I want to thank Lee's Birdwatching Adventures for guest posting this blog! Lee's website is about birding from a Christian perspective and has years of articles and content from Lee and other creationists and birders.  Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9  Hooded Merganser diving duck on a small pond in rural Walton County, Georgia, USA. January 17, 2014. 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. (The Message paraphrase)  The Hooded Mergansers have finally arrived for the winter on the small pond behind my office. Not only are they so unlike our resident Mallards in appearance, sporting that black-and-white retractable crest, but they differ greatly in habit and action. That’s the difference between dabblers and divers! When not cutting across the water for a free handout of bread, our trio of “green heads” stay along the edges of the pond, searching the shallows for aquatic vegetation and larvae. They are the dabblers. But the Mergansers! Those “hoodies” swim out to the middle of the pond and SPLASH!!!... they disappear, diving down to the depths. They are the divers. They go deep for those delectable bottom dwellers!  Mallard drake duck on a Walton County pond, Georgia. January 26, 2017.
 Dabbling Mallard ducks; Walton County, Georgia. Dabbling ducks feed in shallow water for aquatic vegetation and larvae. October 7, 2016. One observer of ducks wrote, “Dabbling ducks have the condition known as ‘duck butt.’ You look at them in the water and sometimes see no face, just a duck rear end sticking straight up in the air.” [i] And over the last twenty-six years of my salvation, I’ve observed that the church visitors or new converts that remain on the edge - only occasionally seeing their faces and merely dabbling in dedication – they usually migrate away at their season’s end never to return. But the diver! The diver that abandons all to explore the depths of prayer, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and the call of God, they repeatedly come with mouths full and to spare for others! If you’ve been dabbling on the edges in your commitment to serve Christ and to serve in your local church, row out to the middle, step out of the boat, and dive in. I assure you, the water’s great! That’s the difference between dabblers and divers! [i] Learn to tell the difference between dabblers and divers, by Kathy Long, Virginia Living Museum. https://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/arts/dp-vlm-naturenotes-ducks-0816-story.html
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William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message
Carolina Wren near my backyard feeders; Clarke County, Georgia. January 26, 2020.
I was recently given the awesome privilge of becoming a guest author on Lee's Birdwatching Adventures, a great blog about birding from a Christian perspective. Well, on her site, Lee also has pages for kids! So the "creation kids" in my Creation Speaks class recorded an online commercial for their new favorite Bible-birding website, Lee's Birds of the Bible for Kids. Follow the link to the kids section for all kinds of great birding content from a Christian perspective... for kids! (You'll find some great stuff there for adults too!)
Waltonpets Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dog and cat rescues and adoptions.
Female tan brindle American Pit Bull Terrier portrait with sad eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
"Momma" was a pretty pitbull mix that was turned in stray to the animal shelter on January 11, 2020. She was rescued by WW DAWGS Rescue on January 22, 2020!
Female tan brindle American Pit Bull Terrier portrait with sad eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
Female tan brindle American Pit Bull Terrier portrait with sad eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
Female tan brindle American Pit Bull Terrier portrait with sad eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9  Bird's Eye View -- Close up photo of Great Blue Heron. December 18, 2018. Walton County, Georgia. Have you ever desired to fly like a bird or soar like an eagle? To see entire, sweeping landscapes and distant horizons all from one vantage point? Who wouldn’t! And with the price of drones coming down, captivating aerial photos and video are becoming much more common. Drone footage grabs and holds our attention and imagination, and we often do not know why. Drones give us a perspective on things in ways we can never naturally see them. From high up above our normal position, drones give us that proverbial “Birds’ Eye View” on the world… and that appeals to us! We imagine having the outstretched wings and keen eyes of the hawk; an image that personifies true freedom; a freedom other creatures covet.  Bird's Eye View -- Turkey Vulture soaring over Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia, USA. July 29, 2013. A fellow Christian blogger and photographer Simon Desjardines wrote, “One of the great advantages a drone offers is that it can get where we cannot…All of a sudden we can be transmuted into a bird and cross frontiers to reach our goal.” A soaring bird has a much greater field of view than us earthbound pedestrians. And the “bird’s eye view” image speaks of something even beyond birds; it speaks of an omniscient God with a much higher vantage point than ours… outside of time and space, in fact. A recent evangelist to my congregation spoke, “God has a bird’s eye view of our lives. He knows where He is trying to take us. He knows what lies ahead.” From His perspective, God’s view sees more than the moment we are struggling in.  Bird's Eye View - Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA. August 1, 2017. A view from higher up changes our outlook on our current trials and past failures. Instead of stopping us, we see them as teaching moments along the road to help us move forward. The evangelist concluded, “This is just a small portion of your life. But use it to move on.”
