Wren wrote this little tune tonight. I only recorded the sound, so I made a video with some of my photography.
Category: Landscape (Page 3 of 4)
It has become my new habit to go birding on Saturday mornings. I’m the early “bird” in our house, so it’s usually just me. I’ve also decided to keep visiting the same place. I love how I’ve come to know this place. I know where I will see bluebirds…
…and I know that the pair of red-tail hawks will be screaming and I’ll see the Eastern kingbirds when I hit the back meadow.
It’s becoming familiar, but there are is also something new each time I visit! Today I was surprised by a resting hummingbird.
I also added a new warbler to my lifelist (black and white warbler), and I was serenaded by a Common yellowthroat!
I’m enjoying seeing new plants pop up, and new flowers each time.
Wren picked Abide with Me for her hymn of comfort. It is such a comforting tune. We hope you enjoy.
Shepherding is hard! I’m glad I have such a compassionate Shepherd. One who provides me with grassy places to rest…
Still waters…
…and leads me along the right paths.
I know this words of this hymn were not necessarily intended to be about nature (creation):
I love thy kingdom, Lord
the house of thine abode,
the church of our blest Redeemer saved
with his own precious blood.
Many Christians emphasize “church” and ignore the “house of thine abode.” We, the church, are called to love and care for creation, this “dwelling place.” In Colossians we read:
For in him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together…
…and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood on the cross.
Colossians 1:16-17; 20
I understand this to mean that Christ will come to reconcile all things! Not just humans, and what beautiful things our creator has made… (I saw all of these amazing things in less than 1 hour!)
We love them!
Tonight we saw 7 owls total!! We went to check on the little one we’ve been watching for several weeks. He’s really growing. I’m saying “he” only because Wren refers to him this way. You can’t tell the sex of a great horned owl by looking. I only know which of the adults is the mom because I know which one was on the nest. Also, the mom stays close. We saw dad tonight too, but he maintains a rather aloof distance. Here are some new pictures so you can see how the little one is growing!
Here is one of the other 4 owls I saw tonight…another mommy owl! She has 3 owlets.
We also enjoyed other migratory birds. We saw a common yellowthroat, a blue-winged warbler and a blue-grey gnatcatcher (one of my favorites!)
Wren’s hymn of comfort today is the hymn tune “KINGS FOLD”. She wrote the accompaniment.
We hope you enjoyed our sunset walk as much as we did!!
Here is the hymn of comfort for today:
I found the most amazing place today. It was just me and the creatures! While this post is named for the Hymn of comfort, when I finished my hike it did look “Like” I had tried to cross “a River”… And the Hike was “Glorious!” This place has no developed trails – this may be why I was alone!
I am definitely going to have to come back to this place to follow the seasons! Of course, I was excited to see the birds, but it was equally exciting to see all of the green coming up throughout the prairie and many things starting to bloom!
Leave a comment if you can!!!
arranged by Anna Laura (Nonnie) Page
The hymn of comfort today is God is Love; His Mercy Brightens. I went back to visit the owls today. One way I know God is Love is by the way he provides for his creation. I was able to watch all 3 owls. The mother was flying between trees because another couple was walking too close to the owlet (I think this is why), so I was able to get some “in flight” photos. The pictures aren’t the best, but you can see the amazing feet/claws, and the gorgeous wings. Owl flight is totally silent! This makes them amazing hunters and providers for their young.
This is Earth Week! Wednesday is the 50th anniversary of Earth Week, and so we want to spend the week highlighting God’s amazing creation! One of the most spectacular things I’ve been able to show Wren was the Milky Way. When we were in Utah last summer, we went out into Canyonlands National Park (one of the darkest skies in the US) to watch the sunset and the stars emerge.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9
What an awesome blessing that we have been asked to care for this amazing creation! Earth Week is a great time to think about how we are living out this call! This Earth Week is giving us a unique opportunity. We are all being forced to live more simply and more slowly. Scientists are already noticing changes – carbon emissions are down, light pollution is decreased, air quality is increased…and I’m sure there are other less-obvious benefits. Things we haven’t thought to measure yet. I know scientists are measuring changes in the soundscape, and I’ve noticed slight changes in animal behavior! Living out this “shelter-at-home” lifestyle might just help us see the ways we can change our impacts on creation through our consumption of resources! Creation will benefit if we see how we can maintain these changes.
Wren’s hymn of comfort tonight is How Firm a Foundation. We were thinking about the stars today before she recorded, so you might hear a little Twinkle sneak it’s way into what she played…
Whenever Wren plays her cello, the birds flock to the tree just outside our window. This Robin flies in so fast, we sometimes think it will fly right into the room!
We thought that this old tune was a good one, considering all of the birds we have watched this weekend! I’ll Fly Away is a gospel song written in 1929 by Albert Brumley. Supposedly, it’s one of the most commonly recorded gospel tunes out there. I know I grew up with it, and even played it in high school marching band!
We also wanted anyone who’s been following to know that when we went out to check on the owls last night, the mamma owl was there, but in a different place and the baby owl was gone (daddy was gone too). I went again this morning hoping that the baby was just hiding last night. Sadly, the baby wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Since it takes 5 weeks to fledge, we are pretty sure that the owlet was predated. Predators of owls include raccoons, hawks and other owls. We are hopeful that the parent owls will try again, and we are so very thankful for the tremendous blessing it was to know this owl family for a few weeks!
Recent Comments