By Patty LaRoche

Hubby Dave returned from pickle ball today, excited about birds. After he shared with the players that we had installed a Purple Martin house in our back yard, the conversation turned to how many birds either live in Kansas or make it their rest stop on to better climates. Sort of an Airbnb for aerial travelers. He brought up the newsflash when I was answering emails.

“Patty, did you know that there is an App for birds?” (No surprises here. There is an App for everything.) “It can mimic a bird’s tweet, so if I go outside and tell it to sound like a redbird, if there’s a redbird in our area, it might come to find the sound.”

“Sounds sort of cruel to me,” I said. “You get its hopes up that it has a friend, but you’re just faking it out. Isn’t that birdie-bullying?”

“You don’t understand,” Hubby responded. “This is so cool. Did you know that Fort Scott is the fly-over for some very interesting birds? There is the Crested Caracara, the Roseate Spoonbill, the White-winged Crossbill…” He was on a roll. So began his diatribe on about a dozen other crazy-named fowl he couldn’t pronounce that we might find in our back yard, should we opt to camouflage ourselves, don binoculars and hide in the bushes.

Apparently, some pickle ball friends had located over 60 birds in our area alone. I haven’t seen Dave this excited since he bought a golf cart with lithium batteries. I know what’s coming. Boots. Insect repellant. A fanny pack and rain jacket. Waterproof boots. And one of those funny, mesh, Safari-looking hats. I now have Dave’s Christmas list.

The crazy part of this writing is that this morning, my Bible study concerns how God takes care of birds. Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” By trusting that God cares for the birds, we can also trust that He cares for us. 1 Peter 5:7 complements Matthew’s scripture. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Over 40 species of birds are recognized in the Bible. God created them a day before He created Adam. Could it be that some of Adam’s first sounds he heard were the tweets and crows and warbles of his flying friends? Noah used a raven and a dove to determine if the ark was near land after spending months at sea. And then there were God’s chosen people.

When the wandering Israelites complained about having to eat manna, God showered them with dead birds, quails (it’s thought, two-feet-deep). The greedy Israelites picked up huge quantities of these birds and laid the meat out in the sun to cure. What they didn’t realize is that quail, unlike manna, left in the hot sun, spoils. God, unhappy with his children’s selfishness, “smote” them with a plague. Look it up. Smote means deliver with a hard blow. Serious stuff.

Here in Fort Scott, the Milken Center features an unsung hero bird named Cher Ami, a carrier pigeon who played a crucial role during World War I by delivering a vital message to American forces, despite being shot in the leg. On his final mission, he carried over 200 American soldiers’ names to the front lines, helping to save their lives. I encourage you to visit the museum and learn about Cheri Ami for yourself.

This morning, Dave and I were having our quiet Bible time on the back patio. Hubby interrupted the silence. “Patty, do you hear that bird?” There were many. “That’s a Northern Cardinal.” “Is that part of your Bible reading?” I asked. My way of getting my easily distracted husband back on track.

I can’t wait for the birds to begin their migration south. Something tells me that our lives are going to be much quieter…although, in truth, not nearly as interesting.