But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Deut 32:11-12 NKJV
As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young,
spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the
LORD alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.
As most of you know, eagles have been classified in
the prophetic world as being symbolic of the prophetic. I recently did some
research about eagles and was fascinated with how the information correlated
with our training up as Christians and also the prophetic
giftings.
IMPRINTING - BONDING WITH WHAT MOVES
Did you know that eagles must LEARN to fly and hunt
and are taught by OBSERVING their parents? These skills are not instinctive
like some of God’s creatures. However, eagles are born with a different
instinct called imprinting. Konrad Lorenz first discovered imprinting when
he observed ducks and geese hatching out of their eggs. He noticed they would
bond with the first moving object they saw, regardless of whether this was
their parent. From that first moment of imprinting, they follow their moving
parent (or adopted parent) until raised. (It is interesting that Paul said,
"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." 1 Cor. 11:1)
The concept of imprinting is fascinating. Bird shelters
that rescue eagle eggs, must hand feed them with an eagle puppet so that
the eagles do not think they are human and end up resisting their own kind
when it is time to mate. In Kondrad’s imprinting studies, he saw one
egg hatch near a rolling ping pong ball. When the duck grew old enough, it
tried to mate with anything that was round and rolling. One group of ducklings
imprinted on his moving boots. In the morning when he would go outside to
put on his boots, instead of being in their nest, the ducks were curled up
and sleeping on his boots. They followed Kondrad - everywhere his boots took
him.
ROLE MODELS - LEADING THE WAY
In this concept of imprinting, it is easy to see the
importance of both newborn Christians and also newborn prophets needing proper
Christian and prophetic role models. Anything that ‘moves’ in the
name of Christianity, is not necessarily the right standard to follow. (Mat
7:22,23, 5:24, 2 Tim 4:3,4)
Like the eagles, a Christian’s foundations of
learning to fly and hunt must be learned, and the adoptive parents play an
important part in this. Flying in a Christian’s life is faith to rise
above circumstances. Hunting is searching for the manna or bread from heaven,
to grow strong and healthy. At first the role models feed the young, then
they must learn to find food for themselves. "Train up a child in the way
he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov
22:6)
There is an old adage, "Give a person a fish, and
he has food for a day. Teach a person to fish, and he has food for a lifetime."
One aspect of being taught is learning to listen and then applying it. The
young learn this by watching older ones model something, then they mimic
it themselves until they develop their own skills. "Listen, my child, to
what your father teaches you. Don't neglect your mother's teaching. What
you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor."
(Prov 1:8-9
NLT)
HOW TO TEACH
An important aspect of teaching, is for the older
ones to take the time to explain HOW they came to their conclusions. If they
are sharing something from the Lord, they can take the time to explain what
went on behind the scenes, building bridges of communication, so that the
young can also learn how to come up with their own conclusions when the time
comes. When the older ones simply give the meat (the Word of the Lord) without
giving them the scripture, vision, dream, life examples, the answers to prayer,
the thought processes that went on behind the scenes… etc… then
the young are forced to either swallow or reject the food without question.
And the Word becomes fish for a day. But if the young are led in what went
on behind the scenes, then they learn to apply their own conclusions and
also learn the roads of revelation and faith in receiving food from the Lord
by themselves.
The best teacher is a role model. Jesus taught by
living among the people, showing them how to do what He did and teaching
them about His Father Who was the Source for everything in His life. He taught
people through stories in their current surroundings, so that they could
see the practical and apply it to the spiritual. The best kind of teachers
are those who are transparent and learn to let go of their dignity and masks.
They are simply real, living people, sharing from their own hearts and
lives… the triumphs and the pitfalls of every day living, and how
relationship with our Heavenly Father makes a difference. (John
10:2-4)
We may think that we are not mature enough to teach
anyone. This is not true. I spent a long time praying for mature leadership
so that we would have enough godly role models to raise the harvest when
it came. And the Lord brought me an answer I did not expect. If you watch
a baby in a room with other people, you will notice that if there is a toddler
in the room, the baby’s eyes will follow the moving toddler. If there
is a grade schooler in the room, the toddler will watch the moving grade
schooler. The younger will automatically bond and follow whatever available
age is older than its own. I noticed this is like imprinting! God has placed
within our lives, an instinctive bonding that each level of maturity looks
up to, following and mimicking the next available level above it. When the
harvest comes in, a one day old Christian can reach a non Christian with
his own story of how God found him. The one week old Christian can share
the scripture that jumped off the page with the 2 day old Christian. And
so it goes, until we all grow into the full measure and stature of Jesus
Christ. (Eph 4:13)
LEARNING TO FLY
The movie called "Fly Away Home" is a wonderful true
story of how a little girl rescued some duck eggs from an excavation project
and brought them home to hatch. After hatching they followed her everywhere
and she found out as they were growing that these ducks would not survive
unless she taught them to fly and took their migration south for the winter.
This prophetic story is a remarkable feat of how she taught them to flap
their wings and eventually fly and how she led them on their first migration
to escape the bitter cold. If she could fly them south, they would find their
own way back home in the spring by the same way she took them, and then be
able to take the following winter migrations without her. All the subsequent
"children" of those first ducks would be able to follow their parents on
their own first migration and the cycle would continue.
When a baby eagle fledges (loses its fluffy baby down
and grows flying feathers) a parent will hover over the nest and flap its
wings. As the fledgling stretches for food, it mimics the parents and flaps
its newly feathered wings. The subsequent wind that the parent makes, will
cause the baby to rise slightly above the nest as the baby is also flapping
its own wings. These are its first flights - inches above the floor of the
nest, usually at about 8-10 weeks old. The fledging makes vigorous wing stretches
and exercises and is very hungry. It weighs about one pound more than its
parents because it needs the excess to survive the next stage of training
which is hunting - outside the nest.
FORCED FROM THE NEST
Sometimes when a young eaglet is fearful of taking
its first flight away from the nest, a parent will withhold food to force
it out. This is similar to what happens to those who have been closely mentored
and the Lord says its time the "fledglings" got their wings. The fledglings
find their mentors increasingly unavailable and or are told to try and hear
the Lord for themselves.
I read of one experience written by Frances Hamerstrom
who spent her life studying wildlife. This was her observation of a
fledgling’s first flight. I thought it a remarkable parable of our lives
with the Lord. The following is a quote from her book, "An Eagle to the Sky"
(1970).
"The.....eaglet was now alone in the nest. Each time
a parent came flying in toward the nest he called for food eagerly; but over
and over again, it (the parent) came with empty feet, and the eaglet grew
thinner. He pulled meat scraps from the old dried-up carcasses lying around
the nest. He watched a sluggish carrion beetle, picked it up gingerly, and
ate it. His first kill.
Days passed, and as he lost body fat he became quicker
in his movements and paddled ever more lightly when the wind blew, scarcely
touching the nest edge; from time to time he was airborne for a moment or
two.
Parents often flew past and sometimes fed him. Beating
his wings and teetering on the edge of the nest, he screamed for food whenever
one flew by. And a parent often flew past just out of reach, carrying delectable
meals: a half-grown jack rabbit or a plump rat raided from a dump. Although
he was hungry almost all the time, he was becoming more playful as he lost
his baby fat; sometimes, when no parent bird was in sight, he pounced ferociously
on a scrap of prairie dog skin or on old bits of dried bone.
The male eaglet stayed by himself for the most part.
He was no longer brooded at night. Hunger and the cold mountain nights were
having their effect, not only on his body but on his disposition. A late
frost hit the valley, and a night wind ruffled his feathers and chilled his
body. When the sunlight reached the eyrie's (the brood in a nest of a bird
of prey) edge, he sought its warmth; and soon, again, he was bounding in
the wind, now light and firm-muscled.
A parent flew by, downwind, dangling a young marmot
in its feet. The eaglet almost lost his balance in his eagerness for food.
Then the parent swung by again, closer, upwind, and riding the updraft by
the eyrie, as though daring him to fly. Lifted light by the wind, he was
airborne, flying--or more gliding--for the first time in his life. He sailed
across the valley to make a scrambling, almost tumbling landing on a bare
knoll. As he turned to get his bearings the parent dropped the young marmot
nearby. Half running, half flying he pounced on it, mantled, and ate his
fill."
