Fw: turkey vulture

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2016 7:42 AM
Subject: turkey vulture

I spotted this turkey vulture in a tree by the pond this morning.  And then, as he was flushed, I noticed several more in nearby trees.  As they spotted me and left their perches the sound of their powerful wings clawing into the air was impressive.  To be fairly close to these turkey vultures is a little intimidating because of their size.  They are about 2 1/2 feet long with wingspans of 6 feet.  Their purpose seems to be defined by their appetites as they eat freshly dead animals.  They are God's design for a "clean up crew".  This isn't a role that carries a lot of glamor and their black bodies and ugly bald red heads project an image that corresponds to their role.  They are very specialized to succeed.  Highly sensitive senses of smell allow them to detect freshly dead animals from a distance of over a mile.  Their powerful beak enables them to tear into and consume their prey and the bald head is superior to feathers as no tissue sticks to their heads from the eating process.  They also have excellent vision, can dive at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, can rise to elevations up to 20,000 feet and can soar for hours without flapping their wings.

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The thought I have from a spiritual sense is that God's design is complete.  Just as there is a design for life, so there is a design for death.  This earth was planned to support generation after generation of living things and when death comes there must be a "cleaning" to take place to prepare for new generations.  Not all of God's design is pretty at first consideration but, viewed from the standpoint of purpose, we appreciate the designer who takes all things into consideration to carry out His plans.

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 Deuteronomy 14:¹¹ "You may eat all clean birds. ¹² But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, ¹³ the kite, the falcon of any kind;

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blessings,

Rob Smith