I was very happy we didn’t get the brutal cold from the polar vortex that hit the eastern U.S. but it did get me thinking about how birds stay warm in the winter. It’s a common misconception that if you put up a box, birds will use it at night for sleeping, but it just isn’t so. Birds mostly use boxes to nest. They roost in dense thickets where the thick tangles of vegetation or evergreen boughs protect them from rain, cold and predators.

Feathers, of course, are another way birds keep warm. They are very efficient insulation as you may have discovered if you have a down jacket. By fluffing their feathers birds create air pockets that trap heat and reduce heat loss. Watch the birds when it’s really cold out and you will see that they are all fluffed out as they utilize these feather capabilities. Birds also have an oil gland just above their tail and they spread this oil over their feathers to make them waterproof. This keeps rain from soaking through their feathers so they don’t succumb to hypothermia. They spread the oil by rubbing their head in the area just above their tail and then rubbing their head on other parts of their body.

As a general rule, larger birds are better able to deal with cold weather than smaller birds because the larger body allows them to retain heat better. Because of this over winter survival is tougher for small birds because they lose heat fairly quickly and relative to their size they need to eat more food to keep warm. Some birds prepare for winter by caching food during the warmer months to be consumed during the winter. Unfortunately other birds and animals can find these hidden away stores and deplete them.

Hummingbirds use another method to survive cold winter nights. They can go into a temporary hibernation mode called torpor to help them conserve energy. Birds in torpor reduce their body temperature along with their metabolism rate which saves energy because they don’t have to maintain normal body temperature. Without this mechanism hummingbirds would die overnight in winter because they cannot store enough food to produce the energy needed to keep them warm overnight.

Birds keep their feet and beaks warm by burying them in their feathers. This is critical because exposed feet and beaks lose a lot of heat similar to humans not wearing a hat or gloves. This is why birds often sleep standing on one foot holding the other foot tightly against their body. Waterbirds use a mechanism called counter current exchange to heat the cold blood coming from their feet and cool the warm blood going to their feet so they aren’t losing a lot of heat to the cold water. This allows them to stand in cold water for long periods of time without the cold transferring to their core and thus making them cold all over.

Of course you can also help out the birds by placing a birdfeeder (or two) and a birdbath in your yard. High energy feeder foods include black oil sunflower seeds, thistle seed, or suet. You’ll enjoy their antics on cold winter days!

Sue Heath is the Director of Conservation Research of the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory.

Since we are already in the second month of 2019, we must be close to Valentine’s Day! There are so many activities that we should be involved in, like the First Baptist’s party. Everything we an do to show our loved ones that we care will reap great rewards! It is said that the Apostle Paul wrote “A Psalm of Love”. It is recorded in our Bibles in I Corinthians, chapter 13. We would encourage you to read it with your loved ones often and try your best to live each of those verses personally. We are joining with several other churches on Saturday, February 16 in Victoria for a Valentine’s celebration.

We have just celebrated starting Fisherman’s Chapel twenty-four years ago. Since I had pioneered a church in the late 1970’s in Missouri, I was not eager to start another one here! It took several weeks of praying and talking with the three couples who asked me to come for me to finally believe that the Lord was leading me here. All I heard the Lord say that He wanted me to do was “Help clean up Port O’Connor!” I was sure the message meant for us to have a great revival that would make this a 100% Christian community! But, after seeing how God led  us to have a cleaning service, remodel homes, and build some new places for people to live, I began to realize God was calling us to be a part of this community and allow our light to shine in whatever darkness we found ourselves! And, God has been faithful to bless us with all that He has showered upon us! Today, we thank God that we were obedient to come here and see His generosity toward us, with blessings too numerous to count!
January was extremely busy and February is equally exciting with all kinds of activities. Most remember that in 2000, we began hosting the Sea Academy here in our building. For the first time, we are hosting two classes back to back, beginning on February 15 and going through March 1. These are two completely separate classes, but if anyone wishes to be a part of them, they need to call Captain Robert as soon as possible at 361/759-6194.

If you miss these two class opportunities, there is another class scheduled for March 15 through March 22. It is a regular class and one can earn their “captain’s licenses” from the Coast Guard during this event. So, these classes are scheduled to meet the needs of our community!
Pastor Jesse will be ministering on February 17 in the evening service that begins at 6:00 p.m. He has a very unique style of preaching that is greatly loved and appreciated by all. All those who speak Spanish are urged to attend, for he has the ability to preach in both English and Spanish at the same time! It will be an evening to remember, so mark your calendars and be here.

On the last Sunday of the month, we will be enjoying our Kids Ministry, lead by Hermana Angie. The Kids will be singing in the morning service in what we call the Jelly Bean Choir. After receiving a special offering for our benevolence ministries, the kids will sing so that  following the service they may stick their hand in the Jelly Bean jar and take all the candy they can. It is an exciting time and very enjoyable for all the children (and we adults enjoy it too!)

Also on February 24 at 6:00 p.m., we will be having our annual Meeting of the Members. It is time when we receive the yearly reports, which includes both the financial report and the Pastor’s Report. There will be the election of the Board Members of the Chapel, and we will discuss many upcoming activities. We have been announcing that “Changes are coming” and we would like for all those who feel that the Chapel is your church to come and be with us.

Please do not forget to “Spring Forward” on March 10. This March’s time change will take one hour of your sleep away from you with the promise that your opportunity to sleep will be added in the fall. If you can, please help me – I have never understood how it is saving anyone any time! It is my humble opinion that is we would just leave our clocks alone, we would figure it out soon enough that the sun is coming up earlier and setting later all on our own!

Come join us! Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation that is in the community to help us get from earth to Heaven successfully! One will always find a warm welcome at any of our services. Sunday servies begin at 10:00 a.m. with Bible Study led by Pastor Jesse, the 11:00 a.m. morning service, and the 6:00 p.m. evening service. On Wednesdays, we meet at 7:00 p.m. for a time of refreshing. Presently, we are preaching a series on Sunday mornings titled “Anger Management”. On Wednesdays, we are looking at the Book of Joshua concerning ‘Defeating the Giants”. You are always encouraged to, “Come, grow with us!”

Just want to share with everyone what a Special Lady Grace Stone is at the age of 103 on February 8. She’s is so enjoyed at the Senior Luncheons.
A few weeks ago she asked me, “Aren’t you with the Port O’Connor Chamber?”
When I said yes, she said, “I have made something for you,” then gave me this pillow, she made out of a Chamber T-Shirt. (pictured above)
I will treasure this. Thanks to Grace.
LaJune Pitonyak