To all my readers,

The characters from the Tales from a Lake series would like to bid you a Merry Christmas! We’ll be back in 2016.

From left to right, Pamela Possum, Matthew Magpie, Neville Noisy Miner, Larry Lorikeet, Junior Magpie and Roger over and Out.

Don’t forget you who are going through a hot summer at this time of year as we are here on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake, please leave water around for native birds and animals. They really struggle in the hot weather.

May God heap His blessings on you at this wonderful time,

Marilyn

Acknowledgements:

Banner and stars are from Graphic Stock

Hi, thanks for checking out my blog and welcome to the Quiet Side of the Great Lake down under in Oz,

Our lives are a series of seasons. Some are fruitful and exciting, some dry and exhausting. Last week dished up one of those dry and wearying periods.

There was a heat wave on the east coast of NSW,  the temperatures hitting 42 degrees Celsius which is equal to 107.6 degrees Farenheit. While us humans tend to jump into pools the lake or the surf, or turn on the air-con our little feathered friends and domestic pets need special attention. The Bible verse below reminded me of the blessing our bird bath brought to our land-bound feathered friends.

“He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;”  Psalm 107:35

By four o’clock in the afternoon there was a queue at the bird bath.

This very handsome Sulphur Crested Cockatoo headed the queue. No doubt his size afforded him priority.

The corellas followed, little groups taking turns.

Mum Magpie brought these juniors along and you can see by their mouths that they are trying to cool off. They look like they are talking or carolling, but they are really dealing with the heat. As is the little Noisy Miner who joined them (below).

The little lorikeets cooled off and drank their fill.

So relieved were they that a little kiss was in order. Note that the highly coloured male has his head tipped to his right and his beak wrapped around the female’s beak. So cute!

The bush pigeons with their little top knots waited by the bird bath for their turn.

It was very gratifying to watch them all fly off wet and cool.  We too can be refreshed when our souls are dry, by bathing in God’s Word, letting His grace wash over us and fill us afresh. John 7:38 (ESV) tells us that: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Finally “Give thanks to the Creator who filled the heavens with revelation.” (Psalm 136:5 The Passion Translation) What a sad world it would be without these beautiful little feathered creatures, their chirping and birdsong, and of course their endearing antics.

May your dry days be filled with streams of living water, and remember those who drink of the “living water” that only Jesus can bring into your life will never be thirsty again.

Marilyn

Hi and thanks for stopping by my blog, and welcome to the Quiet Side of the Great Lake downunder in Oz!

The Bible tells us to:

“dedicate our children to God, and point them in the way that they should go, and the values they’ve learned from you will be with them for life.”
Proverbs 22:6 The Passion Translation.

Sometimes I think the birds do a better job than some people in raising their children. Of all bird families on the Quiet Side, Magpies appear to make the most diligent parents. They are methodical, consistent and act as role models to their young. Then they give their little ones some independence to experiment with what they have been taught.

There are lots of little fledglings on the Quiet Side at this present time. These are young birds who have recently acquired their flight feathers, and so are not long out of the nest.

I was fascinated a day or so ago when I watched two adult magpies training their little ones. Initially they were teaching them to find food in the ground. Then they used another strategy that is particularly fascinating. I have heard it described as a submissive display, however nothing I have read to date seems able to explain exactly why it is done. Maybe it’s like the naughty corner!

Mum stands over the little one while he lies down on his back. He looks like he is dead, motionless with his feet up in the air. He stays there for as long as she tells him to. That may last for five minutes or more. Imagine trying to keep a toddler still for that period of time!

Or it could be mistaken as the other magpies beating up on a baby, which it isn’t.
You will note one of the adults demonstrating the pose to the junior as he imitates it.

After his lesson she sends him off on his own. That was when he arrived in our garden.

First of all he jumped up on the little statue we have placed where all the old faithful dogs we’ve owned have been laid to rest.

I’ve also seen him sitting on the head of the garden owl next door. So it obviously didn’t frighten him away from the vegetable garden where it was placed.

Then he decided he would try out our bird bath. He obviously hadn’t been flying all that long. He knew he had to fly up onto the bird bath, but obviously wasn’t able to pace himself as to when he needed to use his wings. So he ran along with them out so they would be ready when the time came.

He made the bird bath, but instead of landing on the rim as the adult birds do, he landed in the middle of the water.

So what do you do on a hot day when you find yourself standing in a puddle of water? You have a swim. I don’t think any of our local adult magpies have ever taken a dip in our bird bath, but this one did.

Then Presto! he actually made the rim to take a wobbly stance.

I’m sure his Mum and Dad would be proud, Junior has learned his lessons well!

Whether babies are human toddlers, puppies, kittens,  juvenile birds or native animals they are all unique innovative and individual. We are all originals!

