Even the stork in the sky Knows her seasons; And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush Observe the time of their migration; But My people do not know The ordinance of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7 NASB)

That time of the year is approaching and for some birds, it has already started. What? Migration. The birds have been busy all spring and summer having babies, feeding them, raising them, training them, and now it is time to go elsewhere. That is, if they are the kind of bird that migrates. Why do the migrate? Most because of food sources or to stay warm. The hardy “residents” will stay behind and “hold down the fort” so to say.

God has put the instinct in them when they were created to know to “migrate.” Depending on which version of the Bible your read, the stork:

• knoweth her appointed times
• is conscious of her fixed times
• know when it’s time to fly away for the winter and when to come back
• know when it is time to return
• knows her seasons

And the dove and swallow and crane (depending on version):

• observe the time of their coming
• Observe the time of their migration
• keep to the times of their coming
• know when it’s time to migrate
• watch the time of their coming

For those of us down here in Florida, we get excited because we will finally get to observe some birds as they pass by or as they get here for the winter “vacation.”

Please check out these previous articles about migration. I think you will find them very interesting:

Interesting Things – Amazing Bird Migration
Interesting – Migration and Mechanics of Flight
Pacific Golden Plover
Birds of the Bible – Hawk Migration
A Lesson from the Stork
Too Much Knowledge?
Through The Looking Glass of Val Lee – Canadian Geese
Through the Looking Glass of Val Lee – Bullock’s Oriole
Bird Migration Mistakes – released today
Not a bird, but:
Interesting Things – Dragonflies II