[end of Frances’ quote]
I thought that story a profound parable of our journey
with the Lord. When it’s time to leave our nest of comfort and learn
to fly, we get so hungry for the Lord that we are willing to leave our
comfortable surroundings and abandon old childhood habits, all for the taste
and fill of strong meat dropped from heaven. Strong meat is not easily palatable,
but when one becomes hungry enough, it is.
Frances’ recording was a heroic first flight.
Most often an eaglet will take its first flight to a nearby tree branch,
or stump. It will glide back to the nest if possible. Otherwise the parents
continue to bring food wherever it perches. It is at this time it breaks
the infant bond with the nest. (However they have discovered in the imprinting
studies, that mated eagles will return to the nest or within close proximity
to the nest and raise their own family.) One month after leaving the nest
it has learned to soar and climb with the winds. It takes an eagle 4-5 years
after this to become an adult eagle.
SOARING
An eagle learns to soar by using thermal currents
of air. These warm air patterns are created by the surrounding terrain. They
will spread their wings and their tail feathers and let the wind carry them
to new heights, then glide down to catch another upward thermal. Soaring
saves an eagle energy because it does not have to flap its wings as often.
When I think of wings, I consider them to be parables
of our wings of faith. Faith is a heart condition where we stretch out and
reach toward the Lord, while the winds of His Spirit holds us afloat. When
we flap our wings, we are vigorously exercising our faith through works,
based upon what we believe the Lord has told us. And when we soar, we are
resting in our trust in the Lord and letting Him carry us amidst the surrounding
terrain. The Lord teaches us through faith, how to rise above difficulties
and hindrances in our life. We learn how to rise high enough to gain His
perspective on what is below. As I was praying about the concept of soaring
with wings as eagles I heard the Lord say that we want a formula. He said
there is no formula, only to abide in Him. (John 12:46, 14:16,
15:4,6,7,10)
I was interested in the role of the tail feathers
for landing and maneuvering in flight. It stabilizes the eagle and is actually
used like a brake when landing, just like an airplane. It tilts back and
forth, up and down, depending upon the need. I felt that this parable was
a significant part of our relationship the Lord - learning how to put on
the brakes when needed. If you notice the scripture says, those that WAIT
upon the Lord shall mount up with eagles wings. (Isa 40:31) It seems like
that is the hardest lesson in life, to learn to wait upon Him and not do
something in our own strength. Sometimes He wants us to wait because it is
a matter of timing, like for instance we are losing our baby fur and growing
eagles wings. But other times He wants us to wait upon Him because He wants
to carry us so we don’t suffer burnout in flapping our wings! The truth
is, when one learns to abide in Him, they learn the secret of waiting upon
Him for everything they do. (John 5:19 "Then Jesus answered and said to them,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what
He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.")
May we all learn to become better role models and
teachers and students - and may we all learn to abide in Him in everything
that we do. "And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors
that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord
works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even
more." (2 Cor 3:18 NLT)
May we wait upon the Lord to renew our strength; and
may our faith mount up with wings as eagles so that we may run, and not be
weary; and walk and not faint. Amen.
Part Two Eagle’s posting - The Various Stages
of Hunting for Food
by Sandy Warner
swauthor777@usa.net
www.thequickenedword.com
8/9/01
BABY HUNTERS
A baby eagle’s first lesson in hunting comes
right after hatching. In other bird species, the mother will eat the food,
then regurgitate the partially digested contents, and individually place
the food in the baby’s gaping mouth. However a mother eagle shreds pieces
of fresh fish or meat with her beak, then coaxes her young to take the raw
morsel. She does not put the food directly into its mouth like other birds,
because this is the eaglet’s first lesson in hunting. She offers the
food over and over again, until the baby finds the prey, grabs it, then takes
it for its own.
This is similar to how the Lord trains us. The Lord
promises us in both the Old and New Testaments that we shall find Him IF
we seek Him. (Jer 29:13-14, Luke 11:9-10) These promises reveal that we have
an active part in being fed by Him. He already has our food, we must search
for it, grab it and taken it as our own.
At first He dangles His food in front of us until
our appetites are stirring. An example of this is when we hear of another’s
awesome experience in the Lord, and say, "WOW would I like to hear from Him
like that!" Once our appetites are aroused, we start seeking Him. "If a son
asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if
he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he
asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:11-13 NKJV) And
then we must RECEIVE what He is offering. "Anyone who is willing to hear
should listen and understand! And be sure to pay attention to what you hear.
The more you do this, the more you will understand--and even more, besides."
(Mark 4:23-25 NLT)
When the eaglets get older, the parents carry the
food with their talons or bill and drop it in the nest. Now the eaglets must
tear the food for themselves. I am reminded of when the Lord plops a vision,
dream, etc into a young prophet’s life, then allows him to tear it apart,
piece by piece; to interpret, digest, and apply it. It can be frustrating
to have a big hunk of meat drop into your life when you have no idea what
to do with it. However hunger coaxes one to bite off a chunk at a time, taking
each chunk to the Lord for His help and confirmation until the whole thing
is digested. Sometimes, especially when we receive visions and dreams about
our callings, it takes years to digest the full ramification in the original
hunk of meat of what He gave us. Often it is only after it comes to pass
that we see the full scope of what He meant. And then, that scope is not
revealed without the Holy Spirit’s quickening. (Gen 37:7,
42:6)
NURTURING PARENTS
I thought it interesting that when the eagles are
still young, the parents move about the nest with their talons balled into
fists. This keeps them from accidentally skewering the babies. The Holy Spirit
quickened to me the need for self control and patience by nurturing parents,
or role models. Newborn prophetic eagles are often sent on assignments by
the Lord to share their revelations with a spiritual teacher in their life.
(I Sam 3:16-17) They learn lessons in obedience, overcoming fear of man,
fear of rejection, desiring the man’s approval, etc. There are other
ways to overcome these without the painful skewering of rejection. For instance,
a newborn prophet’s expectations will most likely be greater than what
they end up receiving by way of feedback! It is worthy to note that only
50% of baby eaglets live to adulthood, mainly because of the lack of food
and the acquired hunting skills. Applying this to young prophets, a relationship
with a mentor is very vital until they can become established. (I Tim
1:2)
TEARING MEAT INTO PIECES
A full grown adult can see its prey from a great distance,
diving up to 100 MPH, grabbing and plunging its talons into a fish, and never
even get its legs wet. So you can see that an eaglet needs lots of practice,
a step at a time. Flying, pouncing, grabbing, ripping pieces of food is a
part of this practice. After an eaglet’s first flight away from the
nest, it continues to take small flights to develop its flying and landing
skills while watching the adults eat prey, then nudging themselves in to
eat too. This is an important part of learning to hunt and the adults allow
this.
I saw a parable in this eaglet training process. Often
the older and established prophets will share the Word of the Lord in a generic
way. They may give an announcement of some important revelation. But when
they do so, they do not greatly expound upon it, except just enough to announce
it. Basically they are called to catch a chunk of revelation or meat and
bring it to earth. Then after their own fill, they leave it to the prophetic
pastors and teachers to tear it apart and explain the details of how it is
applied and to bring out additional quickened pieces of revelation.
When the prophetic pastors and teachers do so, this
can appear as stealing or grabbing food from their revelation. But this is
the Lord’s work and no revelation belongs to one person but for the
whole body to build itself up in love. (I Cor 3:9) What may appear as stealing
is actually the Holy Spirit speaking to further develop the same theme. (The
Lord knows the false ones from the real ones, and He will establish those
that are His own.)
TRAINING IN SPOTTING FOOD
At this time, the young eagles have also learned to
soar and spot moving prey. However they do not dive for it, rather they watch
the adults dive down to snatch it. This similarity is also a very normal
part of prophetic upbringing. Often a young prophet will be given a revelation
and then shortly afterwards hear it announced through an established prophet.
This is a work of the Holy Spirit because He most often speaks in similar
themes to the prophets in the same seasons. (Acts 21:10-11, 20:23) For many
years I would hear snipits of information from the Lord then hear it announced
to the body of Christ through an older prophet.
