Later two of my sisters-in-law in Missouri were sending photos of the cardinals that came to their bird feeders every day.
I
tried not to be jealous of my family in Missouri with those bright red,
beautiful birds that cheer the winter season back east and in Missouri.
Here we just have a single woodpecker, and that's all, for months. We
just send pictures of milk frozen to the sides and rim of the stainless
steel milk pan when Danny comes back to the house with the goat milk in
sub-zero weather!
I
revel in the beauty of the photos--unbelievable beauty of God's
creation. And how do such small creatures survive the bitter cold?
With
a little research, I discovered several ways that birds stay
warm--besides the obvious way of escape to warmer climate by migrating,
of course.
First,
birds seek shelter. They look for holes in trees, brush piles,
sheltered spots under the eaves of buildings. (Jonathan discovered this
phenomenon a couple weeks ago when he went to Martin, SD, to install a
steel door in the all-purpose building. All the way down the middle of
the building were tell-tale-bird droppings from where swallows or sparrows had been
roosting at night. As Jonathan finished installing the door, anxious
birds were swooping about him, unsure what had happened to their
entrance to the building where they found shelter each night.)
And
I think to myself, in the winter season of our lives, when we are
fighting cold shoulders and bitter distresses and unbearable odds, we
must find shelter in Jesus. He is the Door to a warm and sheltered
spot--near to the heart of God.
Seeking shelter helps birds stay out of the wind.
There are times that a person cannot escape wind or storm. Sometimes
things happen that you cannot prevent; people say or do things that you
cannot control. Things happen so fast, you are blown a few hundred feet
down the road before you can catch your balance. But there are also
many times that, with just a little wisdom, prudence, foresight, and
humility a person can avoid a fight, a storm, a pitfall, and disaster.
When
the wind starts to blow, we can be humble. We can look for shelter. We
might back out of something. We can wait before we react. We can pause
to pray, or we can sleep on major decisions. We don't have to sit on a
branch alone in the wind, just letting it whip about our ears and hearts
while we helplessly freeze to death, blaming the cold air and the wind.
We can find shelter in God, in humility, in a small and humble place.
Second,
birds that stay north all winter fluff their feathers around their
bodies, which keeps cold air outside and traps warm air inside.
God
has given the birds their own feathers to stay warm. They hunker down
in the cold and fluff their feathers, and it's better than any winter
coat we humans could ever invent. Some birds, such as the American
goldfinch, also grow more feathers in the winter. "Studies show that most winter birds have 35-70 percent more feather
mass than summer birds. Both outer contour feathers and underlying down
feathers are increased. What’s more, birds further increase the
insulation value of their plumage by fluffing, which makes the plumage
thicker and increases the depth of the heat-trapping layer of air next
to the skin."
God
has given the birds beautiful feathers to stay warm, and He has given
us, His people, promises that we can rely on. When the cold comes and
the winter winds blow, we need to turn to His promises and start
fluffing them up to our attention.
"He
has said, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.' So we may boldly
say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'"
Hebrews 13:6
"Even
to your old age, I am He. And even to gray hairs I will carry you. I
have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you."
Isaiah 46:4
"I
will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break
in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you
the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you
may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, am the God of
Israel."
Fourth,
"birds as diverse as kinglets, titmice, bluebirds, grouse, and
penguins go one step further to reduce the amount of heat they lose.
They huddle together." Birds know the value of a flock. They stick
together in cold weather. If one of them can pack 30 percent of its body
surface tightly against one or more neighbors, then heat loss can be
reduced by 30 percent. Creches formed by both young and adult penguins
are based on this concept."
"Ever
notice that nearly all of
the birds that hang around in the winter do so in flocks?" Having other
birds around makes it less likely that a predator such as the Lucas cat
will pounce! There is safety in having other birds around to warn of danger or traps. Flocks of birds also keep each other in the loop as to where food is, and that leads us to the fifth
point.
To
keep warm, birds eat as much as possible. They look for seeds and will
flock to feeders where black-oil sunflower seeds, millet, and suet is
placed. They know how important it is to stay nourished. And as
Christians, we are not unaware, are we, that in the bitter cold seasons
of our lives, we have the choice and opportunity to nourish ourselves
well on the Word of God? Daily, perhaps several times a day, we ought to
turn to that sacred Book to feed ourselves on its nourishment.
Likewise, we should turn to the hymns and songs of faith and hope to
encourage ourselves in the Lord, as well as choose good books and
stories of overcoming faith to nourish our souls and spirits. Let us
learn from the birds to seek out adequate nourishment during our
bitterly cold seasons of life. God's Word in both the Bible and hymns of
faith and godly books and biographies of God's people will warm our hearts.
Additionally,
some small birds such as kinglets and chickadees can drop their body
temperature and go into controlled hypothermia to save energy. Even
mourning doves can reduce their body temperature on cold nights.
I've often wondered, how do bird's feet stay warm?
I didn't know before a little research today (while I am sick with chemo and the family is gone to church) that birds have specialized scales on their feet and legs to reduce heat loss. And I couldn't help thinking of the armor of God--which Paul urges God's people to put on, in order to stand when the evil day comes. The breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith.
Birds also have
a
counter-current heat exchange system in their legs and feet—the blood
vessels going to and from the feet are very close together, so blood
flowing back to the body is warmed by blood flowing to the feet. In the winter cold, birds "lower their leg surface temperature to below
that of their plumage surface, retaining heat at their core."
Birds "do get very cold feet: the surface temperature of
their toes may be barely above freezing even as the bird maintains its
core body temperature above 100°F (38°C). But most birds don’t succumb
to frostbite because there is so little fluid in the cells of their
feet, and their feet are mostly tendons and bones with little muscle or
nerve tissue."
Very interesting details and good applications.
ReplyDeleteEnlightening and good truth.
ReplyDelete