 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Isaiah 59:5 People hatch evil like eggs from poisonous snakes... they tell lies as they would spin a spider’s web.  Orbweaver spider on large web reflecting over water. Athens, Clarke County, GA. Neoscona crucifera is an orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. Spiders produce silk from their spinneret glands located at the tip of their abdomen. In a recent blog, I asked how a wildlife photographer could keep a stock portfolio relevant to upcoming holidays such as Halloween. The answer? Creepy Creatures! There are plenty of scary, macabre and spooky animals related to Halloween that can fill an animal photographer’s portfolio. Take the spider! (Well, no thanks, not me. I won’t take the spider!) Just the thought of those spindly, hairy legs lightly creeping across your skin can make your hair stand up! Halloween aside, I’ve always gotten the heebie jeebies when it comes to arachnids! Perhaps it is that sticky silk woven into webs to trap unsuspecting prey. It may give us the subconscious idea of the curses woven by those Halloween witches. Either way, it is no thrill to walk through a dark wood and be lashed across the face by an unseen web… and wonder if the maker is now in your hair or crawling down your back. And those eyes, hundreds of eyes! One superstition is that the dead could peer upon the living through the eyes of a spider. No wonder these little creepy crawlies and their webs are favorite decorations at Halloween!  October 11, 2018 - Yellow Garden Spider; Walton County, GA  October 11, 2018 - Yellow Garden Spider; Walton County, GA
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 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Jesus answered, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”  A large black vulture, Coragyps atratus, with beak open sits at the top of a dead tree in Walton County, GA. The black vulture is a scavenger and feeds on carrion, but will also eat eggs or kill newborn animals. Need stock photos? Download from my gallery on www.dreamstime.com. 100% of funds support waltonpets adoption photography. Thursday, 10:06 AM - There are plenty of critters out there in the wild that people have long associated with Halloween. One such creature is the vulture. Why are they thought of as creepy critters fitting for the witching hour? Perhaps it is their creepy bill of fare. There isn’t much that is more gruesome than a gathering of vultures hunched over rotting carrion on the roadside. In fact, a gathering of vultures feeding on a corpse is called a wake… of course referring to the pre-funeral vigil held beside the body of someone who has died. If that isn’t enough, perhaps it is their fitting Halloween attire. Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) are, of course, all dressed in black. Turkey Vultures are dressed in similar mourning garb, but sport blood-red heads. A suitable spooky ensemble. If all of that wasn’t enough to scare you, their dreadful voice will certainly tip the scale. When vocalizing, the vulture is no Song Sparrow. His voice is a deep, hissing, grating croak which can stop you dead in your tracks and make your skin crawl. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)    William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.” Jeremiah 27:5 Monday, October 1, 2018  Great Blue Heron flight shot. Monday morning, October 1, 2018.  Monday, October 1, 2018. I assumed this was another Chipping Sparrow flitting with the others in Black Locust Tree. But I had "that feeling" and took a shot. A zoomed in view revealed a Palm Warbler! Tuesday, October 2, 2018  A Tuesday morning surprise! An Osprey was soaring in a straight course from north to south over the main shelter pond. My first Osprey for Walton County! Wednesday, October 3, 2018  Wednesday, October 3, 2018. Two Belted Kingfishers have been very active each morning, chasing each other over the several retention ponds.  Wednesday, October 3, 2018. Two Belted Kingfishers have been very active each morning, chasing each other over the several retention ponds.  Wednesday, October 3, 2018. It seems like the Pine Warblers are more abundant... or at least more active. I hear their trilling in the pines each morning this week.  Wednesday, October 3. I skipped my lunchtime run and sat in the shade by the beaver wetlands behind the shelter. Several American Redstarts were stirred up at my presence. My first photo of a pretty male.  Wednesday, October 3. I skipped my lunchtime run and sat in the shade by the beaver wetlands behind the shelter. Several American Redstarts were stirred up at my presence. Thursday, October 4, 2018  An Eastern Wood-Pewee flitted among the dirt mounds behind the public works compound early Thursday morning; October 4, 2018 Friday, October 5  Eastern Gray Squirrel on a rock with a chip of turtle shell in his mouth chewing for calcium. Walton County, Georgia, USA. Need stock photos? Download from my gallery on www.dreamstime.com. Funds support waltonpets adoption photography.  