At first this frustrated me until I realized it was
a great opportunity to kill MY flesh: ambition, desire for recognition and
approval, etc!!! Once young prophets get past these stumbling blocks, (for
these must be killed on the cross if one wants to go higher in the Lord)
then they get excited that what they hear and see is being confirmed. This
builds their faith and joy and relationship in Him. They also have the joy
of watching (and being mentored through) the awesome display of the older
prophet swooping in for the kill of this revelatory meat, and bringing it
to earth. And if they are following the Holy Spirit, the younger prophets
will also get to partake and eat of the same kill and receive greater bits
and pieces of revelation than they had by just previously watching and knowing.
CARRION
For the most part, an eagle’s diet is fresh fish
(especially salmon). However when conditions or seasons are not available
for such, they eat other small mammals. When in dire need they will scavenge
on dead prey, also known as carrion. This is especially true of young eaglets
because they are not yet skillful at hunting.
This fact was really quickened to me as a parable
that some of the prophetic today are eating carrion, which is prey from the
second heaven. The second heaven is the realm of the demonic. It is the area
that every prophet must press through and overcome, to make it into the third
heaven. The third heaven is where the throne room of the Lord is, and where
the revelation is clear, pure, holy and without mixture.
Sometimes what the younger prophetic ones do not
understand is that even though second heaven revelation might be very
supernatural - what they have seen or heard is the enemy plans and not the
Lord’s plans. Often negative Words will be misunderstood and accepted
as the will of the Lord, then the young prophet makes an announcement and
declares a negative Word. However, there are also some more mature prophetic
callings that are sent as spies into the second heaven, to find out the plans
of the enemy and expose them so that they do NOT come to pass. Those with
this specific assignment have the authority to withstand what they see and
hear, in particular regarding principalities.
Second heaven revelation contains dead, non edifying
bits that sour the taste and make them impure and void of the faith, hope
and love of the Lord. It is important to learn how to separate the holy from
the profane. The best, simplest and most profitable way to separate anything
is the through the filters of faith, hope and love…. The greatest being
love. (Heb 5:14, I Cor 13:13)
However even mature eagles eat carrion when no fresh
meat is available. This is similar to receiving faith from a negative warfare
experience from the second heaven. The Lord can turn an evil attempt to destroy
our faith into a strengthening piece of meat when we realize that we must
be on the right track for the devil to bring such opposition!!!
THE TALONS - WEAPONS
Through out the maturation process, a young eaglet
learns the skills of using its feet for eating, balance, landing skills,
and finally catching prey. The feet are the most important weapon and hunting
tool for an eagle. (Rom 16:20) They use their feet and talons to capture
and kill their prey. They dive from long distances, straight to their victim
and bore their long talons into the flesh. This is done so quickly and smoothly
it appears more like a ballet than an act of violence.
I am reminded of the scripture, "Blessed be the LORD
my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle." (Ps 144:1
NKJV) An eagle has a well developed sense of touch in its feet, for catching
prey. In these last days, we are going to experience some very unusual and
interesting ways that the Lord uses our hands (and feet) for battle in overcoming
demons. Eagles also bear their talons outstretched when approaching other
birds like vultures who are feeding on a large animal. Eagles are known to
drive vultures away and even force them to disgorge their meal. (Mat 24:28)
I am reminded of the many scriptures about taking back our inheritance that
the enemy has stolen.
With both their bills and talons, eagles will wade
in shallow water and spear fish. They rip the heads off the fish, then stand
on it to tear chunks from its body. (I Sam 17:51) "For He must reign till
He has put all enemies under His feet." (1 Cor 15:25-26 NKJV) As the prophetic
gifting matures in our calling, we will ultimately place the enemy under
our feet. What a joy that will be!
Lovingly,
Sandy
PS - My book, "Discernment: Separating the Holy From
the Profane" is now available for those who would like help in learning to
discern "carrion" in what they are receiving. And also "Ministering Deliverance"
gives some interesting testimonies of the Lord using hands to deliver.
Does the eagle mount up at your command, and make
its nest on high? On the rocks it dwells and resides, on the crag of the
rock and the stronghold. From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe
from afar. Its young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there it
is."
EAGLE TRIVIA: ABOUT EAGLES NESTS
Bob Jones was given revelation about 3 eagle’s
nests in the Pacific NW and these nests are churches. After doing the research
on eagles, I realized that each eagle nest births eagles who also grow up,
mate and birth their own eagles. So the cycle continues and the number of
churches birthing eagles increases.
In today’s world, there is much talk about eagles
representing the prophetic. And this is true. I think that it also represents
the mounting up of revelatory Christianity in these last days. As a result,
last day Christianity will acknowledge the prophetic gifts as a normal and
vital part of the body.
1. The shape of an eagle nest is determined by the
shape of the branch it is built upon. Some are conical nests, some are bowl
shaped. Likewise, each church is shaped differently with its own personality,
depending upon where it is planted. (4)
2. Nests are usually built within one mile of a permanent
water source like a flowing river or coastline. (30) This is symbolical of
being near the river of God and flowing in His Holy Spirit.
3. A normal nest is about 5 feet in diameter. (Symbolic
of grace) They grow larger in the years, some have grown to 9 feet in diameter.
The record nest is 20 feet deep, 10 feet wide, weighing two tons! (26) (I
figure 2 tons is about 2,000 people!)
4. A parent’s impulse to build is strong. For
several weeks after completion, some will continue to collect strange things
until the instinct stops. Some strange things found in an eagle’s nest:
Light bulbs, bleach bottles, a picture frame, conch shells, a white rubber
ball (which was incubated for six weeks after the eggs in the nest had hatched).
I consider the parable of building or collecting things for the nest as:
building book libraries, cassette libraries, Bible studies, sermon series,
teaching resources, manuals, special speakers, etc. I have seen pregnant
mothers with the nesting instinct and some gather until they collapse. (9)
(I canned 1500 jars of organic baby food prior to the birth of my son…
I have not canned a thing since!)
5. A nest location is deeply etched in the original
birthing of an eagle. A breeding eagle will build its nest within a couple
mile range of where it was born. If for some reason the nest is destroyed,
it will rebuild at or near the same site. This attachment to location is
so strong that they will even build in an unsuitable tree rather than go
elsewhere. (How flexible are we?)
6. One nest built in the Midwest lasted 34 years,
being used annually. (34) Most do not last this long due to storms. Older
and well maintained nests can weigh so much that it will eventually collapse
the tree. (Warning, demonic storms and overbuilding can collapse what is
being birthed.)
7. Eagles mate for life (40 years) and are capable
of breeding each year after adulthood. (32) Some do not breed every year,
due to weather and food resources. (Even with freedom to choose, timing is
important when birthing. Consider the spiritual climate and the available
resources.)
Another thing that Bob Jones was told was that eagles
would be found every 50 miles up and down the west coast, everywhere that
natural eagles are found. These eagles would be found in small churches,
lest they be raised with pride in their hearts. In applying this with the
eagle trivia, I understand that these eagles will one day mate and give birth
to their own eagles, within a close proximity of where they were
born.
2. Incubation is a 35 day, constant vigil shared by
both parents, mostly by the female with the male attending to her needs.
(27) This keeps the eggs warm and safe. If left unattended, squirrels, ravens
and gulls eat the eggs. (A breeding spiritual parent will stay close to home
and not accept traveling engagements or ministry outside its home planting
for that season.)
3. They trade places when the female needs to stretch.
She will hunt and eat and wash. Since the nest is the focus at this time,
the hunting parent stays within 1-2 miles of the incubating nest.
(10)
1. The female spends most of the time staying in the
nest while the male is hunting food or bringing green sprigs of branches
to the nest. The greenery gives shade and covering to her food and nest.
(10)
2. It is interesting that eagles will adopt eagle
eggs when environmentalists secretly place them in their nests. (29) They
will raise them as their own. (The Lord will often plop a prophetic egg,
prepared to hatch in a new church. Parents need to stay flexible and recognize
their calling soon, so they can be raised in a safe environment.)
3. Both parents lose their feathers on their lower
breast. This is called a brood patch. (2) The eggs are kept warm by their
exposed and surging blood vessels. Every hour they turn the eggs so they
will warm evenly. The young are brooded for two or three weeks after hatching,
because they are unable to regulate their own body temperature. After they
have grown their 2nd coat of down feathers, the parents brood sitting up
with half spread wings. I see the brood patch as a parable of the exposure,
or bearing the heart and the soul of a nurturing parent over its young. Their
tenderness keeps them warm and secure. The parent keeps constant vigil in
turning the eggs and does not abandon them for some other ambition or goal
in ministry.
