aussiebirder

It is most enjoyable to experience a week of lovely mild sunny blue sky Autumn days, a change from the unseasonable weather on the past months. We have been told we are heading toward a year bringing drought, heatwaves and bushfires possibly worse than previous years. My wife and I decided to have a day out together so we headed to some old birding spots on the other side of Sydney. Bushell’s Lagoon was our first call. We were surprised to see so few birds which may be due to the rains and floods of past months. As we approached the Lagoon we were excited to site a family of Zebra Finch, the world’s most studied bird. They would fly and land back and forth from the fences of the horse paddocks. Click on image to enlarge.

These amazing tiny seed eating birds get their name from their striped tails, and are amazing because they survive well in large flocks in some the driest, hottest most arid inland areas of Australia. One of the two sub species (Taeniopygia castanotis) is endemic to Australia and the other is found in Indonesia and East Timor. The miracle of this bird is that it survives on the most infinitesimal drop of water since much of its moisture comes from its food.

It was lovely to observe how well these tiny birds, as a flock, hide in a tree being undetected. This is protection for them against the many raptors which hunt them down.

‘Let’s take off a human is coming !’

The Zebra Finch survive so well because they stay in their flock. The flock gives them leadership to the best food and water, protection from predation and warning of danger as well as companionship and breeding partners to maintain the growth and survival of the flock. It is not uncommon to find a Brown Goshawk or similar bird eating raptor also resting nearby the flock, awaiting the opportunity for on of the finches to fly out alone.

Life survives and exists on Relationship. Without it no life would exist. Our environment, our family, our community, our friendships, or employment, our whole life depends on it. This is because our Creator God is relational God by nature, who out his love, wanted to share it with us all. Love always values Relationship. Love always takes the initiative, whether or not it has been the one offended, to repair the Relationship, because Love places its highest value on maintaining and not breaking it. Love is True Relationship in Action.

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

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To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

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

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