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Birthplace of the Suwannee

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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

An excerpt from Suwannee River, Strange Green Land by Cecile Hulse Matschat, 1938.

Bald Cypress tree buttress with Spanish Moss in blackwater swamp with lily pads Picture
Bald Cypress tree buttress with Spanish Moss in blackwater swamp with lily pads. Nature photography from the Middle Fork Suwannee River (red trail), Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. October 23, 2020. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
​“The birthplace of the Suwannee is in Georgia, deep in the somber heart of the Okefenokee Swamp. Grotesque, bottle-shaped cypress trees, sixty to ninety feet in height, with wide-spreading tops, reach upward from the wine-colored water and form a canopy so dense that only a weird green light dapples the floor of the forest. Everywhere long banners of Spanish Moss hang down from the living trees, hiding their feathery foliage from the sight of man and covering up dead stumps.” 
​Cecile Matschat’s work published in 1938 by the Literary Guild of America is full of colorful stories of the Swampers that lived in the Okefenokee, exciting folklore encounters with bear, boar and cannibal alligators, as well as scientific descriptions of the flora and fauna of the great swamp. It a worthwhile purchase if you come across a used copy of this collectible out-of-print treasure of Okefenokee literature. 
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Anatomoy of an American Alligator's Armor

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
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Alligators have large external ears that can hear above water and sense vibration under water. The ears are covered by a watertight ear flap seen as a slit just behind the eye that the alligator can open and shut. Bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. Large alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
American Alligator anatomy profile showing webbed foot with scales and claws Picture
An American Alligator`s feet are covered in scales and have sharp claws. Alligators have five partially webbed toes on both front legs and four webbed toes on the back legs. Alligator feet have been used as good luck charms for magical powers. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
American Alligator anatomy profile showing scales and scutes on the hide Picture
An American Alligator`s body hide is covered in watertight scales. Alligators have bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
American Alligator tail anatomy profile showing scales and scutes Picture
An American Alligator`s body and tail is covered in scales. Alligators have bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
American Alligator Picture
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Paddling the Okefenokee Red Trail

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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

DAY 2 - THE RED TRAIL

Eastern Phoebe songbird perched in a cypress swamp Picture
Eastern Phoebe songbird perched in a cypress swamp. Sayornis phoebe breeds in North America. Birding wildlife photography from the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Being our only full day for this three-day excursion, we paddled up the Middle Fork Suwannee River (red trail). I wanted to show David some of the beautiful, darker, greener areas of the cypress swamp.
• Friday, October 23, 2020
• Sunrise 7:04 AM, sunset 5:27 PM
• Day length: 10 hours 20 minutes (-1 hr 8 min)
• Temperture - high 84; low 65
Bald Cypress tree buttress with Spanish Moss in blackwater swamp with lily pads Picture
Bald Cypress tree buttress with Spanish Moss in blackwater swamp with lily pads. Nature photography from the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Juvenile baby American Alligator profile close up Picture
A juvenile American Alligator showing detail of scales, integumentary sensory organs, vertically elliptical pupil. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Upon our return toward evening, storm clouds began to gather over Billy's Lake. We could see sheets of rain pouring from the clouds off in the distance, but only received a light sprinkling as we toiled at the oars to get back to the Stephen C Foster State Park boat ramp. 
Pied billed Grebe swimming in bonnet lily pad swamp Picture
A Pied-billed Grebe swimming among maidencane and Spatterdock Yellow Bonnet Lily Pads in the Okefenokee Swamp. Podilymbus podiceps, also called a dabchick, is a duck like water fowl. Wildlife birding photography on Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
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Alligator Anatomy: Osteoderm Armor

