In Florida, my binoculars had the opportunity on separate occasions to spy on two big birds perched high in the trees—one, the wood ibis, America’s only true stork; and two, the common turkey buzzard, America’s vulture.

The stork was dressed in a tuxedo, with black on the back of his wings and white everywhere else, except his head, which was as bald as the buzzard or a wild turkey.  His beak, however, was long, with a slight bend at the end.  Although bald, he looked good, with his downed front feathers all fluffed in front like the frills on the tuxedo’s shirt.

The buzzard, on the other hand, had the typical Captain Hook short beak.  And the downy feathers that ringed the entire circumference of his neck stood out radially.  Instead of a tuxedo, the buzzard appeared to be dressed in a bad turtleneck sweater.  And all black to boot!

And yet, for all their differences, such as the pair of storks on the same branch versus the pair of buzzards in different trees, though flying “together” in a way, the birds behaved remarkably alike.  Both perched and preened—and this appeared more difficult for the stork with the ten-inch bill!  The buzzard even cocked his head this way and that like a city-park pigeon!  (Perhaps he cannot move his eyes, so he must move his head instead.)  At any rate, I was struck through their behavior that a bird is a bird, instinctively (at least at their base) much the same.  Surely their Maker designed them in this way, despite their different flocking and eating habits.  God is amazing!

Thank You, Lord, for letting me see these two great birds “close up” through the binoculars.  I would not have chosen to consider these birds together, but You apparently had a lesson in store for me.  Thank You!