4. After hatching, the female feeds the young by shredding
pieces of meat with her beak. She will offer food over and over again, coaxing
her chick to take a morsel from her beak. (28) She does not put the food
into their mouth like other birds, because this is their first lesson in
hunting. The eaglet must find the prey, grab and take it for its own.
7. When the eagles are still young, the parents move
about the nest with their talons balled into fists. (10) This keeps them
from accidentally skewering the babies. When I read this the Holy Spirit
immediately quickened to me the self control and patience needed in nurturing
parents. Babies are demanding in every way. They take total attention and
little else can be done in a parents’ life until they are no longer
babies. It is a matter of accepting the parental position with contentment,
love, patience and gracious giving. Newborn prophetic eagles are soon sent
on assignments by the Lord to give their revelations. Relationship with the
parent is very vital in this time. It is worthy to note that only 50% of
baby eagles lives to adulthood due to nest tragedy (usually siblings) and
first flights.
In the early 80’s I had a vision where I saw
myself inside an egg shell. I had a baby bottle inside the shell with me,
and I was feeling cramped and wanted to get out. I used my bottle and starting
wacking away from the inside. Finally I managed to crack the shell and climb
out. As I stood up, I noticed I was about 5 years old and had on a pretty
pink party dress! I looked at my shell, became very excited and said, "I’m
going to tell my heavenly Father that I just broke out of my shell!" As I
saw myself prattle away, I noticed there were many smaller eggs all around
my shell. These eggs were not full grown yet and I knew it was not time for
them to come out yet!
I wrote a Word to Ponder back then, based upon that
vision, and also my experiences in coming out of my shell:
LIKE AN EGG
Just like an egg, I will bring you to birth. Growing
from a tiny state, what I conceive grows in secret behind the shell of My
covering. Ordained in perfect seasons, each stage of growth is built upon
another until all comes to fruition.
One day I will call forth that which I have created
within you. You will begin to break your own walls of confinement and come
out of your shell. This requires strength and tenacity to break your own
restraints. It requires a courageous heart to face the outside world. This
process is not something I do for you, because if I were to do so, the strength
you need to face your surroundings would not be fully developed. I need your
cooperation to bring you to birth. I promise you My help and protection,
but you must be willing and persistent to break your own yokes.
You will know it’s time when you grow so big
that you can no longer stay within your established borders. You will know
it’s time when you want to come out. You will know it’s time when
everything in you says, "Yes! … It is time!" And when it is time, you
will have the strength and the tenacity to break free.
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden
shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck,
and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." (Isa
10:27)
1. Eagle eggs hatch in the order in which they were
laid. (10)
2. Eagles use their egg tooth to break their shell.
(6) This is a pointed, sharp projection or bump on the top of their beak.
This tooth wears off about a month later since it is no longer needed. (This
is like weaning from the baby bottle.) "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and
whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the
milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept
upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a
little." (." (Isa 28:9-10 KJV)
3. It takes about 1-2 days for the eaglet to break
free from the shell. (8) The parent is there brooding the eggs, but never
assists in the process. This is something the eaglet must do for himself,
as this builds his own muscles and strength to survive.
For those who are interested, here are the scriptures
that have the words eagle or eagles:
Exodus 19:4 KJV
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and
how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
Leviticus 11:13 KJV
13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination
among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle,
and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
Leviticus 11:18 KJV
18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier
eagle,
Deuteronomy 14:12 KJV
12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the
eagle, and ossifrage, and the ospray,
Deuteronomy 14:17 KJV
17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the
cormorant,
Deuteronomy 28:49 KJV
49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from
far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose
tongue thou shalt not understand;
Deuteronomy 32:11 KJV
11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over
her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her
wings:
2 Samuel 1:23 KJV
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their
lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
Job 9:26 KJV
26 They are passed away as the swift ships: as the
eagle that hasteth to the prey.
Job 39:27 KJV
27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make
her nest on high?
Psalms 103:5 KJV
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that
thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Proverbs 23:5 KJV
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?
for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward
heaven.
Proverbs 30:17 KJV
17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth
to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young
eagles shall eat it.
Proverbs 30:19 KJV
19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent
upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a
man with a maid.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Jeremiah 4:13 KJV
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots
shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us!
for we are spoiled.
Jeremiah 48:40 KJV
40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as
an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
Jeremiah 49:16 KJV
16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride
of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest
the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the
eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:22 KJV
22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle,
and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the
mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Lamentations 4:19 KJV
19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of
the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in
the wilderness.
Ezekiel 1:10 KJV
10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had
the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four
had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an
eagle.
Ezekiel 10:14 KJV
14 And every one had four faces: the first face was
the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the
third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel 17:3 KJV
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle
with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours,
came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
Ezekiel 17:7 KJV
7 There was also another great eagle with great wings
and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him,
and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows
of her plantation.
Daniel 4:33 KJV
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon
Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and
his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles'
feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
Daniel 7:4 KJV
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings:
I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the
earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given
to it.
Hosea 8:1 KJV
1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an
eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant,
and trespassed against my law.
Obadiah 4 KJV
4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though
thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the
LORD.
Micah 1:16 KJV
16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate
children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity
from thee.
Habakkuk 1:8 KJV
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards,
and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread
themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the
eagle that hasteth to eat.
Matthew 24:28 KJV
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the
eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17:37 KJV
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord?
And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be
gathered together.
Revelation 4:7 KJV
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second
beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth
beast was like a flying eagle.
Revelation 12:14 KJV
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she
is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the
serpent.
1. Bald eagles have 7,000 feathers. (3) Feathers,
like hair and nails, are made of keratin.1 [I was reminded of the scripture:
"But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given
her for a covering." (1 Cor 11:15: KJV) I thought of the parable of hair
being a covering of glory and that eagles feathers can be interpreted that
way too.]
2. An eagle’s feathers consist of interlocking
microscopic structures that are light, but very strong. These joining of
feathers is an amazing design from the outer ones down to the soft layer
of inner down. Layers of feathers trap air to insulate birds against cold
and protect them from rain. (1)
[In considering this, I thought of how the Lord teaches
us line upon line, carefully placing each step in our life. "Whom will he
teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just
weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be
upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here
a little, there a little." (Isa 28:9-10 NKJV)]
3. The feathers if an eagle help it acclimatize. An
eagle maintains its body temperature by adjusting the position of its feathers
to the sun and air pockets. (4) Eagles do not migrate for climate changes,
rather they migrate for food supplies.
4. An eagle grooms itself and waterproofs its feathers
by preening. Each feather is worked from base to tip with a vibratory movement
of the bill. An oil gland at the base of the tail is pressed regularly with
the bill and this oil is worked into the feathers. After all of the feathers
have received some attention, the eagle, standing erect, shakes its body
to settle the feathers into place. The instinct to preen is very strong and
young birds will preen even before their primary feathers emerge.
(2)
5. 30 feathers weigh about as much as a
penny.
6. The male's wingspan is a little more than 6 feet
from wing tip to wing tip, the female's is between 6.5 and 7 feet.
(5)
[Note from Sandy: This is the first half of an article
posted from the Elijah List as relating to soaring eagles. The second half
was a personal Word for South Africa and is not posted here.]
PSALMS 13
Bob Jones with Keith Davis - August 12,
1999
Bob Jones/Keith Davis Web site:
http://www.bobjones.org
In his epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul
teaches, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the
spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph
6:12) The spiritual forces that reside in heavenly
places have set themselves in opposition to the working of the Holy Spirit
through the Church. Not only will this evil defiance create snares and traps
for Christians, but also assail our minds and spirits during seasons of prayer.
At times, it seems we are easily able to move directly into the realm of
the Spirit during prayer. At other times it seems as though all the spirits
of hell are set against us as we attempt to come before the throne of grace
in prayer and intercession. In recent times, it seems the latter has been
more prominent than the former.
These difficult seasons are allowed to train us in
warfare and establish deliverance in us as we wrestle with the enemy, discovering
through small victories the omniscience and amazing provision established
for us through the Cross.
