An unplanned ride down Front Beach in Ocean Springs, MS brought a stunning sight. Only the day before had I seen an article, with photos, about the Magnificent Frigatebird. The photos of the bird that accompanied the article written by Ronnie Blackwell in the SunHerald, showed the frigatebird in flight.
Here as I looked up was he, soaring above the beach and the oblivious beach goers. What a sight they were missing!! After seeing his enormous size (and yes it was a "he" - males are solid black as this fellow was), I instantly understood why he could be termed "magnificent". His wingspan can reach up to 88 inches!
I have always believed that God loves to send little surprises to His children, and that He does it in such a way that you know only He could have orchestrated it. Perhaps it's a way to catch the attention of the ever-so-busy children He loves. Therefore, I do not believe it was a coincidence that I spotted the article one day about a bird I'd never seen nor heard of, only to follow it the next day with such a sighting. Frigatebirds, you see, spend most of their lives flying over the ocean.
Thanks, God!
Would you like to learn about frigatebirds? Here is the article by Ronnie Blackwell and a link to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds:
http://www.sunherald.com/490/story/582301.html
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Magnificent_Frigatebird.html
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Oh, Pardon Me!
We all value our privacy, particularly at the most intimate times.
Imagine our family's surprise during a last minute outing at sunset to Davis Bayou to stumble upon Mr and Mrs Gator, shall we say, "in a loving embrace". Certainly, it was not something we expected. Yet, we were in awe - not in the way of a voyeur, but in that the creatures of the Earth know the exact time that it is best and proper to court and bring forth their young in a way that most ensures the survival of their species.
Perhaps curtains on the park roadside are in order.
Imagine our family's surprise during a last minute outing at sunset to Davis Bayou to stumble upon Mr and Mrs Gator, shall we say, "in a loving embrace". Certainly, it was not something we expected. Yet, we were in awe - not in the way of a voyeur, but in that the creatures of the Earth know the exact time that it is best and proper to court and bring forth their young in a way that most ensures the survival of their species.
Perhaps curtains on the park roadside are in order.
Can't Beat This Trip
My, my, my. Sometimes places you imagine will be good are even better. So it was with the first tour many of us made with McCoy Pascagoula River tours yesterday afternoon. Captain Bennie McCoy, who has lived his life along this magnificent river, expertly took us from marsh to bayou to swamp and back again.
Even when the distance isn't great from shoreline, one gets the feeling that they are a thousand miles away in another world. The abundance of birds of all types, including a fly-over by a swallow-tailed kite, was amazing. Equally amazing was the 11 foot plus alligator that tolerated a fairly near pass to check him out. His head was absolutely huge!
Way too often, we get caught up in our own little world, thinking that's all there is worthy of our attention.
It takes a trip out in the wild to remind us that we are, indeed, missing out on something really special each day when we don't stop to appreciate this incredible Earth we have been blessed with.
Even when the distance isn't great from shoreline, one gets the feeling that they are a thousand miles away in another world. The abundance of birds of all types, including a fly-over by a swallow-tailed kite, was amazing. Equally amazing was the 11 foot plus alligator that tolerated a fairly near pass to check him out. His head was absolutely huge!
Way too often, we get caught up in our own little world, thinking that's all there is worthy of our attention.
It takes a trip out in the wild to remind us that we are, indeed, missing out on something really special each day when we don't stop to appreciate this incredible Earth we have been blessed with.
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