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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. -- Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28  White-throated Sparrow Thursday, 9:08 AM – It seems it has been a little while since I’ve had the time to walk up by the shelter ponds. It is still so warm at 55° for a January morning; billowy clouds in a blue sky passing over the sun and diffusing the light for some decent photography. A female Merganser sits on the pond. Several small birds flit in and about the dried vines: White-throated sparrows, a Ruby Crowned Kinglet (too fast to focus), and Cardinals. I managed a decent shot of the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) to update my Photography Life List. The vibration reduction on my long lens is getting worse, causing violent shaking at times. This is a true bummer for me. Walton County, Georgia  Habakkuk 3:19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.  Eight-point Whitetailed Deer buck in low, pre-dawn light. 1/60 sec; f/5.6; 300mm; ISO 6400 Tuesday, 7:41 AM - Looking out the to the meadow behind my house while eating breakfast, I spotted some deer grazing. While this is no strange occurrence, what I saw on their heads was a bit out of the ordinary. Two large racks. One was a six-point buck with a spread just a couple inches shy of his ear spread. The other was a larger 8-pointer; quite a big fellow! I have never seen such well-endowed antlers near my home in the eight years I have lived here. These two boys are near on par with my Texas Whitetails photographs! I quickly went to my camera and walked slowly through the backyard to the pasture fence. Because it was overcast and the sun had not yet risen above the horizon, I boosted the ISO 6400 to make the shot possible. The low light, and all the “noise” generated at that high of an ISO didn’t produce a trophy photograph, but well documented these two trophy bucks.... trophy bucks at least for my neighborhood. Athens, Georgia  Six-point Whitetailed Deer buck in low, pre-dawn light. 1/60 sec; f/5.6; 300mm; ISO 6400  Spotted again February 4, 2017 early in the morning passing through. It seems a habit for them. 
 Job 39:26 “Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?"  Red shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, raptor, bird of prey, Walton County Georgia Tuesday, 1:14 PM - A bright blue, sunny sky with a touch of warmth has returned after the last few days of cold temperatures. Our impending snow storm predicted for last Friday turned out to be only a light dusting of powder and, thankfully, no ice. By mid-afternoon, the day continued to warm up. Two Red-shouldered Hawks were perched over a drainage ditch and scanning the ground for rodents. Buteo lineatus is a medium-sized hawk that resides here in the eastern United States. They aren’t quite as large as the Red-tailed Hawk, but are quite conspicuous, especially while the leaves are off the trees. This pair allowed me a surprisingly close approach. I was able to walk so close that a full extension of my zoom lens wasn’t even needed. But just my luck, such a beautiful opportunity for close up shots of two beautiful raptors and they were, of course, backlit by the bright sun.  Red shouldered Hawk perched on a branch in Walton County, Georgia. Buteo lineatus is a medium-sized raptor bird of prey in eastern North America. Backlighting can be used for effect, such as silhouette shots, but otherwise makes it difficult to photograph properly . Either the subject will be properly exposed but the bright background will be blown out, or the background will look good but the subject too dark to discern detail. It is best to change your position to realign the sun, or to place a darker object such as a tree or hill behing the subject to mute the bright sky. Also, a bit of post-processing work can sometimes salvage the photograph, but is often apparent if the shadows are boosted too much. I was worried my shots wouldn’t come out because of the backlighting. But it isn’t always about the photography. I was still able to watch these two beautiful raptors for a few minutes and observe their behavior. One took off as I pressed in a tad closer, but the other remained on its perch just above me for quite some time. The chilly air caused me to retreat before it did. Walton County, Georgia.  Red shouldered Hawk sitting in tangle of trees in Walton County, Georgia. Buteo lineatus is a medium-sized raptor bird of prey in eastern North America.  Red shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, raptor, bird of prey, Walton County Georgia 
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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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