“And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air. " Gen. 2:19.
Every bird is a marvel of God’s creation and defies the foolish theories of men who teach evolution. It was on the fifth day of creation that God made “every winged fowl after his kind.” Ever since, they have reproduced their own kind and spread throughout the world.
Among the birds that migrate are several species of Shearwaters. Some are about the size of a pigeon, others are as large as sea gulls. These ocean birds have long wings that enable them to fly and glide long distances. They enjoy skiing along the water, catching a fish for dinner without stopping.
The Greater Shearwater is an Atlantic Ocean bird, nesting and hatching its young in the Triston da Cunha Islands of the South Atlantic from January to March. As the north begins to warm up in the spring, they fly to Newfoundland and then on to Greenland. But they do not settle anywhere very long. In another three months they move on to Iceland, Scotland and Ireland. Then in October or November they migrate south along the coast of France. Soon great flocks are returning to their nesting spots in the South Atlantic, traveling thousands of miles on this round-trip journey.
The Short-Tailed Shearwater is just as busy in the Pacific area. From September through November it nests along the coasts of South Australia and Tasmania. The female lays only one egg, but millions are nesting in the same area, so when the chicks hatch it is a busy community.
In April or May both young and old travel north along the Japanese Coast, taking about a month to reach the Aleutians and other Arctic Islands. Well insulated against the cold, they thrive on the abundant seafood of these chilly waters. But, like their cousins of the Atlantic, they become restless, too, and start south in August. They return by a different route, traveling down the Pacific Coast to California and then southwest across to their breeding grounds in Australia. This way they take advantage of prevailing winds which help them to travel swiftly.
What wonderful navigators these birds are! No one knows how they find their way over such long distances or how they all decide to leave their surroundings together and fly on to their next spot. But we do know they are following God-given instincts which are passed on from generation to generation.
But the Bible tells us “There is a path which no fowl knoweth.” Job 28:7. That is the path of salvation made possible by God’s love to every boy and girl. He invites everyone to come to Him to be saved from their sins through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Is He your Saviour?
ML-02/28/1982