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  Whitetailed Deer Buck in Driftwood Texas Hill Country near Austin While on our Thanksgiving Texas trip, I had the privilege of watching a buck stalk and chase down a doe in a series of photos I called The Rut. These deer obviously spend a good bit of time fighting for the females, as can be seen by the gash over the eye of the buck in the tall grass. Although it is a type of sanctuary with limited hunting, life can still be tough. Most of the deer probably die of starvation since there are so many deer per square mile. As my daughter and I were driving through LaVentana early one morning “hunting” for deer during Thanksgiving week 2014, we came around the corner and spotted a large buck. He was snorting and stomping his feet while staring into the scrub. My first thought was he was focused on an intruder or predator. But in a moment the source of his stomping was revealed: rut! As he pushed into the bush a bit further, a doe ran out full speed into the clearing and the chase was on. The two darted in a large circle at breakneck speed! I did the best I could to track them and fire off shots. Since I hadn’t been prepared for a high-speed chase, my shutter speed was a bit slow and most of the series of shots were blurry. But it was quite an exciting chase! It only lasted a minute until the doe found safe refuge again in the scrub.  Whitetailed Deer Buck in Driftwood Texas Hill Country near Austin  Whitetailed Deer Buck in Driftwood Texas Hill Country near Austin  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- Acts 17:24 "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."  Whitetailed Deer Buck at sunset in Driftood Texas Hill Country We made our annual Thanksgiving trek to the hill country of Driftwood Texas. Amanda and I went out several mornings looking for some good deer shots. One shot, with the blue sky background, is in nearly the same place, looks like it may be the same deer, and is nearly a duplicate shot as one I got several years ago and printed as a large canvas on my office wall. I particularly liked one series of shots of a nice buck shot through a split rail fence. Megan also found a cute House Gecko in my parent's garage. Driftwood, Texas  Whitetailed Deer Buck behind split rail feince in Driftood Texas Hill Country  Whitetailed Deer Buck in Driftwood Texas Hill Country near Austin  Whitetailed Deer Buck in Driftwood Texas Hill Country near Austin  Whitetailed Deer Buck in Driftwood Texas Hill Country near Austin William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- Job 39:26 “Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle rises to the heights to make its nest? It lives on the cliffs, making its home on a distant, rocky crag. From there it hunts its prey, keeping watch with piercing eyes."  Red-shouldered Hawk raptor catching prey at Panola Mountain State Park Georgia. Our tour of the Georgia State Parks brought my daughter and I to Panola Mountain State Park on November 3, 2014. Right away we were presented with an outstanding observation of a Red-shouldered Hawk taking a limb near the Nature Center. Located in Stockbridge, Georgia, it is a favorite retreat-to-nature by many metro-Atlanta residents. We spent the day exploring the granite outcrop ecosystem unique to the park. I was also impressed with the extensive, paved trail system perfect for biking or hiking by those with access issues. https://gastateparks.org/PanolaMountain  Wild Turkey, Panola Mountain State Park, Georgia.  Red-shouldered Hawk raptor watching for prey at Panola Mountain State Park Georgia  Cold! Our planned camping trip to Magnolia Springs State Park for the 4 day GA/FL weekend was cancelled. It was our only open window for a camping trip, and the first hard freeze of winter had to roll in. I wavered back and forth all evening and morning; one child in favor of going, the other against; but finally we cancelled. The forecast was predicted at 35 and 33 degrees each night; well below the 40 degree ratings of our sleeping bags. When we woke Saturday morning to an overcast sky and increasing winds, I knew I had made the right decision to stay home. Later that day, standing in the shade with cold, biting wind on outreach confirmed it. At the warmest point of the day, it reached only 48 degrees. I went for a 2-mile run and my throat and lungs burned from the crisp, dry air. Oh well, the trip was cancelled, and who know when the next window will open, but we were warm sleeping in the living room watching Pinocchio this evening.
