The Wonders of God’s Creation
In the large family of ducks, pintails have a prominent place, noted for their speed and handsome appearance. The females (hens) are rather noisy with their loud quacking, but the males (drakes) use double-toned whistles that are much more melodious.
Drakes’ heads are usually reddish brown, with solid-white feathers from below reaching part way up their necks. Holding those pretty heads gracefully, they look like statues on the water. The hens, like their mates, have slender necks but dull-colored feathers. The tail feathers of both extend to sharp points, accounting for their “pintail” name. This is particularly noticeable when flying.
Their melodious whistling is one of the first signs of spring when they are preparing for migration to spots along the border of Canada and the United States and on into the Yukon and Alaska. In the fall they reverse the flights, traveling far and wide. Some from Canada fly to England, some from Alaska to far-off Hawaii, and others show up in India, Russia, Africa and Europe, while a large number make shorter flights to California, Louisiana, Mexico and South America.
In the fall months pintails are among the first to leave the north, and the following spring, the first to fly back. On these travels, great flocks nest in prairie country near the Canadian border, north and west of North Dakota, where there is an ample supply of wheat and other grains left on the ground after harvesting. Some also make California their choice, enjoying the barley and rice grown there. Hunting clubs, government groups and others are working together, planting separate fields of grain in places easy for the birds to reach, thus providing them with their own private farms in order to spare farmers’ crops.
Pintails, along with numerous other ducks feeding in marshy areas, all mingle happily together, their many calls mixed in a tremendous chatter. As evening comes, pintails, pigeons, teal, mallards, etc., all rise from the ponds or fields in large flocks, hurrying to find roosting places for the night.
With so many millions of birds in the world, do you think the Creator, the Lord God, can tell them apart? Does He really know about each one? Yes, He certainly does, just as the Bible verse above tells us. Another one states it this way: “I know all the fowls [birds] of the mountains.” Psalms 50:1111I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. (Psalm 50:11).
He also has His eye upon you and wants you to follow His guidance every moment of your life. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him,” the Bible says, “and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:66In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6). That is the only true and happy way of life.
ML-07/17/1988