river. It also caused a massive flow of uprooted trees and broken off twigs and branches. Now that the river is going down again, it’s rather funny to see piles of logs on the wrong side of the fence in a farmer’s field!
Willena Flewelling
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The natural world is certainly full of wonder, whether it be a bird, a flower, or a river. I’m somewhat south of you, so I wake up every morning to the singing of a little resident house wren. Even though he/she sings often, my heart still thrills at his/her song. And at God’s creativity, to create so many creatures tiny and large, and all different.
I just realized — if you’re in southern Alberta, you must be close to Banff and Jasper. I’ve never been there, but have heard how spectacular these places are. You live in a beautiful place!
This sounds very serene! I have never really gone bird watching, but it sounds interesting.
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Hi Andy! If you enjoy the natural world, you’d love it! Birds are AMAZING creatures.