Skywatch Friday: The Birds of the Heavens

I thought I might join up with Skywatch Friday again.  I've been watching a lot of interesting birds in the sky around my neck of the woods this week.

The Ospreys have been very busy.  On my Facebook page today I posted a couple of videos of them calling to each other. I understand it is nesting time, and they are quite active in this area, building and tending their nests.

This Osprey was sitting across from our house, just enjoying the scenery.

Now, if this is a Swallow-tailed kite, his tail isn't quite as long as the others around here...and it seems like the others have been chasing him around. I'm wondering if he is just younger and hasn't gotten his full plumage yet?

Here is what they usually look like in flight:   See the difference?  They are fun to watch gliding overhead every day. They are nesting nearby, so we have enjoyed watching them more than usual this year.

This was the sky last evening...rather cloudy, with the sun shining through...

I realized later that my camera lens was smudged, so that it why some pictures look a little hazy in the middle. Sorry about that...

I just think these tall Sand Pines look so interesting against the gray sky.

Here is a link to more information about Florida's Sand Pine Tree.

Do you see the bird flying from the tree in this picture below?  That was a black crow. They were flying around, taunting the Ospreys.  They like to do that, you know!

 Just another view of the trees...

I don't know how some of these tall skinny trees are still standing. Actually, some of them do fall whenever we have any severe thunder/wind storms. It's not unusual to hear them cracking in the wind, and then when you go outside you can smell the fresh pine scent of a broken tree...

So this morning I realized it was Flag Day, so I put our flag out bright and early in the morning sun.

This Swallow-Tailed Kite sat across the road and tried to pretend he wasn't watching, but I saw him looking over his shoulder at me...

In my usual early morning walk I ventured to our neighborhood pond to see the sun breaking through the clouds and reflecting on the water.

I love the early morning sun and the blue skies starting to make their appearance as the clouds lift and the sun shines...

Good Morning Blue Skies! It's so nice to see you again! We've had a lot of rain this week!

Well, back down the road, and there's Mr. Osprey, waiting on me to come by.  Here's the other video I took this morning of the ospreys calling to each other.  They are VERY LOUD!

So, this was my evening walk and my morning walk...I hope you enjoyed walking along with me.

Psalm 104:10, 12

10.  "He sends the springs into the valleys;

They flow among the hills.

12.  By them the birds of the heavens have their home;

They sing among the branches."

Now, let us fly back over to Skywatch Friday and enjoy what lovely vistas others have to share.

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend!

Time for Nature

I should probably save this post for Friday Foto Friends, but when I have a bunch of pictures I want to share, I hate to wait too long!  Summertime is a good time for enjoying nature all around us, and this week has been a good example of that.  So I will share these pictures today, and I have included some kind of link with each picture...either to a site that gives more information about the item in the photo, or a link to a previous post that I have written about a similar item.  I guess you could call this Pam's Nature Academy!  I hope you will enjoy these interesting photos!

https://spiderid.com/spider/pisauridae/dolomedes/triton/  I saw this "six-spotted fishing spider" sitting on top of the water at the pond, resting on a floating plastic lid.

We watched two Ospreys flying about early one morning...here they are in the trees:

 https://www.naturesacademy.org/florida-feature/florida-feature-osprey-nesting-season-begun/

This is a young Swallow-tailed Kite...who was calling from the tree to its parents, who were flying around...https://www.naturesacademy.org/florida-feature/florida-feature-swallow-tailed-kite/

This White tailed deer was foraging for her supper one evening...https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/deer/

We woke up this morning to these Rain Lilies, which popped up after the rain and bloomed like magic!  My hubby called them lilies of hope, because made us feel hopeful...

https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-zephyranthes-atamasca/

I watched this Bumblebee enjoying his breakfast on the Rose of Sharon flower in the Memorial Garden
https://www.sunstatepest.com/fun-facts-about-bumblebees/ 

 This wild milkweed plant has popped up again. Just waiting for it to bloom. See THIS LINK for a previous post about this plant.

 The wild grape vines are quite prolific again this year, and it looks like it might be a good year for the wild grape crop.  Click HERE for a previous post about this. 

While at the pond I noticed this beautiful blue dragonfly again.  Click HERE for a previous post about dragonflies and their significance.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed these little nature lessons.  There is so much beauty around us to explore, if we just open our eyes to see. 

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

How many of you remember this little song?

Words: Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander, Hymns for Little Children, 1848; original title: "Maker of Heaven and Earth." Alexander is believed to have written these lyrics at Markree Castle, near Sligo, Ireland.

Music: "Royal Oak," 17th Century English melody; arranged by Martin Fallas Shaw, 1915

Refrain

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
And made their tiny wings.

Refrain

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

Refrain

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden:
God made them every one.

Refrain

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day.

Refrain

God gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

Refrain

Keep Looking Up!

Interesting...Just as I was starting to write this post, I was attempting to come up with a good title, while in the background I could hear my 91 year old mother in law talking with my husband about our church service today. He asked her what she got out of the service, and she said, "We need to keep looking up!"  I almost choked, because she had NO idea what I was in the process of writing at that exact moment!

Please note the picture at the top of this page. Most likely you will notice the Osprey perched on the top of the dead tree branches immediately, and then if you look down you will see the dogwood flowers a little blurry in the forefront.  Let me tell you about this picture, and then see if you get the connection!

With the onset of daylight savings time last weekend and warmer spring days, I have determined to get out and walk more often, taking pictures of anything that "moves" me at the moment.  Yesterday morning I headed out early, camera in hand, looking for signs of spring.  The dogwood, azaleas, wildflowers, and berries are starting to bloom, the birds are actively building their nests and busily feeding their young.  As I was focusing on the dogwood trees in and around the edge of the woods, I glanced up at the perfect blue sky, and there, looking down at me, was this magnificent huge osprey!

Of course, I immediately shifted my focus (there's that "One Word" again!) to view the osprey for as long as he would allow... which was, as you can see by the pictures, obviously quite a while...and would have been longer but it was time for me to get going.

And as I stood there snapping these photos I couldn't help but think, "I almost missed this marvelous experience because I wasn't looking up!"

I wonder...how often in life have we missed out on some marvelous experience because we weren't "looking up"?  It appears to be in our human nature to focus on the here and now, the stuff of life that is surrounding us, oftentimes pulling us downward and blinding us to the bigger picture...the grandeur of the greater plan...the great panorama of the magnificent tapestry of God's design He intended for our lives.

 We tend to get "tunnel vision"...only seeing a very narrow view of life from our limited earth-bound perspective...and missing the higher viewpoint of God's perfect plan.

God said to Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 29:11 ~

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

 We need to be more like the Psalmist who wrote:

 "I will lift up my eyes to the hills--from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to be moved;  He Who keeps you will not slumber. "  Psalm 121:1-3

What's funny is, when my husband asked his mother what she got out of the church service this morning, and her quick response was "Keep Looking Up"...that actually had nothing to do with the service today at all...at least not in word or song or theme...and yet, that is what she heard and felt.  My thought is, yes, that IS the message of God's Word to us always, everyday!

KEEP LOOKING UP!  

Keep looking up to Jesus...Fix your eyes on Him!  Why? Well, because...

"The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, 

nor the moon by night.  

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; 

He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

from this time forth,

and even forevermore!"

Psalm 121:5-8

So, where are YOU going to look today?

Here is a link to another post I think you will like from Psalm 121:1-8  , entitled, "God is a Lot Like Mt. Washington".