Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, March 21, 2025
A little after 8:30 one morning in late February, I stepped out on our front porch and immediately heard an incredibly loud metallic banging, like someone firing a machine gun.
Since machine guns are probably nonexistent in our neighborhood, I looked around for other sound-sources. I glanced up at the light pole across the street, noticed the bird atop it, and the banging began again. It was the bird – which our Tuesday blogger Robert Howson would probably identify as some kind of flicker – who was making the racket.
The noise was truly impressive. I’d seen flickers before, sometimes sitting atop stop signs and producing nervous, tinny rattles, sometimes industriously thwacking tiny holes in tree trunks, sometimes even disturbing morning sleep by paying similar attention to metal chimneys. But the one in this photo was making a far greater racket.
The reason, of course, is that this bird has a magnificent megaphone. The streetlight is prominently positioned, with nothing around to muffle its sounds in any direction. And its lamp-hood seems perfectly designed to resonate with best effect.
Know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount about how effective the example of one faithful person can be:
“You are the light of the world,” He insists. “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14 – 16 NKJV)
The glow of such an unmistakable light (aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t say “You are a flicker hammering on a lamp-hood”?) isn’t hard to miss, especially since it shines in a world flooded with darkness.
To learn more about how effective our spiritual example can be, click the link just below:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/witnessing