The House Finch count is much higher than it has been in recent days. Perhaps because of fall migration.  A young Red-Tailed Hawk soared overhead mixed with a large group of vultures.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Psalms 104:24 -- O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions;  The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. Monday, 7:15 AM - The pre-dawn sky was still a deep magenta as I turned off Highway 78 onto Jim Daws Road. There atop a snag was a huge owl. Even though the bird was mostly a dark silhouette, I just knew it was something larger, something greater… a Great Horned Owl! I couldn’t miss this photo-op. I pulled over just down the road, went around to the passenger side for my camera and headed back to the owl. Just enough light was hitting his amber body to give a bit of a glow and produce a decent photo. As I was shooting the owl, I noticed the podcast I had been listening to (the American Birding Association’s podcast, of course) cut off and the radio flashed, “lost Bluetooth connection.” After a few seconds it dawned on me: MY PHONE! I must have knocked it out of the truck when I got my camera. I sped back… but no phone. It was gone. Thankfully there were several messages at my office from my wife and the gentleman who had found my phone. I gave the guy twenty bucks, a small token for his honesty, and retrieved my cracked up phone. But again, thankfully, it was only the screen protector that was cracked. My phone had survived. I’ll always remember my encounter with this owl and another lesson learned. Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Isaiah 65:18 -- But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;  Chipping Sparrow; Clarke County, GA. A Sunday afternoon of laid-back birding from by backyard patio. Clarke County, GA  A Black Vulture on my neighbor's roof.  A Red-eyed Vireo sprints through my backyard, barley stopping long enough for a photo.  A quick glimpse of a Song Sparrow in the thickets along the meadow fence.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. “I believe that the Book of Nature, with its astounding details suggests a God of purpose and a God of design. And I think my belief makes me no less of a scientist.” Owen Gingerich, senior astronomer Smithsonian Astrophysical Laboratory September 25 to September 28 A Great Blue Heron photographed on an early morning birding walk. Tuesday, September 25, 2018  River turtle basking in sun on muddy pond in Georgia. Walton County, GA. Tuesday afternoon, September 25, 2018.  A Ruby-throated Hummingbird photographed early Wednesday morning, September 26, 2018. There is still plenty of hummingbird activity in this last week of September.  Pine Warbler photographed on an early morning birding walk near the shelter ponds on Wednesday, September 26.  Two Indigo Buntings perched on the Pokeweed in Walton County, GA; Thursday afternoon, September 27, 2018.  Several Eastern Phoebes call out each morning around the animal shelter ponds. Photographed Friday, September 28, 2018 at 8:46 AM.  The Great Egret has been a consistent visitor again this summer. Photographed on the upper pond on Friday, September 28, 2018 during my lunch break.  A quick birding walk before leaving for the day. Thank God it's Friday! Northern Mockingbird.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders 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 "Walking back up to the car, Joel said, 'if nonbirders had been watching us just now, they never would’ve understood why we were so excited about those insignificant little birds. I mean, how would you go about explaining it to someone?'"  Prairie Warbler; Walton County, GA. Monday, 10:22 - excited to walk out my office back door and get to add a Prairie Warbler on my Walton list! I supposed non-birders just won't understand. Walton County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders 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 111:12  Chestnut-sided Warbler; Clarke County, GA. Saturday, 8:55 AM – With an unusually open morning came the privilege of relaxing and birding my back patio a little bit longer than most Saturdays. With the fall migrations beginning, I decided to browse the Merlin app for warblers that I hadn’t yet photographed and try some playback to see what I could see. The Chestnut-sided Warbler was near the top of the probable list for Athens at this time of year. I was shooting nearly every bird that passed through the yard. A few “small yellow birds” flitted into the trees, but as far as I knew, the Chestnut-sided hadn’t responded to my calls. As the morning wore on and the bird activity slowed down, I reviewed my photos. Northern Parula… Pine Warbler… Then I saw it. There was a shot of one little yellow bird lifting its wing as it flew off its perch in the persimmon. There under the wing was an unmistakable patch of reddish-brown! A Chestnut-sided Warbler. Who is next? Athens, Clarke County, Georgia  Chestnut-sided Warbler; Clarke County, GA.  