The Bible often symbolizes God's people as eagles.
This symbolism is especially true for prophets. The eagle is able to soar
higher than any other creature and is gifted with phenomenal eye sight. We
are taught that the eagle is equipped with special filters on its eyes allowing
this majestic bird to maneuver directly toward the sun while evading encounters
with predators. We must do likewise and flee to the Son when engaged with
enemy confrontation.
To see the things the Lord desires to display oftentimes
requires battling through the spiritual resistance until we are able to soar
above it and hear the things that He will express and see the things that
He would disclose. To do this requires diligence and determination through
fervent prayer and intercession. It is in the midst of this wrestling that
deceiving spirits will often impart revelation from the enemy masquerading
as true disclosure. In one Old Testament example the 400 prophets of Ahab
each received spiritual revelation containing measures of truth, yet its
origin was a deceiving spirit that the Lord allowed because of the
unrighteousness of Ahab and his leadership. A true prophet of God was then
summoned who was able to soar above the deceiving spirit and receive a true
revelation from the heart of God. (I Kings 22:1-28) Spiritual discernment
and a good foundation in Truth clearly identifies false revelation, motivating
the believer to press-in more earnestly to receive the true
revelation.
Recently, while in a season of prayer and intercession,
Bob found himself engaged in this spiritual battle. Many opposing spirits
attempted to withstand his efforts to soar in the Spirit to receive fresh
manna for the Body of Christ. Evil opposition attempted to impart false
revelation masquerading as Truth. However, the fruit of this revelation did
not incorporate love, hope and faith and was therefore easily discerned.
Bob continued to press in for quite sometime until he finally soared above
the opposition and received a clear word from the Lord. He was audibly given
Psalms 13 with an emphasis on verse 5 as an encouragement for the Body of
Christ.
"How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How
long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my
soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted
over me?
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my
eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed
against him'; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have
trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing
to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me." Ps 13:1-6
Many scholars believe this Psalm was written by David
after Samuel anointed him to be King of Israel. Despite his prophetic destiny,
David found himself fleeing from Saul for the preservation of his life. Although
David's future promised greatness and Divine favor, he was required to endure
persecution and hardship before being released in the fullness of his calling.
It was during these difficult years that character was being formed in him
that would prepare him for Kingship. Decisions that he made in the wilderness
helped formulate the pattern of his life when he attained the
throne.
So has it been for many in the church. It seems as
though our enemies have prevailed over us despite the great promises given
to us by the Holy Spirit. It is during the difficult seasons that Divine
character is being formed in us as we are purged and purified from our own
carnality so we can faithfully accommodate the anointing. Righteous decisions
made during the dry intervals reap immeasurable dividends during the seasons
of prosperity.
One of the most challenging things during the baptism
of trials is to wait upon the Lord for His timing in the release of the
promises.
Like David we cry to the Lord, How Long must we endure
these difficult and trying times? Nonetheless, we are admonished to be still
and wait upon the completion of His sanctifying work of grace within, so
the fullness of His anointing can be released to us. The tendency during
these times is to do something, oftentimes misinterpreting ministry for DOING
THE WILL OF THE FATHER. In Matthew 7 the Lord describes many who were involved
in ministry, healing the sick, casting out devils, performing miracles and
other worthy things; even so, their destiny was outer darkness. "Not everyone
who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who
does the will of My Father who is in heaven. (Matt 7:21) It is in doing the
will of the Father that we access the Kingdom of Heaven and find favor and
grace in time of need.
Our encouragement is found in Verse 5, But I have
trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. For many,
the day of salvation is at hand.
The term for salvation in this passage is "yeshu`sh"
denoting deliverance, welfare, prosperity, and victory. It's unique application
has to do with deliverance from present troubles and the assurance that the
Lord is aware of our condition and will intervene in our behalf. The Lord
assures us saying, I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD,
'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
(Jer 29:11). Our Savior's plans for us are for welfare and prosperity not
calamity. However, wilderness experiences are allowed to establish Godly
character in us and allow us to sow seeds of righteousness that will reap
bountiful dividends in the seasons ahead. We must pray with the same assurance
as David despite the external circumstances realizing that the Lord is faithful
to His promises. Not one of His promises has ever failed in all of
history.
David begins this Psalm with a cry of desperation
but concludes it by remembering the Lord's faithfulness to His promises and
the bountiful favor with which the Lord has vowed to establish His people.
So is it with us; though our minds are burdened with the difficulty of our
circumstances, our spirits rejoice at the realization of our Savior's promises
to us. Repentance and obedience to the Will of the Father will prepare us
for the day of visitation. To whom shall the Lord appear in the day of His
visitation? Those who have His commandments and faithfully adhere to them.
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he
who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest
Myself to him." (John 14:21)
Many recognize that the eagle is symbolic of the
prophetic. The eagle has tremendous vision and can soar to lofty heights.
The eagle also has amazing speed as he dives to take his prey, and his weapons
are very effective.
The Lord has used the eagle to bring forth several
prophetic words through me in the last two years. Each time that I have observed
the activity of eagles, the Lord has spoken to me to reveal different aspects
of what the present work of the Holy Spirit is.
Sunday, as Marsha and I were driving home from church,
a very unusual event occurred. We had just crossed a bridge which is located
at a curve in the highway. The highway descends to the bridge and then ascends.
Because of these conditions I always slow down. So, I had slowed down, crossed
the bridge, and was just beginning to accelerate as we moved upwards. It
was at this point that a young golden eagle appeared out of nowhere and
completely filled the vision which we had through the windshield of our car.
The eagle was so close that it seemed as though his
tail feathers touched the windshield as we passed under him. I know that
this was a young eagle because he was not quite as large as the adult eagles
that I have previously seen. Also the feathers of this eagle were a brilliant
golden color, a lighter gold than the feathers of the adults.
"And, the Spirit of the Lord brings this message
forth...on the wings of eagles. My golden ones are about to arise. You have
crossed over the bridge of troubled waters. Behold, the old things are behind
you, the new will now spring forth. Now the time of acceleration which I
spoke of will come forth. With this acceleration will come greater vision.
I will completely fill your vision (the eyes of your understanding) with
My purposes. You will begin to see more clearly than you ever have before
because I will come closer to you, and your total focus will be upon Me.
The distractions of the past occurred because you viewed Me from afar. But
now, I will fill your vision, and you shall feel the wind of My Spirit and
the touch of My hands.
This is a new day and on this, the third day of My
power, I will come to you and raise you up as on wings of eagles that you
may live in My sight, and you shall perceive My presence as you never have
before. My people, you are turning a corner, and new direction will come
forth.
Now, consider what the sign of the young eagle means,
for does it not have a two-fold meaning? First, I will renew some of My old
eagles and make them young again. Those who have remained faithful to Me
will be renewed. Now I will lead you out of the caves where I have placed
you, and you shall soar to new heights with greater vision and strength than
you have ever had.
Secondly, I will also bring some young eagles forth
at this time. They are those who have forsaken the world and do not desire
religion; they desire only Me. Thus, the old and the new shall be brought
out of My treasure house, and My golden ones will be sent to the nations
to prepare the way of the Lord. His coming forth is established as the morning,
and He is coming like the latter and former rain to His people."
A note of encouragement is found in this message,
especially to you old eagles who carry about the weariness of many battles
in your bodies. When an eagle reaches the age of 50 (approximately), his
beak begins to freeze shut, and he can no longer eat. Some give up and die,
but some find a cave or cleft in the rock where water is present. The old
eagle goes into the cave and beats his beak on a rock until it is broken
off. The eagle drinks water for 40 days until it grows a new beak. The eagle
then pulls its old feathers out and an oil sack grows and is filled with
oil (over the heart). The eagle then breaks the oil sack with the new beak
and spreads the oil over his body. Beautiful new golden feathers grow in,
and the eagle is renewed. The eagle's body is also strengthened through this
process. The regenerated eagle is then able to fly higher than it ever could
before and see better than it could before. Oh yes, and the beak also works,
for words must yet be spoken and the prey must be taken. Happy hunting!
