The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

We’re not exactly birding hobbyists but we have kept track of a variety of bird species in the various places we have lived. We can share with confidence a number of common birds in our region, both permanent and seasonal.

Our first field guides were a delight...officially endorsed editions that later expanded to include flora and fauna as well as sea creatures and seashells. Moths and butterflies were the topic of yet another guide, each narrowing the range of characteristics leading toward a positive identification.

With the advent of personal computers, enthusiasts took the craft forward. With an algorithmic approach, one could march one’s way through a multitude of clues in order to secure a relatively fast and accurate result. Today, the latest smartphone apps are marvels, identifying birds through photos submitted real time in conjunction with the birder’s observations.

Now comes the latest generation apps which can identify birds by their call and song. The smartphone records the bird and lists the most likely candidates bird-wise. It matters not if there is one bird or 200. The software sifts and separates it all out, identifying multiple birds that might be chirping at the same time. Nearly as amazing is the fact that the app is free for downloading, compliments of an ornithology lab at a major university.

This app has helped us to identify a large population of house finches, European starlings, Eurasion ring-neck doves, thrashers, killdeer, and a variety of other species. We have been waiting patiently for king birds to return but to no avail. Last season’s storms were rough on them. Magpies used to be ubiquitous until West Nile virus found them. Perhaps we’ll hear a call again someday from one of them.

The ability to differentiate the calls is bound to make its way toward a future religious app that identifies pastors by their voice and denomination. Would we ever encounter a tufted ruby-throated Pentecostalist or a black and white New England Congregationalist warbler? How about a slick-billed white tailed evangelicus?

The point is that even though we are but one voice, it is a voice that is heard and recognized and beloved by the creator. We should not fear getting lost in the layers of noise that surround our meager choruses. If human engineered software is able to discern the voice of single birds in a chorus of thousands, how is there room to worry over what God can and can’t do?

Wouldn’t it be a nice change to sit for moment, in or out of church, quiet our voices, and wait for God to speak to us? I would guess we might hear something beyond the silence, a reassuring presence. And if we pulled our latest religious identification app out, allowing it to come to its own conclusions, what would it find? Divine voice and harmony mixed in with every utterance representing humanity. How much more valuable are we than sparrows? They are looked after without ever asking. “Not one sparrow (What do they cost? Two for a penny?) can fall to the ground without [God] knowing it.” (Matthew 10:29, TLB)

Listen to the voices and calls around you. Discern God’s presence.