When an aerial photo shot by a drone speaks to you, be conscious of the thoughts awakened in your soul. “Oh to have the capability of a bird and see all the landscape before me!” But even if you’ll never learn to fly, Oh to have the capability of a God on your side who knows all the road ahead of you! “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). 
Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats photography for adoption at the animal control shelter.
Older neutered male black and white German Shepherd mix breed dog with outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.
"Zeke" was picked up stray by an animal control officer on January 9, 2020. He was rescued by Second Chance Habitat on January 18, 2020!
Older neutered male black and white German Shepherd mix breed dog with outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.
Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats photography for adoption at the animal control shelter.
Older female Shepherd Collie mix breed dog with grey muzzle outside on leash Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.
"Cheyenne" was picked up stray by an animal control officer on January 9, 2020. She was reunited with her owner on January 18, 2020!
Older female Shepherd Collie mix breed dog with grey muzzle outside on leash Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.
Older female Shepherd Collie mix breed dog with grey muzzle outside on leash Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.
Older female Shepherd Collie mix breed dog with grey muzzle outside on leash Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.
Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats for adoption at the animal control shelter.
Older female Golden Retriever and Shepherd Collie mix breed dog with outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
Tallulah was a sweet senior Golden Retriever mix that came through the animal shelter in January 2020. Tallulah had just a few months with her new adopters because of some major medical issues, but her story is a sweet one. Despite losing her, it was a happy ending, for she was loved and wanted her last few months of life.
On January 9, 2020 an animal control officer picked up an older Golden Retriever and two other dogs. The next day I had the pleasure of meeting her at her Furtography Session. She was such a sweet and cooperative girl during her photo session and gave her the name “Tallulah”, after the beautiful waterfalls of Tallulah Gorge in North Georgia. Being an older girl, she was quite calm and affectionate.
A week had passed since her impound and no owner called or came to the shelter to look for Tallulah. She was rescued by Leader of the Rescue Pack on January 17, 2020. Her rescue and transport was sponsored by pledged donations from Jason, Becky and Polly.
Three days after she was rescued from the shelter, her owner finally decided to look for her and contacted the shelter, but Tallulah was on her way to Connecticut. (I just can’t comprehend how someone can wait 11 days before beginning to look for their three missing dogs.)
By January 25, Tallulah had already found an adoptive home up north. On that special first evening in her new home, her adopters wrote, "Tallulah caught a few winks earlier. The house seems too warm for her but she is not interested in this snowy evening! Tallulah just licked John’s hand and is stretched out again in the den. She prefers the floor to the comfy foam and fleece beds. All good so far. Thank you!”
After a few vet visits, it was found that Tallulah had some major medical issues and surgery would be needed. On February 14, I received another update from her new family: “Tallulah is home now and wants to shake hands… a lot… even while laying down recovering! It was an extensive surgery. The vet removed the spleen and the growth. They were going to take the small mammary growths, but the bleeding was excessive (they’re vascular) so he removed the two largest and sent them out for biopsies. It was very lucky that we got the spleen growth out as it was likely to burst soon. But she is home and recovering well. More soon. Best, Cecelia.”