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "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
Transverse rows of epidermal scutes on the back of an American Alligator Picture
An American Alligator`s body hide is covered in hard, boney watertight scales. Alligators have bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
​All along its back - from neck to tail - the American Alligator is armored with bony scales called osteoderms. Also called scutes – derived from a Latin word meaning “shield” - these osteoderms are arranged in rows below the alligator’s thick, leathery skin. Each osteoderms is almost square-like and has a high ridge through the middle of the upper surface called a keel. The rows of keels are what give the alligator that “spiked” appearance. Not only do the osteoderms act as protective armor, but they also help with thermoregulation. The osteoderms are porous, and not solid bone. They are networked with blood vessels and can act as heat exchangers to warm up or cool down this “cold-blooded”, or ectothermic, reptile. 
​Chen IH, Yang W, Meyers MA. Alligator osteoderms: mechanical behavior and hierarchical structure. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2014;35:441-448. doi:10.1016/j.msec.2013.11.024
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Moss Covered Cypress Knees

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
Cone shpaed cypress knee covered in green moss reflected in blackwater swamp Picture
Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
​There is no solitude like sitting in a dark cove within the Okefenokee Swamp. The dark water of the Suwannee River travels swiftly causing swirling eddies behind the stumps of cypress logged generations ago. Thick fetterbush and Tupelo form a tunnel overhead. Beams of dappled sunlight peak through the vegetation to illuminate the swamp details: dark shadows under cypress buttresses… brilliantly deep green mosses upon their knees… Bartram's airplant clinging to stems and trunks… whirligig beetles skimming the blackwater surface. Silence. Solitude. Swamp. 
Cypress knees covered in green moss in a gloomy cypress swamp Picture
Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Cone shpaed cypress knee covered in green moss Picture
Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Cypress knees covered in green moss in a gloomy swamp Picture
Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
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Ahead was a Dark Dense Swamp...

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
Cypress knees covered in green moss in a gloomy cypress swamp Picture
Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Excerpt from the 1875 Okefenokee Exploration by The Atlanta Constitution:
September 19, 1875. -- "Ahead of us was a dark and dense swamp stretching for miles away, and the man who has never ventured upon such an undertaking as was ahead of us knows little of the feeling that stole over me at this moment. The novelty of talking about, and “writing up,” the Okefinokee vanished like pleasant dreams to a waking mortal. We were standing upon the margin of the great southern dismal, and various were the thoughts that flashed through my mind as we paused. But the flat gave forth and there was no turning back now. Floyd’s Island – the heart of the Okefinokee – must be reached by our reporter, and I was determined to be the man.

"The first three hundred yards was through a dense undergrowth of tyty, sugar bush and a species of non-bearing huckleberry, while over head, towering into the skies, were several varieties of the gum, bay and yellow pine, of very large growth. The ground was partially covered with green pond moss and was inclined to be boggy. This growth generally belts the outer edge of the swamp. Just across the creek, the character of the swamp changed. Cypress and pine gave place to gum, while the undergrowth seemed to have been killed either by fire or by a flood of water, a few years ago, and the dead bushes were lapped across our way to such an extent that we frequently had to cut our way through. In these bunches of dead bushes and on the dry tussocks along side of our way we saw, to our great discomfort, numbers of moccasins, and some as large as a man’s leg. Several times during the day we failed to see these uncomfortable friends until one was walked upon, and commenced struggling to make and escape about our feet. When one was discovered so unpleasantly near, our leaping would have done credit to a professional acrobat." 
​In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp
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The Boney Hide of an Alligator

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
American Alligator swimming submerged showing eyes, nostrils and transverse row of epidermal scutes above the water Picture
American Alligator swimming submerged showing eyes, nostrils and transverse row of epidermal scutes above the water. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
​Paddling upstream, against a slow but constant current, the canoe run gets darker. The senses are lured into believing that dusk has arrived. Little sunlight penetrates the thick vegetation. Barred Owls, typically creatures of the night, are calling aloud. Like skeletons draped in aged rags, the overhanging Cypress limbs become more and more covered with Spanish Moss, until practically nothing of the host tree is visible. But is isn’t yet much past noon! You glide along the river in silence. Then something big and rough brushes the bottom of the boat. No shape or figure can be seen in the tannin blackwaters. Is it just the rough bark of a fallen tree? Or the boney hide of a large alligator? 
• Middle Fork Suwannee River; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refug.
• Friday, October 23, 2020
• Sunrise 7:04 AM, sunset 5:27 PM
• Day length: 10 hours 20 minutes (-1 hr 8 min)
• Temperture - high 84; low 65
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What's Behind the Glass?

