Skip to main content

Birds of Prey


Today we went on an outing called, Birds of Prey, which was a place that housed several varieties of South Africa's native winged creatures and aim to preserve endangered species. We were given time to venture around the property and view the different areas of birds and later we got to watch a showcase of some birds catching their lunch. There was an expert who lead the show and she gave us information about the various birds exhibited. I learned a variety of interesting things that I did not expect. For example, female birds are bigger than male birds in order to protect and keep their eggs warm. The expert explained that the scientific name to distinguish between male and female is, "Reverse sexual dimorphism." Another interesting fact, birds are conserving animals. They eat all parts of their prey. Also, a birds feet or talons serve as indicators for what prey they hunt; the bigger the talons the bigger the prey.

This was my favorite bird, the Barn Owl. With a white, moon-shaped face, this bird was adorably cute and very quiet. Her feathers were covered with tiny, spotted, dots, almost like freckles. The expert had us listen to her flight, which was almost silent as she flapped her wings right in front of our feet, six inches above the ground. Based upon research done in England, this type of owl is estimated to catch 2,500 mice per year, due to their silent flight of attack. I discovered the reason to owls ability to turn their heads around: their eyes are not perfectly round, more like a rugby ball, and therefore they have no peripheral vision.


This was my least favorite bird, the vulture. I was able to witness a vulture feeding and it was quite disturbing, to say the least. They are quite aggressive animals, stealing pieces of meat right from each other's beaks. The feeder entered the vulture area and threw in two giant hunks of raw meat and within an instant all of the vultures were crowded around devouring the flesh with gruesome snaps. The feeder only stayed long enough to offer a few facts about this creature before leaving the area because one of the vultures has a particular fascination with shoe laces. Imagining one of those giant birds coming after my shoes made me curl my toes and walk back to my hoot hollow, where my friendly owl friend was.
Overall, today was an unexpected surprise.
May you learn something more about the beauty of God's animals today.
All my love,
Gennavieve

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hampton Court Palace

Today, I toured Hampton Court Palace, an official historic, royal palace. Following are some of the sights I saw, history I learned, and favorites I enjoyed. The guard chamber of King William III. The magnificent display of 2,871 items of armor and weapons displayed a message that William was a great soldier and peacemaker. William's Presence chamber. Only high-ranking individuals were permitted into this room. William would be distinguished by sitting on a Chair of Estate. Those who entered his presence were required to remove their hats and make three low bows to the King, or even his empty chair. I'm grateful to serve an accessible King, who is with me wherever I go. William's eating room. He was expected to dine here on occasions "in front of persons of good fashion and good appearance," in order to display the sumptuousness of his food and to reassure everyone he was in good health. He was served by three servants on bended knee. William's P...
Post a Comment
Read more

Praise the Lord

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7 The Lord is faithful! Can I get an amen? THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! Last week, I felt the pressures of my Biology exam creeping upon me and the night before test day, as I studied, I came to a point where I simply prayed, "God I give this up to you, I have studied the material given to me and I will not worry about this." And I got a sound night of sleep. My fellow classmates were up very late, stressed, and anxious about the exam and for some reason I had this overwhelming sense of peace. I now know that the peace was from the Lord and I am proud to say that I got an A+ on the exam. Know that the Lord is mighty and the small things in life He cares about. Our God is a God who knows what plagues our minds and when we give it up...
Post a Comment
Read more

Let Us Love

Idelette McVicker, founder and editor of She Loves magazine wrote a poem titled, "Let Us Be Women Who Love." Below, please find the poem. I bolded my favorite stanzas. Upon contemplation, I believe this poem challenges, not only women, but both men and women to stand up and lead lives of genuine love. To allow the overwhelming love of Christ fill one's heart to the brim until it pours out onto others. I simply desire to share this manifesto and encourage you in love. Let us be women who Love. Let us be women willing to lay down our sword words, our sharp looks, our ignorant silence and towering stance and fill the earth now with extravagant Love. Let us be women who Love. Let us be women who make room. Let us be women who open our arms and invite others into an honest, spacious, glorious embrace. Let us be women who carry each other. Let us be women who give from what we have. Let us be women who leap to do the difficult things , the unexpected thin...
Post a Comment
Read more