Faith Tabernacle
111 North Fourth
P. O. Box 1148
Kremmling, CO 80459
http://ft111.com
ft111@uswest.net
NOTE FROM SANDY: In my research on eagles, I was not
able to find information backing the above story about how an old eagle renews
itself. However I did find similar stories under Indian folklore. I have
been blessed by this story and regardless of whether it is fact or allegory,
it is quickened to me.
1. First flights: The young eaglets pick up and manipulate
sticks, play tug of war with each other, practice holding things in their
talons, and stretch and flap their wings. By eight weeks, the eaglets are
strong enough to flap their wings, lift their feet off the nest platform,
and rise up in the air. At eight weeks, the appetites of the young birds
are at their greatest. While parents hunt almost continuous to feed them,
back at the nest the eaglets are beginning to stretch their wings in response
to gusts of wind and may even be lifted off their feet for short periods.
Eventually they will be able to rise 15 feet above the nest and soar for
a moment before returning to the nest. While they are learning to fly, the
young eagles are awkward, have difficulty landing, and often fall to the
ground after leaving the nest. If a young eagle is reluctant to leave the
nest, its parents may stop feeding it at the nest and lure the hesitant bird
to another perch with food. (9)
2. Their speed of light is between 20 to 40 miles
per hour in normal flight. It can rise of over 100 miles per hour while diving.
(9)
3. Winds sweeping across open water also create updrafts
that eagles use for gliding.
4. The flight path to a nest or perch must be open,
because a bald eagle cannot maneuver through dense forest like an owl or
take off from an obstructed perch. Open vistas also make it easier for eagles
to scan for prey. (9)
5. While migrating (usually for food), eagles ride
columns of rising air called thermals and can average speeds of 30 mph (50
kilometers). Effortlessly, an eagle can circle in a strong thermal to high
altitudes, then glide long distances in the direction of its migration until
it finds the next column of rising air. Generally, the eagles follow seasonal
food supplies. As lakes and streams freeze over, bald eagles must go south
to find open fresh water or head to the coast. (9)
6. Approximately 40% of young eagles do not survive
their first flight. (10)
7. Through months of trial and error, eagles acquire
basic skills such as lighting on perches or stooping on prey through practice.
Eagles practice with almost fully developed bodies, and so sharpen their
skills quickly. (10)
Perseverance and persistence have land marked your
way. You have fought the winds, you have struggled and you have pressed through.
For a season and a time you felt very weary and tired allowing yourself just
like an eagle to rest upon the cleft of the rock. In your moment of rest,
you decided to perhaps walk a distance from mountaintop to mountaintop, step
by step where it seemed a safer and more practical way at the time. I tell
you it is a tedious work for my eagles to walk across the rocks.
Allow My wind to catch you underneath your wings as
they extend out with praise and worship unto me and lift you back up from
the position that you feel is secure as you stand on the rock. For you must
maneuver forward in flight yielding to the breeze, yielding to the updrafts,
yielding to the presence of your mighty God. For I desire to cause you to
be as a skilled warrior flying in and out of the very peaks of the mountain,
for they belong to you. I call them your home, a dwelling place. Mount Zion
is calling and encouraging you to praise and worship the Lord your God.
So do not be weary in well doing but know I do order
your steps and at times I ask you to leap into My presence for as you fly
you move quickly, swiftly and powerfully. Spiral into My heavenlies and see
the very world I ask you to conquer from a high and lofty place. A place
of vision is a place of intercession. A place of intercession is an attitude
of the heart. And out of the abundance of your heart My people speak. Fly
into My love, soar like an eagle and don't grow weary My children for you
belong to Me.
1. The eagle's eyes are specially evolved to give
it extraordinary vision. The eye's size and shape give it magnification when
compared to the human eye. But most important, the eagle's eye is densely
packed with the specialized cells that give exceptional vision. The wealth
of the special cells and the way they are arranged give the eagle the ability
to see extraordinary detail and observe things at great distances. An eagle
can spot a fish from two or three miles away. (11)
2. They have excellent eye sight, as with all raptors.
Eagles, and other hawks, have a double fovea...two centers of focus on the
retina. The "regular" one is for focusing on the horizontal plane. The other
is higher on the retina and concentrates focus toward the ground. The birds
not only see and process two images, one from each eye, as do most animals
with eyes on the sides of their heads, but they also process two more images
from below themselves. That is four (yes, 4) things at once. And that explains
why a perched bird will sometimes turn its head completely upside down when
looking skyward. The ground-image fovea is then looking up. (12)
3. The vision of predatory birds is probably the keenest
of any living creature. Eagles see objects two to three times farther away
than humans can. Since they hunt by day, sight is by far the most important
of all their senses. An eagle must spot prey from great distances and catch
birds on the wing. Astonishing accuracy is needed to track the erratic course
of prey, and the eyes must constantly refocus as an eagle dives toward its
moving target. The eyes of an eagle are very large, but their movement within
the eye sockets is restricted. To see in different directions, an eagle must
turn its head. (9)
4. The acute vision of eagles is due, in part, to
the fact that each eye has two depressions in the retina packed with sensory
cells that provide an area of especially clear perception. One of these
depressions, or fovea, is directed forward, the other to the side. The four
foveae working together allow for unusually accurate distance perception.
The eyes can function some what independently to see objects to the side,
or both eyes can focus on an object directly in front of the head. Special
muscles control the curvature of the lens so that the eye can accurately
perceive moving objects. A transparent "second eyelid" sweeps across the
eye to cleanse and protect it and a projecting bony brow shields the eye
from injury. (9)
5. An eagle can see a rabbit about 1 mile or 1760
yards away. Now the average person needs to be about 550 yards away to see
the same rabbit. That's why when someone says "you must have eagle eyes,"
they mean you can see really far. (13)
6. Unlike most mammals, birds have color vision. Much
of a bird's survival may depend on its extraordinary vision. Bald Eagles
have good binocular vision since their eyes are in front of their heads.
This enables them to judge distances accurately - an important ability for
birds that often swoop down to snatch food from the ground or water.
(14)
7. Golden eagle: A four week old Golden Eagle possess
vision that is telescopic, microscopic, monocular, binocular, and about eight
times finer than man's. Mature birds can spot a rabbit two miles away.
(15)
8. Birds of prey have three eyelids to protect their
eyes. Hawks close their eyes most of the time by moving their lower lids
up. Owls move their upper eyelids down adding to the human appearance of
their faces. The third eyelid is called the nicitating membrane and it closes
from side to side. It can be used to clean the eyes or to protect them.
(16)
9. Eagle parents often pull the membranes over their
eyes when feeding their young. This way chicks won't accidentally damage
an eye when they lunge for food. (16)
10. Due to the size of an eagle's eyes, very little
room is left for the eye muscles which forces the eagle to turn its head
when looking around. This is unlike a human eye which can move more freely
in the eye socket. Eagles have powerful eye sight allowing them to see three
to four times farther away than a human being. While hunting, eagles can
see their prey several hundred feet above the ground. From a perch position
in a high tree, eagles can see prey up to one mile away. When flying at 1000
feet, eagles can spot prey within three square miles. In addition, the two
centers of focus in an eagles eye allows it to see both forward and to the
side at the same time and like a human, eagles have eyelids. The eyelids
will closing during sleep, otherwise a second eyelid (called a nictitating)
wipes the cornea every three to four seconds to keep the cornea clean. This
second eyelid is translucent which allows the eagle to see in mid blink.
(17)
11. A bony extension of the scull (over the eagle's
eyes) helps protect tehm from injury when catching and handling prey.
