Birds of the Air

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?

If you've followed  Meditations of My Heart for a while, you know that my husband, Danny, and I love to feed and watch the birds in our wooded backyard.  We keep the feeders well stocked, and even scatter sunflower seeds on the ground for the squirrels and chipmunks to enjoy.

Admittedly, unless it's migration time, we don't see a huge variety of birds.  Cardinals, nuthatches, mourning doves, and chickadees are our most frequent visitors.  We also have several species of woodpeckers, including the Downy and the Red-bellied, living in the surrounding forest.  We only glimpse them occasionally, but never at the feeder with the exception of the flicker.

Without a doubt, the most majestic birds are a resident pair of Red-tailed hawks.  Danny hit the jack pot last year and captured this shot of one magnificent raptor.

The most elusive bird in our forest, however, is the Pileated woodpecker.  Notorious for its primeval, raucous call and the deep, echoing drumming its beak  makes on dead trees, we more often than not hear the pileated, but rarely catch that coveted glimpse.

So, the other day (with no camera handy, I might add) when Danny and I are sitting on our deck, he leans forward, pointing urgently.

"The pileated!  He's on the ground near the feeder!"

We both stand slowly to get a better look.  Sure enough!  There he is, big as life, and lingering in one place longer than either us have ever witnessed.  Then, the pileated makes a most unexpected move.  He flaps his wings and settles on an arm of the wooden cross which marks our cat, Allie's, grave!!!  Now, we really wish we had our cameras!

But, the moment, like so many before it, is short-lived.  Within seconds, this giant spreads his wings and disappears back into the deep woods.  His haunting, cackling cry taunts us from afar.

And, we are left to wonder when we will see him again.

Thinking, too, that maybe we should always have our cameras with us when we sit out on our deck . . .

~

Have you ever had a "wish I had a camera" moment?  Please share!

Prayer:  Father, we thank You for all Your creatures, great and small.  May seeing them in their natural habitat remind us of the wonder that is our island, Earth.  All this we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.