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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

Dark tannic waters reflect the upper world perfectly. The mirror-like blackwater displays inverted Cypress Trees and Spanish Moss without flaw. But the glassy dark waters obscure all that lies below the oxygen-rich world in which we reside. What goes about beneath that obsidian-glass surface? What strange fish or slimy siren? What giant crocodilian or slithering serpent just brushed underneath the kayak? What giant chelonian crawls about the floor of that black as night, water? What's behind the glass? ​
Reflection of a cypress tree buttress in a blackwater swamp Picture
Reflection of a cypress tree and Spanish Moss in a blackwater swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens are found in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
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Exceptionally Good Bearhounds

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
Black Mouth Cur Bear Hound Picture
Hound Black Mouth Cur mix breed dog. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for local animal shelter. ©www.williamwisephoto.com
Excerpt from Francis Harper’s Mammals of the Okefinokee Swamp, published March 1927:
"About a dozen years ago there were some exceptionally good bearhounds on Billy’s Island. One day two of them treed a Bear near the Lee’s home. None of the men happening to be at hand, two of the women went to the place and shot the Bear out of the tree. When it fell, they did not venture to go up close and give it a finishing shot, as one of the men would have done, and consequently the animal succeeded in mauling the dogs so that they died. Certainly there can be a few places in the country where such an episode has any likelihood of occurring."
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American Black Bear in Stephen C Foster State Park; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. October 2020 ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
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Stephen C Foster State Park Wildlife

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
Even if you don't have your own canoe or kayak, a stay at the Stephen C Foster State Park campground is well worth the while. Even on the short trails there is plenty of wildlife to see. And if you want to get out on the water to see the alligators, there are canoe rentals and tour boat treks. 
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When we came off the water back at Stephen C Foster in the evening, the Black Bear was again at the dead end of the parking lot near the boat barn. Not sure if it was the same individual as early in the morning, but likely. Obviously it was hanging around quite a bit as it prompted a sign to go up at the ranger station and I overheard several campers talking about it. 
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Okefenokee Reflections

10/23/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
Reflection of a cypress tree and Spanish Moss in a blackwater swamp Picture
Reflection of a cypress tree and Spanish Moss in a blackwater swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens are found in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
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Okefenokee Billys Lake Canoe Trek

10/22/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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

Day 1 - the Brown Trail

Leg 1 - paddling west on Billy's Lake to the entrance of The Narrows; 1:30 to 2:15 PM
American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth Picture
An American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
I was accompanied on my fall 2020 Okefenokee adventure by a friend from church. When questioned by others whether or not David could “hang with the Okefenokee”, I reminded them that he had been a missionary in South Africa for five years. If he could hang with rhinoceros and marauding baboons, he could certainly paddle the peaceful Okefenokee.