 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon." I Kings 4  Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird; Clarke County, Georgia. August 14, 2014. Nature Notes, October, 2014: 10/5/14 – Wow, what a cold snap! The first of the year. This morning’s low of 38 degrees broke a 1974 record of 39 degrees. Cold and windy; a very abrupt change. But don’t be fooled, the warm weather will return again! 10/7/14 – It seems “Myrtle”, our Crepe Myrtle perching hummingbird is gone, along with the male and juveniles that fed at our feeder. But wait, one smaller juvenile pops up every now and then at the feeder on cool, overcast days.  Great Blue Heron; Sandy Creek Nature Center, Oxbow Loop off Cook's Trail. October 11, 2014. 10/11/14 – It is only 9 AM and I am actually perspiring as I sit in the full angled rays of the sun as it rises to my left. But fall has definitely begun to arrive. Yes, its football season, most people’s sign that fall has arrived. But God’s clock of changing season strikes “fall” in the changing of the leaves. The Black Cherry Trees are a mottled green and yellow. A few strategic patches of yellow are seen in the Sweetgums, while one large Sweetgum on the edge of the pasture has turned a brilliant red through most of its foliage.
No hummingbirds have come to the feeder this morning. Although it has warmed back up to clear, warm 80+ degree days, they must have all moved on. Now, there is only a large, intricate spider web bridging the space between the feeder and the adjacent Crepe Myrle, tracing the exact route that Myrtle used to Buzz hundreds of times per day.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- Psalm 33:6-9 NET By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made; and by the breath of his mouth all the starry hosts. He piles up the water of the sea; he puts the oceans in storehouses. Let the whole earth fear the Lord! Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came into existence, he issued the decree, and it stood firm.  Yellow Bellied Water Snake Nerodia erythrogaster at Richard B Russell State Park Georgia An overnight family camping trip to Richard B Russell State Park in Georgia.  Yellow Bellied Water Snake Nerodia erythrogaster at Richard B Russell State Park Georgia  Yellow Bellied Water Snake Nerodia erythrogaster at Richard B Russell State Park Georgia William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  Snapping Turtle close up from a small pond in rural Georgia Walton County Found this fairly large Common Snapping Turtle moving from the upper retention pond, which is drying up, to the lower pond and wetlands area. Walton County, Georgia  Close up photograph of snapping turtle sharp and powerful beak like jaws and scales. Chelydra serpentina is native to North America in pond and stream habitat.  Great Egret fishing out easier prey as the waters of the upper retention pond go down.  Close up photograph of snapping turtle sharp and powerful beak like jaws and scales. Chelydra serpentina is native to North America in pond and stream habitat.  Close up photograph of snapping turtle sharp and powerful beak like jaws and scales. Chelydra serpentina is native to North America in pond and stream habitat. 
Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, 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
Backyard birding, Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Athens, Georgia.
Friday, 3:29 PM – I bought my first Hummingbird feeder this spring and by July it was in full swing. While there were several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the area, one female in particular was the primary visitor. We named her Myrtle because of her habit to sit on guard in the Crepe Myrtle next to the feeding and chase off every other Hummingbird, and even the wasps, that tried to get a draft of that precious nectar. She became so accustomed to our presence that I was able to get some good close up shots standing just a few feet away from the feeder.
Clarke County, Georgia Hummingbirds have long, thin tongues which reaches far beyond the bill to help them reach nectar deep inside flowers. 
Backyard birding ruby throat hummingbird coming to nectar feeder; Athens, Georgia.
A tiny female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting on the branch of a Crepe Myrtle tree with pink bloom on a green background. Birding photography from Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. Archilochus colubris is the most common hummingbird seen east of the Mississippi River in North America.
