Photography today, no card

I do believe it says somewhere that I am a photographer, and that this blog is about creative endeavors. Well, photography is creative, I think.

Since I spent the day yesterday canning tomatoes and really didn’t have time for a card (well, I COULD have made one, but, heck, I was tired!) I thought this would be a good day to talk about my bird photography.

There are many, many kinds of birds, and they all need our consideration. After all, God created all of them, and birds are frequently mentioned in the Bible. As Debbie Blue said in her article “He Will Raise You Up on Vulture’s Wings”, sub-titled “What I learned from bird-watching for Jesus” in Christianity Today, December 19, 2013, “Jesus said, ‘Consider the birds’, Matthew 6-26. I love that Jesus asked us to do that, go outside, get off the internet, watch birds.” I agree wholeheartedly.

Most people do not care much for Vultures, of which there are numerous kinds around the world. And, if we will but admit it, that dislike is pretty much based on their looks. However, consider this: Though they seek out death, they rarely hurt a living creature. Amazing! We humans should be so kind.

Without these “death seekers”, we would be knee-deep (or deeper!) in dead animals, which, as we all know carry disease, especially when there are many of them. Can you imagine the stench, and the appearance of many, many dead animals due to natural causes, disease, and cars were it not for Vultures and their carrion eating friends???? Whew! And, never mind the diseases that would be spread!

I know that isn’t a very pretty picture for many of you, but we need to be realistic here, and not have a false notion of the facts. The fact is that the vulture (in my neck of the woods, the Turkey Vulture, seen above) can ingest the vilest of dead, disease-ridden matter, and, due to their amazing internal structure, digest it and pass it on as harmless matter. Isn’t that incredible??

So, whether or not you like the way they look, a vulture is a reminder that we should not judge anyone or any other creature on looks, but rather see them for their value in the wider scheme of things. The one pictured below is, I believe, a juvenile Turkey Vulture as opposed to the Black Vulture. I have not heard from my bird expert friends, but, due to the fuzzy head and wing colors, I think I am correct. For one thing, Black Vultures are not usually found in Iowa, but stranger thngs have happened! I actually think he is kind of cute.

Other birds are mentioned in the Bible as well, but since I got some really good photos yesterday of the much maligned Turkey Vulture, I thought I would focus on them today. See what I did there???

They may not be as pretty as, say, an Eastern Goldfinch (Iowa’s state bird),

or as striking as an Acorn Woodpecker, photo taken in Arizona,

but each has a role to fill as God intended. Far be it from me to decide which is more necessary, or prettier, or whatever. I just enjoy watching them and learning from them all. It certainly humbles me to think that God also considered the lowly (says who?) Sparrows. And that is another whole bird subject. If you thought the house sparrow was it for sparrows, think again. Their are many, and some are quite beautiful. Take the White Crowned Sparrow for instance. Isn’t he pretty?

As you can see we have much to observe in the birds and much more to understand.

If you would like to see more of my images, just head on over to my photography website by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me today, although I am sure this post was NOT what you expected! I am just full of surprises. 🙂