I wasn’t even sure they were crows. I thought crows made gigantic nests that couldn’t possibly fit in our eaves. When I looked it up, I wasn’t entirely wrong. The internet told me a new nest usually measures about 45 cm across and 21 cm deep. I guess this particular couple sought a more compact apartment. I also learned that, not only do crows mate for life, but they stick together in family groups and hang around near the nest even after leaving it—often returning to the same neighborhood every year. Oh joy.
The nonstop cawing might drive me to distraction. So far, the three young ones sound more like kazoos, but their voices will change when they hit puberty. I suspect other, more desirable, birds find them equally annoying because I’ve not seen the robins, jays, or mourning doves we usually see.
Oh well. The internet also tells me having crows around can be an advantage. They eat a lot of pesty bugs and caterpillars, for one thing.
All this interest in birds got me thinking about Bible stories where birds play a role. Three sprung to mind immediately.
In Genesis 8, Noah sends out a dove from the ark after the rain subsides, but the dove returns because she finds nowhere to land or nest. A week later, he sends her out again. This time, she returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her beak. Since olive trees do not grow at high elevations and the ark has come to rest on a mountain, Noah knows the water has receded. (This event is the origin of the modern peace symbol—a dove with an olive branch.) A week later, Noah tries again. This time, the dove does not return. In the weeks ahead, Noah and his family, on dry ground at last, receive God’s promise that never again will a flood cover the entire earth. The rainbow is our reminder of his covenant.
In I Kings 17, God sends ravens to feed his servant Elijah. While all of Israel goes hungry because of their disobedience, Elijah is instructed to hide in a ravine on the east side of the Jordan River. Every morning and every evening, ravens bring him bread and meat, and he drinks from a brook. How long he stays there isn’t recorded, but the whole lesson points out that God’s word is not dependent on people, but people are dependent on the word of God.
All four gospels (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1) tell the story of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. As soon as he comes up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove. A voice comes from Heaven: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Can you imagine being present, seeing that dove, and hearing the voice? What a holy moment.
Eagles, hawks, owls, and even an ostrich are mentioned in the Bible. Sparrows, too often to count. Because of this, I have a thing about sparrows, which you may already know if you read my first novel where the main character receives comfort from their presence. In my new novel, Rose Among Thornes, a sparrow makes a significant guest appearance as well—but this time in a Japanese POW camp in Hong Kong. Of course, I needed to do my research and make sure China actually has sparrows. In doing so, I learned some truly fascinating details which will require another blog post some other time.
Meanwhile, enjoy the birds!
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