Enjoy the rest of your week! Stay safe.

Marilyn

Hi, and thanks for stopping by my blog.

My fourth book in the “Tales from a Lake” series is now on sale in the Amazon Kindle Store.

I’ll let my promo for the story on Amazon Kindle tell you what it’s all about.

“Greed and selfishness rear their ugly heads on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake. Suddenly this beautiful place of peace and healing is threatened. Neville the little Noisy Miner bird becomes very possessive when a brand new bird bath appears right next to his tree and he decides it should become his, exclusively.

He also loves the juicy red buds that bloom each year on the umbrella tree next door to him and decides that they too should be his. Within a short time his greed gets out of hand when he decides he should have the exclusive ownership of everything in the garden around his tree.

The fun begins when he meets Larry the rainbow lorikeet who has similar ideas.

Like all ‘Tales from a Lake’ stories ‘Showdown in the Umbrella Tree’ is educational, inspired by real life events and reflects real nature. All birds and four legged creatures are featured in their natural environment. Illustrations are beautiful in vivid color . Virtues emphasized in the story are love, looking out for each other, sharing and forgiveness. This is a fun story for parents to read to their children whilst at the same time teaching them about love and respect. These stories whilst crafted for children for the Christian market, are suitable for readers of all ages who enjoy stories about nature.”

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Marilyn

Hi, and thanks for stopping by my blog.

It seems almost unbelievable, but I can be sure that there will always be subject matter available when I am ready to post another blog. Something is always happening in the animal world along the Quiet Side of the Great Lake.

For those who are reading my blog for the first time, the Quiet Side of the Great Lake is the locality where my stories in the Tales from a Lake series take place.

Some eight years ago my husband glassed-in a section of our second story balcony. Up until that time we had a hard time using any of our balcony (it runs the length of our house), as it is subject to stiff sea breezes and strong southerly winds. The outcome  of his endeavour has resulted in a wonderful observation room. I can sit there as I write, and watch life on the lake evolve right in front of me.  I call it my ‘sunroom’. It is where I hang out. It is where I write my blogs and books. It also gets the morning sun so it’s cozy in the winter.

Yesterday, I was sitting reading in my favourite chair in my sunroom. I wasn’t there long when a juvenile Little Corella plonked himself on a branch in one of our palm trees right outside the open window. It was as though his mum had said, I’ll meet you back in the palm tree. Stay there until I find you. Because he stayed – for ages.

After a while he became impatient. He decided to squawk for his mum with the loudest squawks you have ever heard. We had a bit of a conversation as he looked down at me and I looked up at him. I think he liked having an audience.

Probably an hour or so later after lots of squawks,  Mum and the flock arrived and decided they would have some fun. My husband remarked only the other day that these birds always seemed to be happy. He wondered if they really were, or if it just seemed that way. To answer his question (after a little research) I found it is well documented that these birds are known for their sense of fun and their love to play. Actually they are entertainers. Life’s real little comedians.

They found a broken palm frond which had a long piece of  fibre hanging from it. It looked like string and they decided to have some fun with it, and some other leafy twigs. A breeze had sprung up and they were enjoying holding on and swinging in the breeze. They each seemed to have their own personal trick to perform. I shot a number of photos. Then I got to have fun adding some light effects from a software program  called DreamLight Photo Editor. I thought these little guys needed some effects to spotlight their tricks  .

Swinging while hanging on with beak and toes

This pose is wing assisted with beak and one toe – I dare you to try it!

Flying without a net – hanging on with feet only

Trapeze artist pose

Wind assisted layout

There were too many antics to fill up this blog post, but you get the idea. They entertained us for some time. Isn’t it amazing that the purest and simplest of God’s creatures can bring such pleasure.

Yes, our God truly loves the Creation He made. As His children we receive His blessings with joy.

The Psalmist reminds us:

“You make springs pour water into the ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.” Psalm 104:10-14 NLT

Joy is a choice. Regardless of feelings and emotions let’s choose joy. The Little Corella’s do. We can learn from them.

“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.” Job 12:7 NLT

“DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY!”

Have a blessed day

Marilyn

Hi, and thanks for stopping by my blog.

This week I was delighted to be summoned by a neighbor to grab some shots of a visiting family of Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos which were picnicking in her pine tree. Although native to Australia, we don’t see very many of them on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake.

There was just the three of them. Mum, Dad and a juvenile. The juvenile was concealed in the tree for safety purposes, but Mum and Dad were well and truly on display.

You will notice, Dad has pink around his eye.

Mum just has dark skin around her eyes. I have to ask why male birds are the most colorful and the most beautiful? It seems funny when in the human species females go to such great effort to make themselves beautiful. A subject for another time perhaps.

