These interesting birds are being seen in yards and pastures and along marshland and beaches. As the name suggests they have a long bill, up to eight inches, gently curving down. A long-billed curlew can be nearly two feet long. Their call is loud! They are a cinnamon color. He is called a shorebird but is at home in prairie grasslands. Their range is from British Columbia to South Texas and beyond.
A curlew can enjoy a crab or a grasshopper; frog, berry, or beetle. He can feast on a crawdaddy or a caterpillar. He can grab a bite on the surface or go six inches into the soil or sand. He knows how to survive wherever he finds himself.
Some birds are extremely limited to where they can go. They seek a particular locale and diet. It all has to be just right or they move on, or simply die. Not curlew.
The Apostle Paul became a "curlew Christian". He wasn't one naturally. He had come from a rather comfortable lifestyle. His new commitment brought changes. Some of the adjustments were drastic. Near the end of his pilgrimage he reflected on it all and had this to say: " I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation......" (Phil. 4:11-12)
Can you survive as a Christian when your diet is limited? Can you make it on the prairies of life when the beach is far away? Do you sound a loud alarm when dangers approach, or simply sit by frozen with fear? Are you a "curlew Believer" with the ability to thrive and survive in whatever environment is thrust upon you? Examine yourself as I will myself..
They say the whooping cranes are in deep trouble. Many of them died this last winter at Aransas. What disease struck them? None. Their diet called for small blue crabs. The drought and whatever limited blue crabs and these giant endangered birds could not make necessary adjustments to their usual menu. They became weakened and several died. Nuff' said.
