Joann Merritt's Essays

No New Thing Under The Sun?
September, 1987

But, Ecclesiastes, you didn’t try birding! How do I know this? In Chapter 9, verse 12 “As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare” is one proof. You would have also called the bird snare evil, or condemned this activity in some way. The only other mention of birds in the book is in 12:4, “and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird.” That’s good, but a birder would have waxed a little more poetic, named the species and thrown in a few descriptive phrases about its singing. During the time you were becoming a birder your interests in nature would have expanded to include at least some of the following: Breeding Bird Surveys and Atlasing, butterflies, wildflowers, native plants, lizards, insects, etc., and there would be new things under the sun forever and forever, Amen. Here are some examples experienced by other Midnats and me this summer:

At Midkiff Bog before daylight we could barely see the outline of a Turkey roosting on the bottom rail of an electric pylon. As it grew lighter we could see that she had her wings spread around three young poults. When the sun rose they did their early morning exercises - stretching, standing on tippy-toes, wing-flapping, then flying down.

In August, Frances and Rose Marie studied water and shore birds at a branch of the University of Maine. Did you know that Greater Yellowlegs have knobby knees? It’s true! Those of us on a recent Midnat field trip observed this trait through a scope and also saw Phalarope going around in circles ON THE SHORE, not in the water.

How hot was it in August in Midland? Two Cactus Wrens, two Blue Grosbeaks and a Bewick’s Wren came to bathe in the wet leaves of the apricot tree while the water sprinkler was spraying it. The Bewick’s Wren came three times.

Ecclesiastes 1:14, “And, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” Preacher, you would have written this verse even if you had been a naturalist. Vexation for sure, but the meaning of vanity would not have been used as worthlessness but as something one takes pride in. O.K., Folks, here’s where the vanity comes in. Let me brag about our butterfly. The day our California cousin, Jane, left we had a California Sister butterfly come to nectar on a piece of watermelon. It stayed for a while but when we got back from the airport both the Cousin and the Sister were gone. Luckily, Don got two excellent photographs of the butterfly as someone called BWS has accused me of having an active imagination! Imagine that!!

Our grandchildren love to go on nature walks and even if things are not new to us, they become new when seen through the children’s eyes. Clint saying “Thanks, Granpa (his name for both Don and me) for taking me to The Pits to see the spiders and bugs”, Rocky hearing the coyotes yipping and barking and actually seeing one run across the road at night; Randall so excited at seeing the Big Dipper and wanting to tell everybody about it. Finding all the family asleep he pleaded, “Somebody listen!” Grandpa was happy we woke him up.

NATURE IS GOD’S NURSE FOR TIRED SOULS AND WEARY BODIES. Amen.