Spectacled Eider Duck (Somateria fischeri) ~ Drawing Others In


Spectacled Eider Ducks inhabit boggy tundra waters during the relative warmth of summer.  In winter the lakes freeze and the ducks vanish.  Until recently no one knew where the ducks went.  In the late 90’s localized patches were discovered across the frozen Arctic Ocean.  Upon further investigation, voilá, there were the Eider Ducks! It seems that the Eider Duck forms massive colonies by which their constant movement and body heat keep sea ice from forming.  The entire world population of Eider Duck can be found in only a dozen such colonies each winter.  By packing tightly together and keeping the ice at bay, Eider Ducks can dive all winter to find food where normally sea ice makes life impossible.

This weekend i was invited to go “Extreme Sledding”.  i wasn’t sure exactly what “Extreme Sledding” meant.  i do now.  It’s basically like sledding but with more speed, more bruises, and a lot more fun.  Imagine luging down a riverbed headfirst.  Now add trees, snowdrifts, and terrifying drops.  That’s basically our stint in Berthoud Pass.  What made the caper so memorable for me, however, was not the exhilarating wipeouts into snow banks; it was the friendship.  i went up there not knowing anyone; essentially i was a stranger.  But this group of friends took me into their huddle and taught me the ins and outs of their crazy tradition.  They let me stay in their cabin, fed me, and considered me one of their own.  i came away feeling like i’d had a weekend with dear friends, even though this was the first time i’d met them!

When i picture the love of Christ, i picture a spot of light in the darkness.  It’s the safe place amidst terror, the warm patch in an icy realm.  Blessed are we who can huddle together in the love of Christ!  But a big part of “Christian community” comes with inviting others in.  It’s easy to form our little clicks where we know everyone and can be comfortable with ourselves.  That sort of self-seeking comfort is always discomforting for others.  i have had terrible experiences trying to befriend people who “have enough friends”; perhaps you have too.  It’s like being blasted with ice; like a face full of snow.  Is it worth having “Christian community” when others are being left out in the cold because they’re not part of our flock?  Even churches push each other away and become suspicious of each other.  When we extend love and comfort to people on the outside, transformation happens.  Like the Eider Duck, i hope we can remember that we are all ‘birds of a feather’ and be willing to embrace each other as family, no matter where we’ve come from and no matter what our theology is.  i am so thankful for my Extreme Sledding stint with those strangers, and i hope to pass on the warmth they extended to me.  

 Spectacled Eider Ducks have uniquely armoured heads
 Satellite image of Eider Ducks aggregating on sea ice in winter

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guardian Trees ~ When Leaders Fall

Image
I recently received a message from a friend of mine who lives in Oregon. There was no text, only a ten second video panorama of what looked like a war zone. Trees were strewn all over the ground. Splintered wood carpeted the scene. It took me a moment to realize that the recording was taken just outside of their house. I was shocked. After visiting them each year, I’ve come to know their land well. The forest surrounding their home has become like a friend to me. Now it’s an unrecognizable wasteland. I called my friend to make sure she was alright, and she told me the story of what happened. Over the summer, new tenants purchased the adjacent property. They were first-time landowners and did not consult anyone about managing their forest. The couple decided that they wanted more sun, so they hired loggers to come and cut down the trees on their property. Residents in the area (some of whom had been in land management for 40+ years) reached out to the new neighbors and explained that th
Read more

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) ~ Why Should I give Christianity another chance?

Image
            The loudest animal on our planet is also our largest toothed predator:  Physeter macrocephalus,  the sperm whale. People are surprised to hear that sperm whales make the loudest vocalizations, perhaps because we imagine them as serene and calm—the silent beasts of the deep. In his book  Deep,  explorer and author James Nestor describes an account when biologists were diving with these animals (diving with whales the best way to study their behavior). One whale swam directly at one of the researchers. Startled, the man held up his arm to try and stop the whale. In response, the whale let out a small grunt and swam past the man. This grunt was enough to freeze the man’s arm in place for three hours. The voice of a sperm whale can literally vibrate a human body to death. We now know that sperm whales disorient and may even stun their prey with loud sound bursts called ‘gunshots’. It’s the rarest of all sperm whale vocalizations. But the true reason these whales have such a pow
Read more

Saharan Silver Ant (Cataglyphis bombycina) ~ Surviving Persecution by Reflecting God's Light

Image
In the Sahara, the sun rules all.  No creature can survive its full heat, which averages 104ºF.  Yet the unlikeliest of creatures, an ant, has a trick up its sleeve.  The Saharan Silver ant is the only animal in this ecosystem capable of withstanding the heat of day at high noon.  Their peculiar armor, much like a space suit, is the cause.  These ants are silver-colored, and their dainty panoply of mirrors reflects sunlight.  Thus when their last predators hide away in the ground to hide from the extreme heat, the Saharan Silver ants scurry out to gather their daily food.  Their shimmering bodies have only minutes before the sun burns through them.  They march out quickly, locating food and working together to bring it back to the nest.  After 10 minutes, the last ants are either back in their burrow or crippled by heatstroke. 
The Saharan Silver Ant is a remarkable creature.  When I ponder these brave little animals, whose every moment seems to be a struggle
Read more