It’s that time of year. Most of the the birds at our feeders are house sparrows. They descend upon the feeders in flocks and consume nearly all the food within a day or so in the feeders.  So how can I get rid of them? After all, they are not as colorful as Cardinals, Goldfinches, and Indigo Buntings. Nor are they as fun to watch as Chickadees and Titmice. In addition, House Sparrows are not native to the area. They were brought over from

In the National Geographic Society’s Song and Garden Birds of North America (1964) the house sparrow was referred to as “cocky street gamin and barnyard brawler” (p. 290). IT notes that they have become “one of the most abundant and heartily detested birds.”  Among other things, they steal food from other species. A similar sentiment found expression in Familiar Garden Birds of North America (1965).  There it was said, “No other bird has become so thoroughly a part of civilization as has the house sparrow. Like the brown rat, the bedbug, and the cockroach it has become a permanent adjunct of western man” (p. 161).

My attitude began to change toward these “little brown jobs” (admittedly, I still have a long way to go) after reading an article that my colleague Tom Eggers gave me. The title was “Will Bird Life Eventually Become Extinct?” by J. M. Merrill.  The title was not surprising. But what surprised me is that it appeared October 15, 1927, long before the modern environmental movement burst upon the scene. And it appeared in a little newspaper publication intended for young people called Lutheran Young Folks.

Merrill writes about the “English Sparrow” (but prefers not to use that name because “he is and has been for years a dyed in the wool American”). As a farmer in Michigan, he laments that his fellow farmers tried to extirpate the sparrow because “He gets a little of the farmer’s grain,” even though at the same time “he devours millions of weed seeds, and other millions of pernicious bugs, lice and vermin that prey on the farmer’s crops. The sparrow benefits the farmer ninety fold while injuring him ten.” He also notes wryly that a young boy given an air gun believes “that the sparrow is the natural enemy of mankind and should be exterminated.”

Merrill goes on to lament the actions of a local church deacon, who upon finding a nest of young sparrows “procured a long pole” from a farmer and knocked the nest to the ground and killed the birds while growling, “Pests!” And “that man believed he was doing his Christian duty in thus killing those helpless little nestlings.”  He shows a remarkable ecological consciousness as he continues: “Cruelty to animals and birds is one of the worst traits of our supposed civilization, when the fact is no people who are really civilized would go out of their way to wreak destruction on birds and animals who, instead of being enemies, are in fact the best friends the human family has.”

All of this is not to say that I have become a fan of House Sparrows (formerly “English Sparrows”) or that they are without their problems. But I have become a little more cautious about disregarding them simply because they are drab “little brown jobs.”

In his introduction to Wendell Berry’s recent book, Bringing it to the Table, Michael Pollan observes that one of Berry’s favorite quotes comes from British agronomist, Sir Albert Howard. He urges us to think of “the whole problem of health in soil, plant, animal and man as one great subject” (p. xi). In a world in which we’ve become ever more disconnected from the production of food, and thus unaware of where or how it is raised, Howard’s statement comes crashing home when we reflect on the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to chicken eggs.

The more than 500 million eggs that have been recalled since mid-August come from two large egg producers (producing nearly 6 million eggs per day). FDA Investigators found contaminated water, contaminated feed, manure piled 4-8 feet high until it burst the seems of the buildings, and rodents running through the chicken houses. In addition, investigators “found dead maggots and live flies that crunched under foot.” Apparently a spokesman for one of the farms indicated that they’ve addressed the concerns as soon as they were identified by the FDA. These issues required trained investigators to uncover them?

Sir Albert Howard’s statement (and all of Berry’s writings that develop it) is another way of saying that everything is linked together. When we consume food we consume the earth itself. We are made form the earth and consume the earth when we eat. Healthy soil/environment gives rise to healthy plants to healthy animals to healthy humans. So what might we do about reconnecting the dots? To see what one family is doing, check out my colleague Jeff Kloha’s thoughts, “Together with All Chickens” at concordiatheology.org

What surprised me was the discovery that shore birds and wading birds (including, Whooping Cranes) stop by here as they head north in the spring and south in the fall. When I think of shore birds I think of them as living along the coasts of the Pacific and Atlantic. I did not think of them as migrating through Kansas. Yet here they are. In that it regard, it opened a whole new world for me. These are quite different from the warblers of the woodlands. When I came, many of the birds had just begun to migrate. Yet I got to see a few new species, including the White-faced Ibis, American Avocets and Black-necked Stilt.

All in all, pretty cool. I must definitely return more toward the height of migratory season. Also, check out Friends of Quivira as well and this Kansas site. On a historical note, the legendary explorer Coronado visited Quivira in search of a city of gold.

Image: wiki commons

The summer issue of the Concordia Journal (published by the faculty of Concordia Seminary) has just come out and its centered on the theme of “Caring for God’s Groaning Earth.”  It’s a terrific issue (of course, I am a bit biased). In addition, it provides a balance Biblical approach to the topic. It doesn’t say everything that could be said but does chart out some directions that we need to pursue.

Its contents include “The Cathedral of Creation” (by President Dale Meyer), “Caring for God’s Groaning Earth” (by yours truly), Yahweh versus Marduk: Creation Theology in Isaiah 40-55” (by Dr. Reed Lessing), “Good Stuff? The Material Creation and the Christian Faith” (by Pastor Mark Surburg), “Getting our Bearings: Wendell Berry and Christian Understanding” (by Pastor Joel Kurz), and “Getting up to Speed: What Should I Read” (by yours truly and Beth Hoeltke).

Contact the office of the Concordia Journal, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, Clayton, MO 63105. Also check out, www.concordiathoelogy.org.

I like the wide open spaces of the great plains, with the wavy hills and the big sky with its incredible cloudscapes.  Perhaps it is because I don’t feel claustrophobic. Perhaps it is the size of place puts everything in perspective. This past Spring I traveled through Nebraska to see the SandHill Crane migration.  Last summer it was Iowa (I was leading a workshop in West DesMoines). This summer it is Kansas (for a workshop in Colby).

So on my way through Kansas, yesterday, I stopped at the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve. It is jointly operated by the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy (one of my favorite conservation organizations). It is part of one the largest, original tall grass prairie ecosystems left in existence.

Of course, as usual, I visited during the first week of August when all of the flowers and Bluestem grass are not yet in full bloom. And of course, as usual, I arrive around noon on a hot blistering day (I have to to remember to bring a hat with me!). Still, I enjoyed the two mile hike on the South Wind (aptly named) trail. During that hike saw a number of birds, heard plenty of insects (I have to get an identification guide for them), and many Royal Fritillary butterflies.

The Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve isn’t as well developed (in terms of a visitor’s center and exhibits etc) as is the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge south of DesMoines. It does have a helpful visitor’s center and is testimony to the Nature Conservancy’s dedication to preserving the land. The Preserve is quiet, peaceful, and has some terrific views of rolling hills of tall grass prairie. It’s well worth a 1-2 hour side trip if you are passing through.

Speaking of the beauty of the plains, check out The Great Plains by Michael Forsberg.