(18)
1. The eagle's other senses are less impressive. The
eagle's sense of hearing is comparable to that of humans. Its outer ear openings
are located just behind its eyes and covered by a layer of feathers. (19)
2. The eagle seems to have a less-developed sense
of taste, and its sense of smell is poorly developed. For example, a bald
eagle cannot detect even strong food odors under snow. Eagles cannot find
food hidden from view. (19)
3. On the other hand, its sense of touch is acute
on the beak and feet, a feature that aids the eagle in capturing and killing
prey. Tactile sensations in these areas are important when capturing and
killing prey. (9)
4. Eagles make sounds that are often described in
human terms. The calls between a pair of eagles at the start of the breeding
season are called a "greeting," and the soft, high-pitched call of the female
during courtship is thought to be a "solicitation." Young chicks in the nest
"beg" for food by peeping or crying. When alarmed, an eagle lowers its head,
stretches out its neck, droops and quivers its wings, and, as the bill opens
and closes, call "kar! kar! kar!" (9)
1. Talons are extra-large and grooved underneath,
and the foot pads rough, almost spiculate (needle-like), for increased grasping
ability, vital when the prey is large and slippery. (12)
2. The bald eagle is well-adapted for hunting. Its
feet and talons are large even for such a huge bird. The talons are impressively
long and are backed by tremendous muscular force from the legs. The talons
can easily penetrate to the bone and even crush some bones. (19)
3. When the muscles in the legs contract, the tendons
in the lower legs tighten and the talons close together. This locking system
allows the bird to secure its toes around a catch and keep its body steady
during rest and sleep. On the undersides of its fleshy toes are small, rough
projections called spicules which help the eagle to grasp and hold slippery
prey such as fish. (19)
1. The beak is very heavy (fishing eagles have some
of the most powerful beaks).
2. The bald eagle's beak is massive. Its main purpose
seems to be for killing and tearing. The beak may be used as a weapon if
the talons have not finished off the prey. However, generally the beak is
used for tearing prey into small pieces since eagles do not chew their food.
(19)
3. The eagle's mouth allows it to swallow sizeable
objects, but the food must be torn into reasonably-sized pieces. After ingestion
the food is temporarily stored in a huge sack, called the crop, in the throat.
(19)
4. An eagle cleans its bill after eating by rubbing
it on a stick or a branch. The area around the bill is not feathered and
so stays clean while feeding. (9)
1. A pair will remain together for each nesting season
as long as both are alive. They engage in various greeting and courtship
flights, the most spectacular of which consists of locking talons in mid-air
and descending for several hundred feet in a series of spiraling somersaults.
(20)
2. They utilize feeding, day roost and night roost
perches, and there is a definite dominance heirarchy for their use. Two adults
sitting in close proximity will almost certainly be a pair. (12)
3. The courtship flight is truly spectacular. The
nest usually built in a commanding position in a large tree, but sometimes
on a rocky promontory or even, on islands, on the ground. It is a very large
structure of sticks, lined with softer material such as pine needles. The
site is usually near water, but nests away from water are known.
(21)
4. The male does most of the hunting and scavenging
during the early weeks of the chick's life. The female does the majority
of the feeding and brooding. The male will often eat the head of the fish
he catches and then bring the remainder to the nest. The male will brood
and feed the chick when the female is off the nest. She will leave to stretch,
defecate, bathe, preen and hunt on her own. (22)
5. The breeding season for bald eagles begins in February
and lasts through July, with pairs establishing long-term bonds. They breed
in open areas along coasts, rivers, and large lakes, usually away from human
disturbances. In California, a study showed that approximately 87% of their
nest sites were within 1 mile (1.6 km) of water. (23)
6. Platform nests of sticks are lined with vegetation
and other fine materials and are built in large snags and old growth trees
with open branches. The nests are often built in the fork of the tree and
range from 3 to 61 meters (10-200 ft) above the ground. Cliff nests vary
in size from those with very little nesting materials to those that are massive
structures. Some eagles have been known to use the same nest for more than
35 years; occasionally, they may use more than one nest in a season.
(23)
1. Three terms are used by eagle biologists to describe
the area in which a breeding pair of eagles lives. The "nest site" refers
to the nest itself and is the focus of the pair's activity. The term "breeding
territory" describes an area surrounding the nest site or sites that is actively
defended against intruders. A breeding territory includes the sky above the
territory because eagles will defend this space to a certain height. Surrounding
the breeding territory is a much larger area within which eagles travel,
roost, and search for food. This area, called the "home range," is not actively
defended. (9)
2. Breeding territories vary in size and shape. In
the 1940s, so many eagles lived along Florida's Gulf coast that nesting birds
defended a territory extending only about half a mile outward from the nest;
in a few areas, active nests were within 1000 feet of each other. Today eagles
rarely nest this closely to each other. The shape of a territory can vary
with the location of roosting trees and shoreline configuration. Some territories
are circular, while others may encompass a band along a section of shoreline.
The shape of the home range in which an eagle travels and hunts is much more
flexible and can shift with wind direction. (9)
3. Eagles soar over their nest or perch in conspicuous
trees to advertise that their territory is in use. The white heads of the
adults is an easily-seen signal that a territory is occupied. In this way,
territories are defended with a minimum of fighting. Once a territory is
established, other eagles usually recognize and respect these boundaries.
Eagles defend their territory against large birds such as gulls and crows
and may drive ospreys from their own nests if they are too close.
(9)
4. Immature and non-breeding adult eagles do not maintain
territories and many roost and feed together. In Everglades National Park,
immature eagles fly inland to roost communally at night, well away from coastal
nesting areas. (9)
5. Bald eagles are usually associated with a source
of permanent water, such as reservoirs, lakes, and free-flowing rivers, with
abundant fish and nearby sites for perching, roosting, and, in season, nesting.
These sites include snags or other open perches, such as broken-topped trees
and rocks near the water. (23)
1. Their primary prey is fish, especially salmon,
but they will also eat small mammals, various water birds, such as waterfowl,
and carrion. In the winter, provided the roosting sites and food are abundant,
the eagles will roost in groups, particularly in conifer stands or along
rivers with migrating salmon. During salmon runs in Alaska, up to 4,000 eagles
have been known to congregate along the Chiklat River. (23)
2. The bald eagle searches for prey from a soaring
flight or from a perch, then swoops down and grabs its prey. These eagles
are known to wade in shallow water to pursue fish with their bill or talons.
(23)
3. Bald eagles tend to cooperatively hunt, particularly
when pursuing lagomorphs, such as cottontails and black-tailed hares; they
will try and flush them out by using short flights back and forth across
the vegetation, or by watching from a perch and waiting for the prey to appear.
Occasionally, bald eagles visit flooded fields, pouncing on the small mammals
displaced by the water. Piracy of prey from other species is a common foraging
tactic of immature bald eagles. (23)
4. The young eagle will spend the next 4 years of
its life wandering across eastern North America looking for summering and
wintering areas where food is accessible. The mortality rate for eagles during
their first year of life is greater than 50%, but once they have learned
to hunt and forage successfully their chances of reaching adulthood are good.
When it begins to mature at age 4, an eagles seeks a mate and establishes
a territory. The territory is usually located within 250 miles of the nest
where the eagle was hatched. There, the new pair of eagles will construct
their own nest but often don't produce eggs or young during their first year
as a pair. They'll return in following years to raise young of their own.
(22)
5. The bald eagle searches for prey from a soaring
flight or from a perch, then swoops down and grabs its prey. These eagles
are known to wade in shallow water to pursue fish with their bill or talons.
(23)
6. The Bald Eagle feeds primarily on fish, aquatic
birds, and mammals, which it may take alive or find dead. Much of its live
prey, especially the waterfowl, consists of sickly individuals or those wounded
by hunters. When its staple foods are not available, a Bald Eagle will eat
almost anything that has food value. (24)
7. These large predators take food however they can,
stealing it from other birds (e.g., fish from the Osprey), scavenging on
carrion (including road kills and fish killed passing through hydropower
turbines), and hunting in flight, from a perch, on the ground, or in shallow
water. They sometimes feed in groups, although they rarely cooperate in hunting.
Generally, the adults are more likely to hunt and kill, whereas the younger
birds rely more on scavenging and piracy. (24)
8. An eagle uses its feet to capture and kill prey.
Swooping down from above, it grabs a fish and drives its long talons into
the prey with a treading motion. This happens so smoothly that an eagle rarely
gets its legs wet. Eagles snare flying waterfowl by flying under the intended
victim, turning upside down, and grabbing the prey by the breast.
(9)
9. An eagle hunting coots on the St. Johns River separated
a bird from its flock and pursued it underwater. Several moments passed before
the eagle returned to the surface with the coot in its talons. An eagle in
Alaska dove underwater to catch a duck and then calmly folded its wings and
floated at the surface for several minutes until the duck drowned. Since
the duck was too heavy to carry off, the eagle towed its victim to shore
with rhythmic beats of its outstretched wings, much like a human swimmer
using the butterfly stroke. (9)
10. Prey is carried back to the nest or roost and
eaten there. Eagles remove the skin from small mammals and often pluck the
feathers from larger birds before eating them. When eating a fish, an eagle
usually rips off the head and then stands on the carcass to tear chunks from
the body. Undigested fur and feathers are regurgitated as pellets.