I always love receiving updates of the dogs that come through our care. Happy Endings remind me of why I do my job and help push though those frustrating days of high intake. Tallulah’s continuing updates were just as encouraging. When I received Tallulah’s “final update” on September 14, 2020, I was saddened to hear she passed. But looking back, it was truly a happy ending. Instead of being euthanized in a dog pound, Tallulah had wonderful care and love from the Kellers. Their words said it best and I quote them in full here: We are broken hearted to let you know that, after a steady physical and, we think, neurological, decline, Tallulah fell into a seizure last weekend, one final struggle for a lovely soul who had already suffered so much. We made the decision to euthanize her to spare her any more pain and distress, and she died here at our home.  Waltonpets Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dog and cat rescues and adoptions.  Senior black and tan German Shepherd Dog outside on leash with gray muzzle outside on leash. Senior spayed female about 11 years old. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. "Savannah" was a German Shepherd Dog surrendered to the animal shelter by her owner on January 13, 2020. She was rescued by Canine Caravan Rescue on January 16, 2020!  Senior black and tan German Shepherd Dog outside on leash with gray muzzle outside on leash. Senior spayed female about 11 years old. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.  Senior black and tan German Shepherd Dog outside on leash with gray muzzle outside on leash. Senior spayed female about 11 years old. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo.  Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats photography for adoption at the animal control shelter.  Cute neutered male tri-colored Beagle rabbit hunting hound dog with floppy years outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com "Michelangelo" was a stray Beagle boy picked up by an animal control officer on January 8, 2020. He was adopted into a new home on January 15, 2020!  Cute neutered male tri-colored Beagle rabbit hunting hound dog with floppy years outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com  Cute neutered male tri-colored Beagle rabbit hunting hound dog with floppy years outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com  Cute neutered male tri-colored Beagle rabbit hunting hound dog with floppy years outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com  Cute neutered male tri-colored Beagle rabbit hunting hound dog with floppy years outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com 
Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats photography for adoption at the animal control shelter.
Cute seven month old neutered male Basenji and Husky mix puppy dog outside on red leash. Head tilt, big erect ears, one blue eye. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
"Dylan" was cute mixed breed dog (maybe Basenji and Husky???) surrendered to the animal shelter by his owner on January 7, 2020. He was rescued by Puppy Mutts Rescue on January 10, 2020!
Cute seven month old neutered male Basenji and Husky mix puppy dog outside on red leash. Head tilt, big erect ears, one blue eye. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
Cute seven month old neutered male Basenji and Husky mix puppy dog outside on red leash. Head tilt, big erect ears, one blue eye. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
Waltonpets Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dog photography and cat photography at the Walton County Animal Control Shelter in Monroe, Georgia.
Big black and brindle neutered male Rottweiler mix breed dog outside on leash at sunrise wagging tail. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society. Please don't steal my images. Photo sales support pet adoption website.
"Dallas" was a Rottweiler mix breed dog that was surrendered to the animal shelter on December 27, 2017. He was rescued by WW DAWGS rescue on January 10, 2020!
Big black and brindle neutered male Rottweiler mix breed dog outside on leash. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
Black and white photo of Rottweiler mix breed dog with sad brown eyes. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Georgia USA.
 Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats photography for adoption at the animal control shelter.  Cute three month old female Black Labrador mix puppy dog in animal shelter photo studio with blue backdrop background. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society. "Oakley" was surrendered to the animal shelter by his owner on January 8, 2020. He was adopted into a new home the following day!
Waltonpets Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dog photography and cat photography at the Walton County Animal Control Shelter in Monroe, Georgia.
White and black neutered male Boxer and American Bulldog mix breed dog with red collar and leash outside. Black patch over eye. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
"Snowball" was surrendered to the animal shelter by her owner on January 8, 2020. He was rescued by WW DAWGS on January 15, 2020!
White and black neutered male Boxer and American Bulldog mix breed dog with red collar and leash outside. Black patch over eye. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
White and black neutered male Boxer and American Bulldog mix breed dog with red collar and leash outside. Black patch over eye. Dog rescue pet adoption photo animal control humane society.
