"HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW....
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME!"
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Sometime, "back last spring," I sent out
nine-year-old "DEAN'S BENEDICTION," which
he prayed at the the conclusion of our children's choir
that night at FBC, Artesia, in 1955. It seems
I have been inundated from many sources with warm,
loving, bird stories ever since that account went out!
Little Dean, one of my favorite kids prayed:
"Lord, help the world as it goes along...and the
the little birds---that they will do nicely. Amen."
(A lot of people feel this way about birds... to the
extent that a good many millions of dollars are
spent annually on bird seed and related items!)
-----One of the nicest little stories came in from
Bobby Joe, one of our writers: "I like birds. I have
a Ring Neck Dove that begs me for grain when I
go out in the mornings. He (or she) cautiously flies
down to the ground where I usually feed him and he
walks around pecking on the ground.
I talk to him and go to the barn to get a little grain
and he will hop up on the sidewalk and follow me a
short ways to the barn. I get a little grain and pour
it on the ground and just stand there real still and he
just comes and eats away....I call him---'My Pet.'
It is interesting and fun!"
-----Then my friend Betty, of many years--- wrote
on Facebook a continuing story about having a mallard
duck living in her backyard. She lives beside the Rio
Grande, and somehow this beautiful bird set up
permanent housekeeping with her!
-----Dr. W.L, Retired Professor of Biology from Texas A and M, and noted lecturer, sent me a most interesting story about how buzzards are largely unappreciated.
by K. McSorley
-----Robert Stebbins, a classmate of CHS '51, and a
popular writer for Mil'S, sent a compelling story about
how his little canary was birthing baby canaries and it
caused great drama at his house, as the grandkids were all
involved.
-----The lady who helps out sometimes with the
house work was telling us recently that one of her clients had
given her two parakeets.
------She, being full of interesting stories, also told us a
most-humorous tale: Her mother once had a three-and-
a-half-feet-tall Rhode Island Red rooster---a long-time
"member of the family," and her mother's "drinking-buddy."
Yes, they used to have happy hour together!
Alas, one unhappy, happy hour, they both had a couple
of Harvey Wallbangers....the rooster couldn't hold his
booze, fell off the fence and broke his neck.
-----Maybe all birds are not friendly. Clovis News Journal
had a story last week about some lady's wig being
attacked by birds as she exited her house. I must research
that one a bit more....the question of course being,
"who's at fault" in that situation?
------This nice description of birds from Bubba R. up in the
Midwest....."Do you guys have the Asian doves down in
Florida yet? They are all over the Midwest and are much
larger than the native mourning doves we sometimes
shoot. Out West there is no limit on the Asian doves as they
are not indigenous and the wildlife departments want to keep
their numbers down as they are competing with the native
migratory ones. I have never seen one on our feeder.
Sometimes the woodpeckers and small sparrows will bring
their young, as they have just fledged, and will force-feed
them from our feeder. Our feeder will load up with many
wrens, sparrows, jays, cardinals, flickers, and so on.
Yesterday we had five different mom turkeys bringing five
groups of young turkeys to our yard or just pass by in the
plowed field to our east. I have not been feeding them because
they will sometimes hang around and dig up the lawn.
Many big toms also come by to visit with us. One yesterday
was a record tom---had an approximately eleven inch beard!
I do not allow the hunting of anything near the house."
-----Closer to home, the Beloved Editor moved our grain cylinder
bird feeder from the backyard, to a window by my writing desk,
saying: "If we build it, they will come." For ten days, we had only
a few scouts checking things out---then all of a sudden five
days ago they descended on the feeder big time---eating only
five feet from my eyes---and the doves, particularly, checking
me out with each bite!
Now I realize that we have a permanent situation here---I am
wont to turn my head to the left and check out our bushes and
feeder two or three times per minute!
So there is no ending to this story---as long as there are birds,
people will watch them and love them. Little Dean's prayer
seemed kinda "cute" that night, but I've come to see, there was
wisdom in that kid!
We think we found him, a PhD., professor of Statistics at Baylor
University. A good choice of a scholastic field---statistics. He has
probably needed that to count the thousands of varieties and species
of birds the Creator has put on the earth.
And the hugging my little friend is probably out too---he is 67.
by Mil 7/25/14
Sent from my iPad
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