aussiebirder

Last Tuesday after the Easter weekend, on a most splendid Autumn day, feeling much better, I took my wife on a Birding Date, and much needed walk along the waterfront of Botany Bay, Sydney. We stopped at ‘Kiss the Barrister’ beach-side Cafe for a coffeencake where we viewed the vista of the bay. After which we proceeded along the walkway. The migratory waders had left, if there were any, for Alaska and only a few Crested Tern and Silver Gull rested on the beach or did some late fishing, as it was high tide. We gave thanks for such a beautiful morning, even though a cool southerly blew, it was sunny and ideal for a brisk walk.

As we were leaving the Cafe I saw this strange snake like creature moving slowly some distance out in thewater and took some photos of it. My wife immediately viewed it with her binoculars.

She confirmed its identity as a piece of long driftwood, but it had me going for a bit, as it looked and moved as if it were alive, having a head and tail. As we walked around the bay there were very few water birds, which is unusual, but the end point of our walk was to be the Cook Park pine forest where we sometimes see the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo feeding on the pine cones. All being well, all three local species of Cockatoo will be dining which would include, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Little Corella. As we approached the park we heard the Sulphurs calling and then we both got excited to hear the distinctive call of the Yellow-tails.

We entered beneath the pine trees but had to be careful as pine cones were being bitten off and dropped. Thankfully we were wearing hats and on the look out, as I almost got hit, I know what a shock that is from a previous occasion. There were several pairs only, a portion a the flock resting and feeding in the trees, being the dominant Cockatoo, making the Sulphur-cresteds feed on the ground from the previously dropped cones. All three species pair for life and are often seen in pairs.

The male has the distinct pink eye ring, which the female and juvenile lack. Cockatoos spend most of summer months in the mountains breeding, coming to the coast during the cooler months to feed on the many post summer pine cones from the native Casuarina and the introduced pines, particularly the Norfolk Pine (native to Norfolk Island) which are planted in great numbers along the coast. Later feeding on the Wattle pods when they are available.

There were some young ones there, which is why these are away from the flock. This part of the park is often used as a nursery feeding area during winter months, making the Sulphurs keep their distance, as the Yellow-tails rest, preen and feed their young.

As I mentioned, the Sulphur-cresteds were feeding from the ground along with the Little Corella. This one flew to a tree away from the Yellow-tails to feed and escape us. Each cone has many seeds within it and by holding the cone with one claw it uses its strong intelligently designed beak to extract, break open and eat the seed wit its tongue, dropping the seed covering.

A flock of Little Corella were also present feeding alongside the Sulphurs. They are a more fun loving peaceful bird always found in medium to large flocks making their characteristic call to one another.

Delighted and thankful for the blessing of seeing these birds together, we made our way back to the Kiss the Barrister Cafe for a special lunch date to spoil my wife in appreciation for the loving and patient care she gave me during my recent illness. We then completed our walk back to our car. What a truly splendid birding date !!!

Have a wonderful week and keep warm and stay well as winter strikes with its cold winds and cold nights.

If this is your first visit to my blog and website, and you are starting out to make birding (birdwatching) as your hobby and healthy recreational activity. Check out my pages which will assist you:

Birding for Beginners

The Benefits of Birding

5 Steps to Better Birding

The Mindfulness of Birding

If you have not yet checked out my 2 books, which make great gifts for all the family, selling in in National Parks and council visitor centres throughout Australia, as well as securely online on this website, you can check them out here.

There is no conceivable way that the design of bird beaks and their bodies aligning with their specific food sources and habitat preferences was some evolutionary pathway that happened all by itself by some nothing intelligence. What an insult to our All Wise Creator. People will do anything to avoid acknowledging him, as they have done to avoid acknowledging the great world flood, which many ancient cultures have record of. The reason is: to avoid accountability for sin and avoid submitting to the loving Father God. As I mentioned in previous posts, in my reading of the most recent research into bird intelligence, even some of the honest evolutionists are questioning the dishonest and deliberate non reporting of findings that show that birds are more intelligent than most mammals, and even as intelligent as man in some aspects.

This supports the parallel universe of the Biblical account of creation, rather than the serial universe idea of the evolutionist. In Genesis chapter one ‘each was created according to their own kind [species].’ One of the things that pained Charles Darwin during his latter years was those atheists that tried to tie his theory to a no God world, saying it all happened by chance. Nothing in all of history has ever happened by chance. Everything is purpose built and built for a purpose. Darwin in his personal diaries, which I have read, clearly attests that he has always remained a theist (i.e. a believer in God) and the creation itself in its wonder and design bears testimony to this.

Gisela Kaplan herself states in her book ‘Bird Minds’, as do other scientists, that their continues to be erroneous material taught in schools and learning institutions regardless of the latest true findings and evidence at hand. This I believe is the result of atheists desperately trying to cover up the truth and support their Godless creation theory. The sad thing is, they refuse to see God as a gracious, forgiving, merciful, loving and kind God, who wants to forgive and show them mercy and redeem them from their sin and selfishness and so live the best life they could ever know through faith in Jesus, the Prince of Peace. After all to get the best out of anything, it is wise to follow the manufacturers manual and instructions to get the best result. Sadly the deception of the restless sinful heart drives people to hide in the darkness, from the true living light of God’s truth. It is time we stand up for the Truth and the fact that God loves and wants to restore us. Those who fear his judgement only do so because they are living in the guilt of their sin, and fear the punishment it may bring. The free offer of Jesus to know sins forgiven is extended to every person as a gift. There is nothing we need to do or even can do, Jesus has accomplished life on our behalf, all we can do is believe, receive and say “Thank you” by living a thanksgiving life of joy , peace and love through his Holy Spirit within.

See Romans 1:18-25

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. – John 3:16-21 (NIV)

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God^. The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:9-14

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To introduce people to our amazing Australian Birds

To learn from them better ways of living a healthy happy life

Adv. Dip. of Counselling and Family Therapy

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