 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  American Alligator; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023. Location: north of Minnie’s Lake between canoe mile markers 23 and 24; N30.90290° W82.28644° American Alligator photographs taken from my canoe while paddling up the Suwannee River Middle Fork from Billy's Lake to just north of Minnie's Lake, and back.  American Alligator; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, GA. April 16, 2023. Location: between canoe mile markers 24 and 26; N30.89193° W82.29023°  American Alligator; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023. Location: Suwannee Middle Fork (red canoe trail) between Billy’s and Minnie’s Lake; N30.85444° W82.32854°  American Alligator; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023. Location: Billy's Lake; N30.83204° W82.35892°
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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  Two large American Alligator laying in dark blackwater in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Neverwet Golden Club and Yellow Bonnet Lily pads. April 16, 2023; Suwannee River Middle Fork canoe trail. Most of the big alligators concentrate on the larger, open lakes within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Some of the smaller ones may take up residence along the more shallow and constricted runs through the swamp. This pair of large alligators was lurking just off the main canoe trail along the Suwannee River Middle Fork, just a few hundreds yards up from Billy’s Lake. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023. Other alligators along Billy's Lake: 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  Southern Blue Flag Iris flower and cypress stump in Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Iris virginica is native to the United States and grows in wet areas such as marshes, swamps, river bottoms, ponds, and shallow water. I have to admit, my lure to the Great Okefenokee Swamp is the alligators and snakes. But for those seeking a less hostile beauty, this National Wildlife Refuge holds treasures for the botanist and flower hunter. At certain times of the year, the blue/purple Southern Blue Flag irises stand tall above the bright Yellow Bonnet Lilies. Vibrant multi-colored spikes of Golden Club protrude from the dark waters. Tiny bells of Lyonia hang gracefully along the canoe trails. And the quintessential American White Water Lilies shine brightly in the prairies and cypress houses. Not to mention the many other species of vegetation and flora. 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 Some observations around the Stephen C Foster State Park campground before and after paddling into the Okefenokee Swamp for the day. 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  Large American Alligator laying basking on a log along Minnie's Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023. As we paddle near Minnie’s Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the canoe run widens, the Cypress trees overhead part revealing blue sky, and the big gators are seen on various basking spots around the lake. I believe they’ll spend all afternoon and evening lounging in the springtime warmth. This one was quite comfortable, but began to tense up for a quick dive into the blackwater swamp if we came too close. But alas, we paddled on and let it enjoy the sun. Location: Suwannee Middle Fork (red canoe trail) near Minnie’s Lake N30.86050° W82.32346° 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  American Alligator in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, GA. North of Minnie’s Lake near mile marker 24. April 16, 2023. ©williamwisephoto.com “There was a time when alligators had come so close to extinction that their critical link in the ecosystem could have been lost forever. Georgia’s alligator population first began to plummet in the mid-1960s, according to Steve Ruckel, who served as the state alligator biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources up until 1995. The cause for decline was habitat loss and poaching. Georgia’s hunting seasons were also beginning to take a toll on the species. By 1973, the vast alligator population was almost totally depleted, and serious action was needed. The American Alligator was listed as endangered on both the state and federal endangered species list. Alligators remained on Georgia’s protected species list until 1984. The protection during this time allowed the species time to recover. By the late 1970s, the species was well on its way to recovery, and by the 1980s, the population really boomed.” Georgia Wildlife Federation. The Okefenokee Swamp. Natural Georgia Series, Volume 6, Number 1. Georgia Wildlife Press, 1997. Page 13. 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  Brown Watersnake, Nerodia taxispilota, basking in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023 ©williamwisephoto.com While enjoying a slow paddle up the Suwannee River Middle fork through the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp, somehow my daughter spotted this Brown Watersnake sunning out over the water. It so perfectly blended in with the tangled branches that it would have passed just three feet from my face without me ever noticing it!  Brown Watersnake, Nerodia taxispilota, basking in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023 ©williamwisephoto.com The Brown Watersnake, Nerodia taxispilota, one of several species of Nerodia found in the southeastern United States. It is probably the snake that I most frequently encounter while paddling the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. According tot he Savannah River Ecology Lab, “they are most common in flowing water such as rivers, canals, and blackwater cypress creeks. While other watersnakes in our region (banded and red-bellied) are frequently found in temporary wetlands and ditches, the brown watersnake’s preference for fish as prey makes them largely restricted to permanent water bodies, including large reservoirs. Additionally, they travel less over land than other watersnakes and are seldom observed far from the water’s edge. Ideal habitat includes abundant overhanging vegetation, emergent snags, or rocky river banks where snakes may bask.” (source: https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/nertax.htm) Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023. 