(9)
11. When food is abundant, an eagle can gorge itself
by storing up to two pounds of food in a pouch in the throat called a crop.
Gorging allows the bird to fast for several days if food becomes unavailable.
Eagles also readily eat carrion such as stranded fish or the carcasses of
large animals. They will even drive vultures or dogs from a carcass or pursue
vultures and force them to disgorge their meal. (9)
12. Besides hunting and killing prey, eagles steal
food from other birds. The tendency to pirate food led Benjamin Franklin
to decide that eagles were birds of "bad moral character." Assigning human
moral values to an eagle is, of course, unfair, because stealing is just
another way of getting food. Eagles are particularly known for stealing food
from ospreys with whom they share waterfront habitats, but they will steal
from many kinds of birds, especially other eagles. (9)
13. In some parts of the country, wintering, non-nesting
birds roost and feed in groups. Groups of two to three to 30 or more eagles
may feed together. In the Chilkat Valley area of southeastern Alaska, more
than 3,000 bald eagles gather in the fall to feed on the carcasses of salmon.
These groups are far from friendly, however, since aggression between eagles
and food stealing are common. (2)
14. An analysis of the behavior of these eagles revealed
a range of aggressive displays as the birds continually displaced each other.
An eagle can challenge a feeding bird by descending from above with its feet
and talons outstretched or, if both eagles are on the ground, one may jump
a few feet in the air and drop towards the other. Sometimes an aggressive
eagle approaches a feeding eagle with slow deliberate steps, staring intently,
with its head and neck extended horizontally. If the feeding bird does not
retreat, the aggressor may strike with talons or beak. A defending bird either
retreats or retaliates by jumping and presenting its talons to the aggressor.
Physical contact is rare, but aggressive displays occasionally lead to injury
as one bird embeds its talons in the body of another. (9)
15. Stealing occurs even when food is plentiful. Pirating
is adaptive even when food is abundant because the risks associated with
stealing and hunting are about equal. Aggressive encounters rarely escalate
into violence, because the status of each bird usually predetermines which
bird will win an encounter. In other words, eagles usually challenge birds
that are likely to yield. For example, larger birds, which are usually female,
tend to steal from smaller birds. As a result, smaller or younger birds tend
to hunt more, while large adults more often benefit from stealing. Hungry
birds usually win out over birds that have eaten since a satiated bird is
less likely to defend a food item aggressively. A full crop is a clear sign
that an eagle has been feeding for a while. When each contestant knows the
status of the other, one will emerge as the winner without escalated fighting.
(9)
National Geographic aired a special one night about
how eagles catch fish in lakes. They fly high above the water but their eyesight
is so good they can spot fish in the water below. When they see one they
fold back their wings and aim directly for the water, going as fast as 130
mph. When they reach the water they spread their wings, reach out their talons,
grab the fish, and begin flying back to the shore.
On this TV special, they showed film of a very unusual
occurrence. An eagle made a dive for a fish and grabbed it in its talons.
But the fish was much larger than the eagle realized. As it began to fly
to the shore you could see the strain on the eagle's face. It was not going
to make it back to the shore with this huge fish. It then tried to drop the
fish, to let go of it. But the talons of the eagle had dug into the flesh
of the fish so deeply that it could not pull them out. It struggled but to
no avail.
Slowly the eagle descended into the lake and drowned,
unable to let loose of its catch.
Many times in life we grab on to something that can
be dangerous. We feel we have control and can stop holding on any time we
like. It becomes a habit and one day we try to get out and discover that
we no longer have a hold on it but it has a hold of us. "Therefore, since
we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1).
Edited from More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks
by Wayne Rice.
Copyright 1995 by Youth Specialties, Inc.
(Aritcle posted at The Quickened Word by permission)
1. An eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in
the world.
2. COMMON NAME: bald eagle (22)
3. The name "bald" is a misnomer. The scientific name,
Haliaeetus leucocephalus, means "white-headed sea eagle." (22)
1. CLASS: Aves (22)
2. ORDER: Falconiformes (22)
3. FAMILY: Accipitridae (22)
4. GENUS & SPECIES: Haliaetus leucocephalus
(22)
There are 59 species of eagles worldwide.
5. CLASSIFICATION: Falconiformes, yes, eagles are
hawks. Hawks are divided by their wing shapes and the way they fly: falcons,
accipiters, buteos, kites and eagles. Accipiter means "hawk" in Latin. Halos
and aetos are Greek for "sea" and "eagle." Since the bald eagle is considered
one of the sea-eagles, it fits. Another Latinized obvious observation:
leucocephalus. Leukcos is Greek for "white" and kephale is Greek for "head."
Pretty straight-forward! (22)
Wingspan: Male: about 6 1/2 feet; Female: about 7
feet
Weight: Male: 9 lbs.; Female: 12.8 lbs.
Coloration: Adult - Rich, deep brown except head and
tail which are snowy white. Bill and feet yellow, eyes straw colored.
Juvenile - dark head, neck and tail, body dark to
black and often mottled with pointed feather tips buff. Attainment of adult
plumage is gradual with mottling slowly molting out (the buffy tips wear
off) and the head and tail looking muddy, then buff, then white at four or
five years of age. Beak and feet are black. [Juveniles are easily confused
with young Golden Eagles. Bare lower tarsi, best when fishing because
water-logged feathers are heavy, are diagnostic for Bald Eagles, Goldens
are feathered to the toes. (22)
7. DIET: Mostly fish (which they will steal from each
other and from osprey), water birds that "raft" (like Coots), as well as
muskrats and other small mammals ("our" eagles at Eastman Lake take jackrabbits
and ground squirrels like Goldens do) plus carrion. (22)
8. Eagles sometimes bathe in shallow water or fly
down and drag their feet through water to clean them.
9. PREY SIZE: Prey items weigh from 3 to 5 pounds
at most. An eagle would have difficulty carrying anything approaching even
one-half its own weight, making myths of eagles carrying off human babies
or calves absurd.
10. LONGEVITY: Have lived 50 years in captivity. Life
expectancy in the wild may be 30 years. (25)
11. EYESIGHT: Five to six times sharper than a human's.
(25)
12. PERCHING: Bald eagles spend more time sleeping
or resting on a perch than at any other activity. Pairs often perch together
and, as one preens, the other keeps a watchful eye. If it is very hot, perching
birds droop their wings and gape their mouths. Different perches are used
during the day so that a bird can face into the wind or avoid the sun's glare.
When eagles of different ages perch in the same tree, the oldest birds usually
occupy the highest perches. (9)
From the following footnote references, you can see
I searched websites about nature, government, environment, scientific, wild
life studies, etc.
In searching for the eagle trivia it was interesting
to me that I did not find one particular item in even one scientific or nature
site. (Although it was written about in many Christian sites.) If you find
a scientific data source mentioning this theme, please let me know, I would
like to post it with this file.
The scientific data I did not find was the concept
of an eagle parent carrying an eaglet in flight. The scientific sites say
that prey weighs about 3-5 pounds and a baby eaglet weighs about 1 pound
more than its parent when it comes time to fly. (They need the extra weight
because they will no longer be fed in the nest and they will be gradually
learning how to hunt.) The parents weigh between 9-13 pounds.
I am thinking that if this is not a scientific fact,
then perhaps the Lord was using the following scripture as an allegory of
how He carried Israel on His wings in their journey through the wilderness.
"As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its
wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, So the LORD alone led
him, And there was no foreign god with him." (Deut 32:11-12 NKJV)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Words from the The Quickened Word are excerpts from the journals of Sandy Warner. To
better understand how God speaks, read Sandy’s book, “101+ Ways God
Speaks, And How to Hear Him.” Website: www.thequickenedword.com
Email:
swauthor777@usa.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Words from the The Quickened Word are excerpts from the journals of Sandy Warner. To
better understand how God speaks, read Sandy’s book, “101+ Ways God
Speaks, And How to Hear Him.” Website:
www.thequickenedword.com Email:
swauthor777@usa.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