Anyway, there they were the cockatoo family busy munching on pine cones whilst at the same time desiccating the tree. You can see how Mum has broken the branch to free up the pine cone she is holding with her foot (above). Do think that’s a smile of absolute bliss on her face? (close-up below)

By the time they left the remains of their picnic lay at the foot of the pine tree.   Stripped pine cones, many broken leafy twigs. The twigs had been bitten through with their sharp beaks to remove the pine cones .

Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos are large, powerful birds compared to the corellas and galahs who visit us regularly. They are impressive in size growing to 55cm-65cm or 22-26 inches in length and weigh 750 -900 grams in weight. Their cries also reflect their size. They are noisy!

Usually only one egg survives at breeding time and the baby remains in the nest for about six months. (That’s a hard slog to feed a baby of that size for so long! The parents must be exhausted.)  But then looking at all these feathers they have to grow to be able to fly I guess it takes that time.

In the book of Matthew  in the Bible says: ” Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.” Matthew 6:26. For these feathered friends it means giving them a needle-sharp bill to chomp into Banksia flower spikes, Pine cones and other food sources that contain wood-boring larvae and seeds.God provides for them as He does for us.

Be encouraged that scripture concludes with these words: “And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”

Be blessed, enjoy your day,

Marilyn

Hi, and thanks for dropping by my blog,

Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Genesis 1:14

Here’s something to think about.

Have you ever thought how boring life would be without change? If every day was exactly the same, if there was no division between day or night. If every sunrise  replicated the last?…. (this is just one variation of the glorious sunrises which greet me each morning)

What if the moon didn’t decrease in size in its lunar phases as it ranges from crescent to full moon? Would we appreciate such an amazing sight as the moon rising above the lake and splashing light across its glassy surface.

What if the moon had no effect on the tides, if our world was uncertain and chaotic?

What if it was summer all the time with unceasing humidity? Or if every day was wintry cold and raining? How depressing would that be?

Seasons lift our spirits! Change grows us. Adversity strengthens us.

Going through storms in our life journey makes us who we are. Without change we would fail to develop. We wouldn’t learn any coping skills, our emotions would flat line.

On the Quiet Side of the Great Lake, we have balmy, sunny days. Days that lift your spirits. The birds are more vocal, the doggie population seems more frisky and bark more as people venture past our homes on the grassy lake edge. The trees seem greener, the lake bluer and the flowers more colourful. It is uplifting!

People take to the lake in boats and kayaks. Windsurfers speed across the lake propelled by stiff breezes. It is invigorating!

At times furious storms launch themselves at us from the south. When the wind rushes across the lake driving up white caps and slams into our home with such enormous force it gets our adrenalin running, we grow out of necessity .

We prepare as well as possible, but we have been flooded on occasion as the lake and local creeks fill and overflow. Trusting in God we get through it. One storm lasted six days which we spent without power and flooded in. Eight months of chaos followed as our ground floor had to be completely renovated.

You can see the tops of the swings below and the flooded shoreline compared to the photo No.4 above.

God’s creation reflects the order of all created things together with the diversity of nature.

“Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendour is above the earth and the heavens.” Psalm 148:7-13

Somebody once said to me when I asked how their day was going, “Nothing’s happening here. All pretty boring.”

“There is always something happening. I suggested, sometimes you just have to open your eyes and look for it.”

Change and its presenting opportunities are happening all around you. Don’t let them pass you by, open your eyes and grab them!

Marilyn

Hi, and thanks for stopping by my blog,

A week ago I noticed a little Australian Magpie staggering around the grassy lake- shore in front of my home. I was concerned as he was stumbling along and using his wings to assist him, and I wasn’t sure what had happened to him.

On closer examination I found the little fellow had lost his tail feathers. So I have decided to name him Stumpy. He is only a fledgling and appears to be not long out of the nest.

The next day I learned His mother is still feeding him (below), and it appears he has suffered a confrontation with a cat or some other predator.

When I took this shot he still looked the worse for wear with feathers blowing every which way.

If you look more closely (below) you can see the damage to his tail feathers, they all appear to be hacked to the same length.

I was really concerned he may be not be able to fly, but he can. I wouldn’t say he is the most graceful flyer as birds need their tail feathers for balance and for a brake amongst other things. But he makes do. The bird experts say it takes about six weeks for the tail feathers to grow back. Even in the time it has taken to grab a good shot of him his feathers have grown a little.

So Stumpy is doing okay. As a matter of fact I have decided to include him as a late entry into my up and coming book “Showdown in the Umbrella Tree” – Tales from a Lake Book 4.

As with all my illustrations I put them through a cartoon filter and brighten up their eyes to give them personality. I think he is a real cutie!

I’m wondering if the feathers on the ground (above) are the left-overs from his tail feathers, or if he thinks they are.

