"He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.... By them shall the fowls... have their habitation, which sing among the branches"
There are so many beautiful birds throughout the world-all part of God's creation—that it is impossible to select one as being the prettiest. But somewhere near the top of the list is the lively, cheerful cardinal.
The male is particularly showy in his bright red feathers, with a black, mask-like face and throat and black tips on his wings and tail. A red feathery crest sits perkily on top of his head. The female, too, is pretty, but her coloring is not quite so showy.
Both male and female are cheerful, swift and busy birds. They have a variety of lovely songs that can be heard long distances through the forests of the eastern United States and as far west as South Dakota and Texas. They are also welcome residents of Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia and an attractive addition to any neighborhood fortunate enough to have a pair. Farmers are happy when they settle nearby, for they eat great quantities of insects and seeds of harmful weeds.
Although the female's song is softer than the male's, it too is clear and cheerful, and both sing throughout the year. And that's another nice thing about them-they don't migrate. How striking the flash of their bright red feathers is as they fly over the snow or perch on a snow-covered limb to sing a happy song!
In springtime males and females nest in low shrubbery to raise a family-the male winning his mate by bringing her seeds and cracking the hard shell for her. She seems content to do most of the nest building as long as he feeds her. The finished nest is lined with soft material, then bluish-white eggs are laid in it, hatching out in about two weeks.
The little ones are fed by both parents. After about 10 days they are ready to make their first flight. Soon after they fly the mother leaves them, and the responsibility of teaching them the ways of bird life is left to the father. But he seems to enjoy doing this.
Do you think God cares about cardinals? Yes, He surely does, for they are His creation and included in the Bible verse: "These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat [food] in due season" (Psa. 104:2727These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. (Psalm 104:27)).
And how wonderful is the care that He shows to you, including you in another verse that says: "God our Savior; who will have all men [all people] to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3-43For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3‑4)). Are you one who has been saved by admitting that you are a sinner and accepting the Lord Jesus as your Savior?
There are a great number of ways in which birds make their nest. Among the most unusual are those of several species of sea birds in the high, rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. One species will choose a section of the cliff, from the top to the bottom, for its nests. Other species will choose their own section on the same cliff, but the species do not mix. For instance, one section might represent the homes of petrels, next to it sea gulls, then puffins, or sometimes gannets, guillemots and murres. These series of nests in some areas look just like several apartment buildings built next to one another, but the people from one don't mix with the people from another.
This separation of nests is a wise provision of the Creator, for it keeps the various species from fighting with one another. But in daylight hours there is always a terrible racket from such a collection of birds.
Openings between the levels of the cliff may be several inches high and not very deep in some places, but several feet deep in other places. In these areas eggs are laid, often on the bare rock, but sometimes in nests made of mud and grass. The eggs of most of these birds are pear-shaped instead of round or oval. Can you guess why? I'll tell you. If a pear- shaped egg is knocked out of the "nest" it will not roll out and drop over the edge. Instead, it will roll in a tight circle and stop. The mother then can fetch it back where it belongs. Isn't that a wonderful provision of the Creator?
These birds get almost all their food from salt water. It is thrilling to watch one making a swift dive through the air into the water and coming up with a fish in its beak. The fish is often flown back to little ones crouched in their rocky home.
When there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of nests so close together, how does each bird Puffins find its own nest when returning from a fishing trip? Another question: How do the little ones dare to jump from their high homes and use their wings the very first time? For answers to these questions we can only look at the Master Designer and His ability to provide so wonderfully for all that He has created.
The opening Bible verse refers to the Lord Jesus, who left the riches of heaven to become a man on earth. He showed kindness to needy people, but He was so poor Himself that He did not even have a bed of His own. At the end of more than 33 years, He allowed wicked men to nail Him to Calvary's cross where He bore the sins of all who will confess they are needy sinners and accept Him as their Savior. Have you done this?