There are a great number of ways in which birds make their nests. Among the most unusual are those of several species of sea birds in the high, rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. One species will choose a section of the cliff, from the top to the bottom, for its nests. Other species will choose their own section on the same cliff, but the species do not mix. For instance, one section might represent the homes of petrels, next to it sea gulls, then puffins, or sometimes gannets, guillemots and murres. These series of nests in some areas look just like several apartment buildings built next to one another, but the people from one don’t mix with the people from another.
This separation of nests is a wise provision of the Creator, for it keeps the various species from fighting with one another. But in daylight hours there is always a terrible racket from such a collection of birds.
Openings between the levels of the cliff may be several inches high and not very deep in some places, but several feet deep in other places. In these areas eggs are laid, often on the bare rock, but sometimes in nests made of mud and grass. The eggs of most of these birds are pear-shaped instead of round or oval. Can you guess why? I’ll tell you. If a pear-shaped egg is knocked out of the “nest” it will not roll out and drop over the edge. Instead, it will roll in a tight circle and stop. The mother then can fetch it back where it belongs. Isn’t that a wonderful provision of the Creator?
These birds get almost all their food from salt water. It is thrilling to watch one making a swift dive through the air into the water and coming up with a fish in its beak. The fish is often flown back to little ones crouched in their rocky home.
When there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of nests so close together, how does each bird find its own nest when returning from a fishing trip? Another question: How do the little ones dare to jump from their high homes and use their wings the very first time? For answers to these questions we can only look at the Master Designer and His ability to provide so wonderfully for all that He has created.
The opening Bible verse refers to the Lord Jesus, who left the riches of heaven to become a man on earth. He showed kindness to needy people, but He was so poor Himself that He did not even have a bed of His own. At the end of more than 33 years, He allowed wicked men to nail Him to Calvary’s cross where He bore the sins of all who will confess they are needy sinners and accept Him as their Saviour. Have you done this?
ML-05/24/1992