aussiebirder

Last week my wife and I took two of my teenage grandsons (the tech-know wizards) down the coast for a lovely time out with us in fresh air and sunshine. While we were there we visited one of the places that sells my books ‘What Birds Teach Us’ and ‘Flight of a Fledgling’ This was an excellent opportunity to go bird watching with them in the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden a few kilometers south of Bateman’s Bay off the Princes Highway. It was a very hot day but we enjoyed seeing both birds and wallaby there. I also managed to help sell one of my books to a shop browser, as I tend to do when visiting my clients.

Our first sighting was this Eastern Whipbird silently feeding in bushes near the track where we watched it for a few minutes, which is unusual for this very shy and difficult bird to spot. He soon made his quick escape when he noticed us, as his female had only just left. You will find more about this amazing bird in my book ‘What Birds Teach Us’ and how it uses its whip-like call with its mate. Click the image below to find out more:

While we were there my grandsons delighted in collecting an army of many Cicada shells. The cicadas were quite loud in their hundreds calling. This is a feature of the Australian bush Summer months, and can be so deafening at times you have to leave the forest, as many birds and animals also do.

Our first signs of new beginnings was in progress as this Yellow-faced Honeyeater was nesting. It was only a few years ago now that all of this forest and much of the buildings here were burnt out at about this time and millions of birds and animals, including Koalas were incinerated. Many birds were nesting at the time like this one. However, the resilient Australian forest is recovering well, as it does to fire but the black marks on trees remain. Many of the birds and animals are slowly returning and others have settled up the coast in our local forests.

We saw a small family group of what appear to be Grey Kangaroo/ Wallaby resting in the shade. You will notice the large male lying down to the left with his harem of females and youngsters around him.

Another year has cycled around and we again consider the birth of ‘The Saviour of the World’, Yeshua (Gr: Jesus) and what it really means for us humans in our essentially selfish violent and uncertain world. The coming of Jesus ‘The Lamb of God’ was to mark the new era of Grace and Forgiveness to all nations on the earth where God would no longer count our selfish wrong doings against us, but would settle the debt in his just character through the offering of his own dear Son to pay the ultimate death penalty, which we all deserve, on our behalf.

In Australia Christmas is a time of hot stormy Summer weather, a time for new beginnings for many birds and animals being born into the world, including our resident Grey Butcherbird who faithfully brings his new juvenile offspring to our birdbaths to train them in drinking and washing. Here the youngster begs to be fed and the parent patiently waits for the right opportunity. Click on photos to enlarge.

Many do not realise the importance of the Christmas story as much of it has been obscured by false representations. Jesus ‘The Lamb of God’ was born in a lambing cave, not a man constructed barn, at the back of an inn in the hillside of Bethlehem, a sheep raising town, that raised lambs especially for sacrifice. The cave where he was born was a special cave always kept clean as it was used for raising sacrificial lambs, that were carefully wrapped in cloth bandages and placed in the animal feed box so they did not injure themselves and thus become blemished. This was done because they had to be for sacrifice ‘ a male lamb without spot or blemish a year old’. (Exodus 12:5). This marks the significance of the references to ‘wrapped in swaddling clothes (bandages) and placed in a manger (feed box)’. This is why God gave the humble despised shepherds first news of Jesus arrival, and why they knew instinctively which cave to find him in. Mary and Joseph would have found clean bandages in the cave already for the next lamb.

I have personally had the privilege of seeing the birthing cave in Bethlehem and the sheep grazing area in the valley below in what is now a Palestinian occupied town. It is clear that God earmarked Jesus from his very birth to be the sacrificial Lamb to bear away the sins of the world. He was born to die, where as through his death and resurrection we were born to live, yet only through his resurrection from the dead, whereby we were made righteous through his righteousness which is ours by faith, not by us striving to please God, but by simply believing the Good News (Gospel).

The next and final time Jesus would be wrapped in bandages, would be in his burial tomb, which he would leave alive on the third day as God has foretold. These bandages would remain intact as his body would supernaturally rise with only the head cloths unwrapped and placed neatly in the tomb.

“She [Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [Yeshua] because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

The name Jesus or Joshua (Yeshua) means ‘Saviour’ which is what Jesus came to be for all who believe:

“ 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 [Israel], but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who did [will] receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave [gives] the right [the free grace gift] to become children of God [to be in His forever family].” – John 1:9-12

<<< Back To Top of Page >>>

Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

Member of Birdlife Australia

To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.