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| Image by Scott McMurren |
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Kittiwakes and Seagulls
A GREETING
I will praise you, Oh God, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your marvelous works!
(Psalm 9:1)
A READING
Among creatures that fly, you must treat the following as detestable—you must not eat them, for they are detestable to you: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, any kind of kite and falcon, any kind of raven, the ostrich, the screech owl, the seagull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the barn owl, the pelican, the horned owl, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
(Leviticus 11:13-19)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Oh, my little bird,
out here among the rocks,
on the mountainside,
where no one can see us—
let me see the beauty of your dark skin.
Talk to me; let me hear
the joy of your voice.
(Song of Songs 2:14)
A POEM
All day I hear the noise of waters
Making moan,
Sad as the sea-bird is when, going
Forth alone,
He hears the winds cry to the water's
Monotone.
The grey winds, the cold winds are blowing
Where I go.
I hear the noise of many waters
Far below.
All day, all night, I hear them flowing
To and fro.
- "All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters," by James Joyce.
VERSE OF THE DAY
But let all who take refuge in you be glad and rejoice forever. Protect them, so that those who love your Name will rejoice in you.
(Psalm 5:11)
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| "Kittiwake gulls," by John James Audubon (c.1830) found in his collection "The Birds of America." |
The writers of the bible were not ornithologists. And yet Leviticus 11 names twenty different forbidden groups of predatory birds, calling them "detestable," most likely because predatory birds scavenge on decaying and dying creatures, putting anyone who comes in contact with them in danger of violating the Hebraic purity codes. The banishing of these birds also reflected pre-existing cultural suspicions. Many predatory birds were believed to be omens of evil, bearing bad spirits, who could bring spiritual harm to the one who encounters them. On the other hand, Greek poets of the early common era saw the violence and vulnerability of some of these birds as metaphors for human nature.
Over the centuries of translations, scholars have translated the birds differently (scholars are not always ornithologists either). Therefore what is a 'hoopoe' in one version is a 'lapwing' in another. Seabirds make up a sizeable portion of the banished birds. A pelagic seabird is a bird that spends most of its life out on the open ocean, only coming to land when it is time to nest and breed. Kittiwakes, a species of pelagic seagull, have been around longer than humankind by twenty-nine million years and no doubt they will still be around after we are gone. They populate empty islands of the Arctic circle with huge colonies.
When it comes time to finally come to shore and nest, kittiwakes will often choose coastal urban areas, settling into tall buildings that simulate coastal marine cliffs. The adaptability of these birds fails, however, if food sources are gone. Contemporary kittiwakes and other gull species are declining because of the overfishing of sand eels, a problem that affects a wide variety of marine birds.
While the bible forbids contact with some birds for religious and cultural reasons, contemporary conservationists are constantly working to push forward policies and regulations that will ensure the survival and wellbeing of those that are threatened. Then, as differing needs of those in power emerge, those helpful policies are sometimes rolled back. Human beings are therefore capable of using laws and regulations to both condemn and uphold endangered wildlife. Kittiwakes now have a "vulnerable" status worldwide. What can we do to assist those who are working to save and protect the habitat and food of seabirds?
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Narrated by Tom Dickins, a British ornithologist and specialist in seabirds, and recorded in 2014, this video mentions that kittiwakes have already been in trouble "for about a decade." The video is meant for other scientists, but has helpful information.
Rissa-cs is a Norwegian agency acting toward the conservation of Arctic seabirds.
Read about them here.
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
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LC† The Winged Word is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
