"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." [ Galations 3:29]
Smack in the middle of "the Roaring Forties", waves crash over a group of dedicated scientists while most of them hang on for dear life. But it's not their own lives to which they cling. It's the dozens of Albatross chicks packed away in foam crates for their relocation to a specially designated new home in the hope that this amazing species can be coaxed back from the endangered species list. |
| Image: David Boyle Chatham Island, NZ |
Why did this passionate group of people choose to brave raging seas, damp, foggy weather and very sharp beaks? Well, like most of the planet, the area between latitudes 40 and 50 just below the equator [known as the roaring 40's] is changing. "The Pyramid", a privately owned pyramid-shaped rock/island in the Chatham Islands of New Zealand is the only nesting ground for the Magenta Petrel Pterodroma magentae or Taiko. The Albatross to you and me. And during the past several years, the normal and much anticipated storms that rack this island have changed to include some rather nasty weather systems that blow in hard from the North. As this new brand of treacherous weather INcreases in frequency, the survival of the Albatross chicks that hatch on the Pyramid DEcreases. The rock is a safe haven from "normal" seasonal weather but does nothing to shelter the baby birds from North winds. Scientists have decided to intervene before it's too late.
 |
| Image: "The Pyramid" - Chatham Island Taiko Trust |
Much like the relocation efforts for the Kakapo parrot [also in New Zealand] great pains have been taken to ensure the propagation of one of the world's most intriguing water foul. But adult Albatross have a very strong internal compass. They ALWAYS return to the Pyramid to nest. It's where they are born. It's where their parents were born. It is where their chicks were born and WAS where they are raised. That is - until the Chatham Island Taiko Trust packed up hatchlings into crates, braved the Roaring Forties, and moved the next generation of this remarkable bird to a similarly rocky island some 50 kilometers to the North. Away from the ever changing weather patterns that bombard the Pyramid.
 |
| Image: Chatham Island Taiko Trust |
To ensure success, however, these bird heroes had to create an environment in which the Albatross chicks would feel at home, safe, and comfortable enough to behave normally. That meant duplicating the nest on which all baby Albatross sit until they are ready to fly and fend for themselves. But how? We are not birds, able to fly about and collect the proper materials? But ... EUREKA! A flower pot will do. Pretty cleaver, bird Scientists. Pretty cleaver. Now for the artificial parents, the vegetation, and recreated voices that should accompany an island of nesting Albatross.
Whew! Done, done, and done. What an ordeal! All for the heirs to a majestic rocky kingdom of a very large sea faring bird. Can you imagine taking on such a tedious and arduous task? I mean, the sheer magnitude of it! And we are but mere humans.
You and I, my friend, are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our Father is NOT a mere human. Can you imagine what preparations He is making to relocate us? His own children? How amazing must it be? All the "nest creations", the ambiance, the parenthood involved just to ensure we inherit what God has promised us? And really, He didn't have to make us His heirs and promise us the future to begin with.
Wow. Just .... wow. There are no words.
 |
| Image: Chatham Island Taiko Trust |
With Thanksgiving just around the corner. What will you remember to be thankful for? We have so many, many, many reasons to give thanks. I, for one, am so very grateful to inherit the title of heiress. I am so proud to be called a child of God. Saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am the fuzzy Albatross chick wrapped up in shelter, hope, and tender loving care by the Hero of Heroes. The Savior of Saviors. My Creator.
Oh how very grateful am I.
Note: For more information regarding the Albatross relocation project check out the Chatham Island Taiko Trust on Facebook. On the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels check out www.apac.aq. And for information on the Roaring Forties check out www.oceanservice.noaa.gov.
