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Author Archives: rbarnett
A WORD FOR THE WISE
He comes softly, says the Owl, without warning. He sees where I cannot— into the darkness of men’s hearts. He hears what I never will— golden notes of truth, the brass ring of evil. He searches where I could never go— the broken world of men, to find and save the lost He walks closer [...]
Posted in Biblical Birds, Birds of Israel, Uncategorized | Tagged #Jesus Christ, #Owl, biblical birds, evil, truth, worship | Leave a comment
SIGNS OF THE KINGDOM
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. — Hebrews 10:23 (NIV) Opal and I had not seen a hummingbird at the feeder beside our little apricot tree for over a month—until the morning of the first Sunday in Advent, just as the apricot leaves began to turn [...]
Posted in Reflection, Texas Birds, Uncategorized, Wimberley | Tagged #Advent, #hope, #Rufous Hummingbird, Hummingbirds, Wimberley | Leave a comment
Summer Visitors Leaving
The birds of summer have left. We saw our last hummingbird, a female Rufous, nearly two weeks ago. Flocks of Sandhill Cranes are moving south too, in their languid way. The orioles did not pass through Wimberley this year, but we may see a few warblers. Winter visitor will take their place in due course. [...]
Posted in Texas Birds, Wimberley | Tagged birds, Hummingbirds, Monarchs, Sandhill Cranes, Texas birds | Leave a comment
Arabian Babbler
The ancient Israelites did not keep bird notes during their journeys through Sinai and the Negev region of Israel. One ot the curious birds they overlooked is the Arabian Babbler, Turdoides squamiceps, one of the Subfamily Turdoidinae, a group of 140 species of noisy perching birds called laughing thrushes. Haim Watzman descibes the Arabian Babbler’s warning call as a [...]
Posted in Birds of Israel | Tagged #altruism, #Birds of Israel, Arabian Babblers, Negev | Leave a comment
Another Summer Sizzler?
After a relatively cool interlude in July with modest rains, the Hill Country of Central Texas has entered another period of record drough and high temperatures. Yesterday’s high in Austin was 102 degrees, making it the 12th day this year of 3-digit temperatures. Though well behind last year’s number at this date, the number still [...]
Another Summer Sizzler?
The Hill Country of Central Texas has had only one day of 3-digit temperatures, compared with 15 at this time last year. Clouds and very scattered thunderstorms held today’s high to 95 degrees. Tomorrow, Midsummer Day, will bring a high pressure system into position, and sizzling heat will return. We haven’t had more than a [...]
Posted in SAHARAN SUMMER, Texas Birds, Uncategorized | Tagged drought, House Sparrows, record summer heat, Saharan summer, summer sizzler | Leave a comment
Our Eyes Are on the Sparrows
We have Northern Cardinals, House and Bewick’s Wrens, Whitewing and Mourning Doves, Mockingbirds. hhummingbirds, and House Finches nesting somewhere close to our house, but the only nesting birds we can observe at work are the House Sparrows who have nested in a box within six feet of our dining room and eight feet above ground [...]
Posted in Biblical Birds, Texas Birds, Uncategorized, Wimberley | Tagged biblical birds, House Sparrows, Hummingbirds, Texas birds, Wimberley | Leave a comment
Our Eyes Are on the Sparrows – 2
The spaarows nesting outside our dining room window have fledged their second brood this year. Opal witnessed Mrs Sparrow coaxing the first two nestling out yesterday morning. Thew flew right off with her to the oak tree bleow our house. Mr Sparrow took over the care and feeding of the third nestling, which held back [...]
Posted in Texas Birds, Uncategorized, Wimberley | Tagged feeders, Hummingbirds, spaarows cardinals, woodpeckers | Leave a comment
Spring Migrations
“Hon, see the Sandhill Cranes,” Opal called one bright morning last week. Absorbed in my task, I would have missed seeing the hundreds of cranes migrating north through the Hill Country of Central Texas this spring—almost overhead and flying high enough for their calls to barely reach us. The flock divided, swirled and circled in an [...]
Posted in Reflection, Texas Birds, Wimberley | Tagged Isaiah, Sandhill Cranes, Texas birds | Leave a comment
THE FRIEND OF THE OWLS