Here on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake we have little trouble with swooping magpies at nesting time. They know us human folk who live close by quite well. One even walks into a neighbor’s kitchen each day for little tidbits of meat.

Stumpy reminds me of how much our God cares for us. Just as we look out for our feathered friends on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake, Our God looks out for us.  “Look at the birds in the sky. They do not store food for winter. They don’t plant gardens. They do not sow or reap—and yet, they are always fed because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are even more precious to Him than a beautiful bird. If He looks after them, of course He will look after you.” Matthew 6:26 The Voice (Bible Version)

So, dear reader I hope this reminds you today just how precious you are, and if you are feeling a bit blue, know that God loves you.

Marilyn

There is a verse in the book of Daniel in the Bible which says: “It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.” Daniel 4:2

Miracles happen right in front of you each day and because we are only looking with our eyes and not our minds and hearts we miss them. Let me show you one of them.

Every year on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake at this time a miracle happens.

Regularly as clockwork the Bar-tailed Godwits arrive on our shores.

Godwits are wading, shore birds.

Note the curved bill (Ferns & Siman 1994) states “they are more manoeuvrable within cavities than are straight bills, and better suited for grasping prey within a confined space.” Cool!

Now here’s the miracle. These birds fly thousands of miles from Alaska to Australia non-stop. A total of approximately 7,300 miles. Can you imagine? How do they find their way? This just blows me away and they do not even stop to take a drink. How do they do it?

There are staging areas along the Alaskan coast where the flocks meet and prepare by feeding heavily for a couple of weeks before beginning their flight. They feed on clams and worms, so much so that its dermis bulges with the highest fat content recorded in birds. At the same time, some of the bird’s internal organs shrivel up. By the time a Godwit takes off, it is little more than brains, fat and flight muscle. Even the young who are able to fly take part in this amazing migration. Approximately 70,000 make the trip! Arriving in September, they are airborne again in March to fly all the way back. (Gill et al 2005)

They look in pretty good health, not wilting with exhaustion.

Rob Schuckard, a team leader at the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, which helped with the migration research describes the flight as “the equivalent of a human running at 70 kilometers an hour [43.5 miles an hour] for more than seven days.” (Hansford 2007) Wow! Think about that.

 
Even more amazing one bird studied demonstrated that during the flight bird “slept” by shutting down one side of its brain at a time while it burned up the huge stores of fat—more than 50 percent of its body weight—that it had piled on in Alaska. (Hansford 2007)

 
Top that one if you can! Some may put this feat down to evolution, I call it incredible engineering by a God who still works miracles.

What do you think?

Enjoy your day!

Marilyn

References:

“Alaskan Bird Makes Longest Nonstop Flight Ever Measured”, Hansford Dave National Geographic News Wellington, New Zealand, , September 14, 2007

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070913-longest-flight.html
“Solving the Mystery of a Migratory Marvel”, Wagner E, National Wildlife 2008.
https://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Birds/Archives/2009/Bar-tailed-godwit-migration.aspx

Hi, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Our local newspaper ran this very headline (above) in the last couple of weeks. It got me to thinking of Chicken Little a character from early childhood Golden Books who thought ‘the sky was falling’.

Well the sky actually did fall a couple of weeks ago! But a few miles away from home. In a severe storm with gale force winds over a half hour period there occurred a dumping of several inches of hail the size of golf balls across the suburb of Bateau Bay (on the Central Coast of NSW, in the merry old land of Aus downunder!)   A beachside suburb turned white as depicted on a Christmas card! Sadly it was accompanied by significant damage, but the beautiful and unusual scenes it created sort of softened the impact.

On the lake shore of the Quiet Side that morning were the Red-necked Avocets. They are relatively new to the Quiet Side. They were happily wading in the sunshine using their bills to sweep backwards and forwards in the water to catch their food.

The storm came in quickly and caught so many of us unaware.

Pretty scary!

The lake did what it always does when storms hit stirring up angry white caps, waves and spray.

Fortunately the Quiet Side appeared to be on the edge of the storm as we only received marble sized hail for five or so minutes. The rain and wind lasted much longer.

The storm terrified the flock of Avocets. The began running along the shore looking for shelter.

Poor little guys. Even a marble-sized ball of ice coming down with any force would hurt their little heads. They could have run under the trees which would have given them some shelter. Instead they chose to stand out in the water. Lucky the hail didn’t last too long. Had they suffered the same fate as Bateau Bay did with golfball-sized hail, there could well have been fatalities.

I gave quiet praise that God spared this little flock.

It’s interesting in the significance of the storm, the damage it did and the media interest it drew, that something as simple as the welfare of these little birds was the aspect that brought to me the most attention.

It made me think of how much our God loves us.

“…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31NLT)