aussiebirder

This week, after last weeks bizarre anti-birding weather, our focus is on the Intelligent Design variations in the bills of some of our fresh water waders . The feature photo is of the Red-necked Avocet, a flock bird of around fifty to several hundred birds. They use a fast scythe action to scoop from the bottom of the shallow lake by stirring up the mud to pick out aquatic insects and crustaceans, insects larvae and worms. Their very unique upturned narrow bill allows them to scoop through the mud and take out their food. Similar to other waders, Avocets have tiny sensors along the end of their bills which allow them to detect small objects and quickly grab, pull them from the water to quickly consume them.

Another reflective wader bird which is often found in friendship with the Avocets is the Black-winged Stilt. These two birds are featured as friends in my book “What Birds Teach Us.” Click on the image below to see why this book is such a wonderful gift idea for your child or bird loving parent.

The Black-winged Stilt use their sharp pointed beak to jab, prod, peck and probe the mud and water for their prey which is aquatic insects, molluscs and crustaceans. Here is a classic piece of footage of the Avocet, Stilt and Grey Teal using each of their techniques of foraging. The Grey Teal runs its flat duck like bill along the bottom of the water using its sensors on the edges of the bill to detect food.

The Royal Spoonbill is another fresh water wader with sensors along the edge of its spoon shaped bill, which is designed to filter through tiny aquatic insects and crustaceans. It also uses a scythe action to forage in the shallows. This bird is also featured in my book “What Birds Teach Us” teaching what it means to be Time Wise.

The Pink-eared Duck extracts micro aquatic insects and crustaceans from the water but uses a method where it places its bill and even its head beneath the water and trails along the bottom of the pond behind another Pink-eared Duck which stirs up the muddy lake bed with its feet. This unusual duck has a trowel shaped bill designed to sift along the bottom of the lake. Their bills also have sensors that allow it to sift out the water and capture the micro insects and organisms it thrives on. This bird is also in my book “What Birds Teach Us”.

Sometimes several Pink-eared Duck form a circle and use a technique called Vortexing so that each duck continually is able to forage as they swim in a circle in the wake of the previous duck.

The Australasian Shoveler is another similar feeder using its thick trowel-like bill with a shovelling action to forage along the bottom of the shallow lake. In the photo below you can see how these birds trail each other as the one in front stirs up the pond bed with its feet.

There are several other species which forage the shallows including Ducks, Egrets, Herons and Bitterns but we will leave them, and the digging waders for another time.

Have a wonderful week and Enjoy the Birds ! It has been difficult birding this last week with extremes of weather and smoke from the destructive bushfires in Victoria which has since cleared.

Intelligent Design means that an intelligent and all wise Creator, we call Almighty God, (Yahweh) planned and formed each bird with a distinct purpose and function to live in its own appointed habitat, eating its own specific foods for which its body was designed. All creatures, including us humans, are part of this world’s interdependent environment reflecting the love of God which is a dependant love which is constantly receiving from the Creator to maintain life. Sun, rain, wind and growth are all essential to life, God designed their bills and beaks and bodies to forage for particular and unique food sources and caused them to thrive in specific environments (habitats).

As a retired scientist I know Science can only examine and test what has already been made and only honestly within the current age, anything else is only hypothesis. True theories can be tested and proven with current evidence. We can only conclude that everything was purpose made each in its own ‘kind’ (species and order). It takes far more faith to believe that it all just happened from an accident then to believe in an all powerful God. Paul the apostle tells us that those who try to make us believe there was no absolute Creator being in the process, are doing so to hide the truth about God because they refuse to live a life according to God’s good laws which show up their selfish sinful deeds. It all has purpose which humankind has lost sight of throughout history due to selfish sinful rebellion against God’s ownership and rule over our lives. Sadly, many so called scientists have distorted their findings in the past to attempt to support a Godless self initiating universe, but thankfully many previously atheist scientists have become Christians because the honest evidence and fossil records stack up against the lies.

Having lost relationship with our Maker we lose sight of this ultimate purpose which is to bless not to harm, otherwise its all meaningless and hopeless which is why increased depression and anxiety, drug use both legal and illegal attempts to medicate the loss and fear associated with attempting to successfully navigate life and then face the uncertainly of death.

“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.” – Romans 1:18-21

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

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

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