We got an earlier start that I typically have with my daughter and were therefore already in the refuge with our Stephen C Foster campsite erected and on the water by 1:30 PM. Our first evening would be along the brown trail toward The Sill and back.
American Alligator diving into dark swamp water Picture
American Alligator diving into dark swamp water with reflection in tanin stained blackwater. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
My goal this trip was to document individual alligators and to photograph species I had not yet documented during my last trips. Although not a first, a softshell turtle was a promising start to our trek. David quickly proved a keen eye as he spotted it laying upon the peat at the entrance to Billy’s Lake. It dove a bit too quickly under the dark water to capture a good photograph. A Little Blue Heron stood not far to the right.
Turkey Vulture roost in dead cypress tree and Spanish Moss in swamp Picture
Turkey Vultures roost in dead cypress tree and Spanish Moss in swamp. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
As we trolled westward toward the Narrows, I was perplexed by the lack of birds. None of the typical Cormorants and Anhingas sat in the cypress. I was hoping fall held higher numbers of waterfowl than our spring and summer visits. Of course, there were plenty of Turkey Vultures, but just a few Great Egrets and Little Blue Herons.
​
The alligators weren’t in great abundance, but not atypical for a hot afternoon on Billy’s Lake. A few lay basking on logs in the more secluded western end of Billy’s Lake. The green Cypress leaves were turning to a rich brown, and decorated with Spanish Moss curtains, Billy’s Lake was a beautiful autumn scene.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
​Thursday, October 22, 2020
​​Partly cloudy, high 84F, low 71F.
Sunrise 7:37 AM; sunset 6:50 PM
Day length: 11 hours, 12 minutes (-1 min 43 sec)
Spanish Moss curtains hanging on Cypress tree buttress in the Okefenokee Swamp Georgia Picture
Spanish Moss curtains hanging on Cypress tree buttress in the Okefenokee Swamp Georgia. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Tillandsia usneoides is an epiphyte that grows on oak and cypress trees.
American Alligator laying on a cypress log in the Okefenokee Swamp, tight dermal scales visible Picture
American Alligator laying on a cypress log in the Okefenokee Swamp, tight dermal scales visible. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Alligator mississippiensis is native to the Southeastern United States.
American Alligator laying on a log in dark Okefenokee Swamp Picture
An American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
Close up portrait of American Alligator head, jaws, teeth, scales and vertically elliptical pupil Picture
Close up portrait of American Alligator head, jaws, teeth, scales and vertically elliptical pupil. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
Close up portrait of an American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth Picture
A close up portrait of an American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
On the return "home", there were many Turkey Vultures and several Little Blue Herons on Billy's Lake. A few alligators we still out soaking up the last sun of the day. 
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Okefenokee After Dark

10/22/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
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Timber Rattlesnake; Stephen C Foster State Park campground, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.
In hopes of documenting a few other Okefenokee species I hadn't photographed before, I took some after dark bike rides and walks around the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. The best find was a Timber Rattlesnake, although unfortunately it was dead on the road. 
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Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area

10/22/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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

DAY 1 - THE bROWN tRAIL

Turn-around point: The Sill Recreation Area
Large American Alligator high walking in Okefenokee Swamp Georgia Picture
Large American Alligator high walking along The Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
David and I weren’t planning to paddle as far as The Sill, but the strong current of the Suwannee carried us there quite quickly. Being a long, straight, man-made canal, “The Sill” is probably the least scenic waterway I’ve paddled in the Okefenokee, but it certainly has some big gators!

To stretch our legs before the afternoon’s return journey to the Stephen C Foster campground, we pulled the canoe on the bank just above the sluicegates and walked to the parking lot below the dam. Right away we spotted five large alligators. The highlight was when one monster across the river “high-walked” from his basking spot down into the water.
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The Sill is a water control dam built by the Federal government in 1960. It is five miles long and was designed to hold water in the swamp during times of drought. Failing in its intended purpose to control the Okefenokee's water levels, it is now the Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area and is popular for anglers.
American Alligator hiding in the swamp on a foggy morning Picture
American Alligator hiding in the Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
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Not a Pleasure Excursion

10/22/2020

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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
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American Alligator laying on a cypress log on a cypress lake. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Alligator mississippiensis is native to the Southeastern United States.

Excerpt from the 1875 Okefenokee Exploration by The Atlanta ConstitutioN

"We are receiving applications daily by letter and in person, to join our expedition in the Okefenokee swamp. We desire to state again, that as it is not a pleasure excursion, we must necessarily restrict our party to those who will assist in accomplishing the objects of the expedition. Persons desiring to penetrate the mysteries of this terra incognita must make up their minds to abandon every comfort and prepare themselves to meet the utmost exposure and fatigue while in the swamp. Clothing and shoe leather are treated very unceremoniously by the water and briars and one should consider himself fortunate to come out with enough cloth upon his person to hide his nakedness."  - The Atlanta Constitution, October 22, 1875.
​In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp.
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Contact me here: 

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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. 
Donations help support the animal shelter adoption photography equipment and adoption website hosting and domain fees.  Thanks for your support!  
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