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  American Alligator in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia; north of Minnie’s Lake between canoe mile markers 24 and 26; N30.88366° W82.29548°. April 16, 2023 ©williamwisephoto.com "Alligators generally prey upon animals they can swallow whole, using gravity to help him go down. Fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, raccoons, or possums, and large birds are among the wide selection of this opportunistic feeder. Occasionally, alligators may take a deer, hog or large dog which they will first drown, and, with vigorous lateral movements of their heads or by the spinning of their bodies, remove body parts to swallow the prey piecemeal. Few animals escape the jaws of an alligator. The large jowls at the angle of the jaws attest to the alligators huge masseter muscles." -- Excerpt from A Naturalist’s Guide to the Okefenokee Swamp by Taylor Schoettle Schoettle, T., & van Couvering, L. . A Naturalist’s Guide to the Okefenokee Swamp. H. E. Taylor Schoettle, 2002. Page 53. 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  Large American Alligator laying basking on a log in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Scales, epidermal scutes, teeth, claws. Lily pads and moss on cypress log. Minnie’s Lake is always a great destination for a day-paddle in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Launching from Stephen C Foster State Park, Minnie’s Lake is a decent paddle across Billy’s Lake and then about five miles up the Suwannee Middle Fork. Along the way, you pass through the prettiest views in the Swamp (in my opinion) as tall Cypress and Spanish Moss shade the bright sky and cypress knees border the channel, and bright Golden Club and Yellow Bonnet Lilies grace the blackwater river. Upon approaching Minnie’s Lake, the run widens and the skies open up. Minnie’s Lake is filled with verdant Spatterdock that could hide many of the alligators if they weren’t all lounging about on every fallen Cypress tree and stump. We always manage to find a healthy gathering of gators on Minnie’s Lake! Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023. 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  Brown Watersnake; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023 ©williamwisephoto.com While the prairies of the eastern side of the Okefenokee Swamp are wide open and sunlit, much of the western side – especially the portions along the Suwannee River East Fort – is shaded by the tall cypress and tangle of vegetation. Only the small lakes and the canoe trails maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Service are open to the sun. In the shady areas, many of the snakes stretch themselves out along the branches that overhang the canoe trails in order to get some sun. My daughter has a knack for picking out the snakes hidden in the dense vegetation. This particularly well-hidden Brown Watersnake (Nerodia taxispilota) was barely visible along the thick branches. She spotted it while we were enjoying a slow paddle just north of Minnie’s Lake. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023.  Brown Watersnake; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 16, 2023 ©williamwisephoto.com 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  White Ibis; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Location: north of Minnie’s Lake between canoe mile markers 24 and 26; N30.88478° W82.29494°. Sunday, April 16, 2023 ©williamwisephoto.com The White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) if often found in smaller groups throughout the Okefenokee. They are typically foraging with their heads down and long, curved bills sifting through the blackwater. A Naturalist’s Guide to the Okefenokee writes, “Although White Ibis do not migrate in the true sense of the word, they often move about covering long-distances during their non-breeding seasons. Large groups of commuting Ibis are often seen flying over the Okefenokee.” Schoettle, T., & van Couvering, L. . A Naturalist’s Guide to the Okefenokee Swamp. H. E. Taylor Schoettle, 2002. Page 81 Paddling from Billy's Lake to Minnie's Lake 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  Blue 208, a ten-foot male American Alligator tagged in a research program at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 15, 2023. "Alligator Blue 208"... No, that isn't a play called out by a college football quarter back. It is the new identification of an American Alligator in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. On April 14, 2023, my daughter and I were excited to tag along with the UGA Coastal Ecology Lab to tag some alligators. After getting the gators to the bank, they are measured, have blood drawn and gender identified, and are tagged before a safe release. "Blue 208" was a large, 10-foot male... one of the biggest ones tagged that weekend.  American Alligator tail showing the cut caudal scutes and an identification tag; capture-tag-release research program in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 15, 2023 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  Close up of a person holding an American Alligator's front foot showing the scales and claws; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 15, 2023 Have you ever held hands with an alligator? If you have, you'd know that the American Alligator has five toes on each of its front feet and four toes on each of its rear feet. The four toes on the hind feet are webbed to help them swim effectively. Alligators also have long, strong claws on their feet to help them dig "gator holes" and to rip underwater trails through submerged vegetation. Female alligators also dig nests and build large mounds over them to protect and incubate the eggs.
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 Some of the critters found in and around the Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.  Corn Snake found on the Sill; Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 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  American Alligator; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 15, 2023 along the Suwannee River (brown canoe trail). ©www.williamwisephoto.com It never fails: whenever I show someone a close-up photo of an alligator that I shot while paddling the Okefenokee Swamp, they say, “Isn’t that dangerous to be so close?” But I’ve paddled the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge many times and haven’t come close to any type of incident. Most of the wildlife in the refuge want nothing to do with people and keep their distance. However, I do have to say that it may appear a bit disconcerting as you paddle for the first time and have alligators “charge” your kayak. The gators typically spend their day on the banks or on top of logs sunning themselves. As they see a canoe approaching they often enter the water and swim towards you. But they are not “charging” the boat! They feel vulnerable when exposed on the high ground, and are simply taking to the cover and safety of deeper water. So it may look like they are "charging" at your boat. But relax, they are just as reluctant to get into a tangle with you as you are with them! |
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