Ruby Throated Hummingbird alighting on twig near nectar feeder
 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, order, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- Psalms 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  Young Whitetailed Deer Bucks in Velvet. Clarke County, GA. Saturday, 7:26 PM - This pair of young bucks was shot in the meadow behind our house. There are several bucks with one misshapen antler in our neighborhood. It looks as if one of these will have the same type of rack develop. To me, the younger deer look to have goofy noses, sort of like Gonzo on the Muppets. Athens, Georgia  Young Whitetailed Deer Bucks in Velvet. Clarke County, GA.  Young Whitetailed Deer Bucks in Velvet. Clarke County, GA. 
Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, 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
Copperhead Snake basking on a log in the Swamp
Friday, 9:30 AM - Animal Control received a 911 call about a Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) in a driveway in a residential area in Monroe. By the time the officer arrived, this poor guy had already gone several rounds, receiving a good beating from a house cat. After throwing in the towel, he arrived back at my office, drained of energy and with blood in his eyes. I took him back to the beaver swamp behind the gun range to photograph and release him. Since he had had enough, in his exhaustion he was quite easy to photograph. I’m not sure if he lived or died, but he was certainly ready to swim off and be left alone.
Walton County, Georgia 
Close up of Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix, showing heat sensing pits and vertically elliptical pupils common in pit vipers of North America. Some blood in eye and face from being attacked by a cat. Photographed in swamp habitat in Walton County, Georgia.
Copperhead venomous snake with blood in eyes from cat fight basking in swamp in Monroe Georgia
Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix, native to eastern North America is a venomous pit viper snake. Photographed in swamp habitat in Walton County, Georgia. It is often associated with rock outcroppings and ledges, but is also found in low-lying, swampy regions.
 Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s 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  American Kestrel; photo #201403023 It is exactly one year later and an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) sits on the power line along Highway 186 on my drive home each day. Since this one doesn’t seem as cautious, I’m not sure if it is the same bird I tried repeatedly, day after day, to photograph last winter. But it is a real coincidence that he sits on the same wire to hunt over the same field if he is not the same bird. Walton County, Georgia  American Kestrel; photo #201403022  Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, 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  Wood Ducks; Walton County, Georgia. Wednesday, 12:52 PM - I can’t believe my luck! How I managed to sneak up on this beautiful Wood Duck pair and manage a photo is a dream come true. The Wood Ducks are always so cautious and ever on the alert that they blast off out of the water before I’m even within range with a high power zoom lens. You can see the tensed and nervous body language in the photos. This time, I was walking along the gravel road that skirts the back pond behind the animal shelter and saw these two on the water. Perhaps because it was a bit windy they didn’t hear my feet crunching in the leaves. I fired a few shots before they got too uncomfortable and took off. I wish the flight photos were a bit more sharp, but I wasn’t ready with a quick enough shutter speed. But not bad for a first opportunity to photograph the colorful Wood Duck! Walton County, Georgia  Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, 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  2/14/14 We thought the snow that kept us indoors the last few days would cancel our camping trip to High Falls State Park, but the roads cleared. However, just after leaving the house, I rear-ended a car ahead of me. There were so many drivers out after everyone had been cooped up for a few days, and traffic was narrowing due to some construction. After calling the police and insurance, I had to switch all the gear from our Equinox to the Impala (not exactly the best vehicle for camping) and we made the drive down to Jackson, Georgia.
High Falls seemed more of a day-use park than the other, larger GA State Parks. But it wasn’t crowded, as I’m sure it can be in the summer. We spent two days in a Yurt, which was a real nice experience. (The Yurts have heat!) It wasn’t too notable a camping trip, but was nice to get away for a couple of days. Coupled with the previous snow days, it turned into a very long, relaxing weekend.  Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. "Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work." Psalms 111:2  Hermit Thrush bird on snow covered ground in winter; Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. Backyard birding. Another coating of snow blew in yesterday; this one more substantial and icy, giving us a few days off work and a few days to photograph the chilled birds. The puffed feathers of the Towhee, Chipping Sparrow and Hermit Thrush help accentuate the feeling of the chilly air. Athens, Georgia  Red-bellied Woodpecker in iced pine needles tree during snow storm in Athens Georgia  Backyard birding Hermit Thrush in the snow Athens 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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