I want to thank Lee's Birdwatching Adventures for guest posting this blog! Lee's website is about birding from a Christian perspective and has years of articles and content from Lee and other creationists and birders. Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9  Eastern Bluebird songbird perched on a tin roof in Walton County, Georgia. Sialia sialis is the state bird of Missouri and New York. January 9, 2020. The great thing about enjoying birds is that you can experience that joy just about anywhere you go! Even if we’re shut indoors at a meeting or conference, we can simply pick the seat next to the window and find our avian friends. In his chapter in the book Good Birders Still Don’t Wear White, author and birder Noah Strycker wrote, “The beauty of birds is that they are everywhere, from the deepest wilderness to the most crowded inner cities.”  Field Sparrow; Walton County, Georgia. January 10, 2020 “The beauty of birds is that they are everywhere, from the deepest wilderness to the most crowded inner cities.” - Noah Strycker And the great thing about being a Christian is that we can engage with our Creator anywhere we are! Whether we are admiring His handiwork on a nature hike, lifting up His name in organized worship, or slipping into a closet during a stressful day at work to call upon His name, our God is ever-present. In the book of Psalms, David wrote, “If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:8-10). Just like the birds, “from the deepest wilderness, to the most crowded cities”, our God is there! Walton County, GA  Female Eastern Towhee songbird; Walton County, Georgia. January 15, 2020. Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9 I want to thank Lee's Birdwatching Adventures for guest posting this blog! Lee's website is about birding from a Christian perspective and has years of articles and content from Lee and other gifted creationists and birders.  Ring billed Gull, Larus delawarensis, flying over the Atlantic ocean beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, December 23, 2019. Lamentations 3:52 "Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause." It seems the favorite sport of every dog and child on the beach is to run wildly into a pack of gulls. I have to admit, it does look fun, and I probably did it too as a child. While visiting beach of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina this past Christmas, I marveled at the flight of the terns and gulls. Lifting off, taking to the air, circling around, diving and coming back to a landing to avoid the berserker kids and dogs. How do they do it?  Small terrier mix dog running on the beach, chasing seagulls, and flying in the air on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA. December 24, 2019. From the beginning, as he marveled at the flight of birds, man began chasing the dream to fly. The first concerted efforts came as early as 1485, if not earlier, with Leonardo DaVinci’s Ornithoper blueprints. Although many efforts were made, it wasn’t until 1903 that flight was accomplished by humans. We may have large jumbo jets carrying people across the globe today, but it was a long, arduous process to get there. If it was so difficult for man to learn to fly, how did birds catch on so quickly and gracefully learn to take to the air? The answer: they didn’t learn! The birds immediately burst forth in color and flight on Day 5 of creation! They were designed, equipped and enabled to fly from their very beginning. They "got off to a flying start", so to speak! [i]  Flock of Ring-billed Gulls, Larus delawarensis, standing on the Atlantic ocean beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; December 27, 2019. Does that sound like an impossible fairy tale? Well, consider this yarn: “Flight appears to have evolved separately four times in history: in insects, bats, birds and pterosaurs. These four groups of flying animals didn’t evolve from a single, flying ancestor. Instead, they all evolved the ability to fly from separate ancestors that couldn’t fly. This makes flight a case of convergent evolution.”[ii] Did you catch that? The complexity of flight evolved separately on four different occasions? Since the probability of even a simple, 200 component, single-celled organism evolving is at least 10 to the 60th (a “one" followed by sixty "zeros")[iii], flight evolving even once is basically an impossibility. But four times? It takes less imagination and faith to marvel at the wonder of flight and know that an incredible Artist designed it in one swift stroke! “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air” (Genesis 2:19). Any other hypothesis is just chasing gulls! [i] https://creation.com/created-to-fly  Large black and white Great Dane dog with collar walking on the beach without a leash on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA.  Small terrier mix dog running on the beach playing fetch on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA. December 24, 2019. |
 All content is ©williamwisephoto.com. Please don't steal images. My images are available at dreamstime.com. Stock sales go into the shelter photography program.
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In December 1993 I came to know the Designer and Creator of this wonderful planet and its creatures: Jesus Christ.
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Donations help support the animal shelter adoption photography equipment and adoption website hosting and domain fees. Thanks for your support!
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