Northern Parula; Clarke County, GA  Yellow-billed Cuckoo; Clarke County, GA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders 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  At 186 feet high, Toccoa Falls is one of the tallest free falling waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. It is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College in Georgia. "There is nothing more eloquent in Nature than a mountain stream. Its banks are luxuriantly peopled with rare and lovely flowers and overarching trees, making one of Nature’s coolest and most hospitable places. Every tree, every flower, every ripple and eddy of this lovely stream seemed solemnly to feel the presence of the great Creator. Lingered in this sanctuary a long time thanking the Lord with all of my heart for His goodness in allowing me to enjoy it."  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Colossians 1:16 - For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  Friday - I was able to sneak myself along as a chaperone on my daughter’s field trip to the Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center in Toccoa, Georgia. I tried to keep it discreet, but was doing some birding for the two days we were at the mountain retreat. When we arrived, the Turkey and Black Vultures were soaring in the clear, hot skies. My third bird was a Hairy Woodpecker clinging to a tree just outside our cabin. Our first activity was “A Walk in the Woods”; and it was exactly as it sounds: a walk in the woods! About midway through the hike, the camp counsellor had the kids stand in silence next to a small stream with their eyes closed. As I participated, I heard the distinct call of a White-breasted Nuthatch in the distance. While the kids were involved in team-building activities, I heard a Belted Kingfisther call from down a trail labelled “Wetlands Trail.” Quite fitting. But my few photos from the trip came just after breakfast Friday morning when I snuck out to a patio behind the dining hall. I spotted wrens, a Downy Woodpecker, a Pine Warbler and watched as two Pileated Woodpeckers chased each other through the pines… too quick to get a photograph. I spotted 18 species in the the two days at BROEC. Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.  Downy Woodpecker; Stephens County, GA.  Carolina Wren; Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center.  Pine Warbler; Stephens County, GA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. 1 Kings 18:44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.”  Red-headed Woodpecker in flight; Walton County, GA. Wednesday, 7:45 AM - I’ve come across nearly every other woodpecker in Walton County, but hadn’t photographed a Red-headed Woodpecker. But I finally spotted one this moring… and not just one, but three! Two adults and one juvenile flew over the main pond heading from south to north. While standing near the upper pond hoping for some new warblers, a long-tailed bird flew into the trees and began cuckoo-ing. I tried a little playback from my phone and two Yellow-billed Cuckcoos came forward to peer at me. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia  Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker; Walton County, GA.  Yellow-billed Cuckoo; Walton County, GA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. We’ve never seen nature unchained and undiminished. We’ve only seen it cursed and decaying. Yet even now we see a great deal that pleases and excites us, moving our hearts to worship. If the “wrong side” of Heaven can be so beautiful, what will the right side look like? If the smoking remains are so stunning, what will Earth look like when it’s resurrected and made new, restored to the original? From Heaven, by Randy Alcorn  Northern Parula; Walton County, GA. Tuesday, 8:04 AM - although not a life bird for me, still an exciting find being my first Northern Parula in Walton County, Georgia. Walton County, Georgia  Northern Parula bird  A Brown Thrasher photographed on my afternoon birding walk. Walton County, GA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Job 39:13 “The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork."  In flight Great Blue Heron on a pond in Walton County, Georgia. The great blue heron Ardea herodias is a large wading bird in the heron family. Monday, 10:35 AM - As I came up to the pond where I regularly do some birding, this gorgeous Great Blue Heron was perched upon a duck breeding box at the far end of the pond. Normally, he is too skittish to sit out on the open pond so close to buildings. I knew he probably wouldn’t sit there long, and if I was patient, I might get a shot. My hope was that when this heron left his perch, he’d fly to a nearby pond behind me. So I positioned myself in the shade right in the anticipated flight path. Wait on it. Wait on it. Finally, after about twelve minutes, a vehicle came by and spooked him from his perch. Well, I was correct in that as soon as a vehicle drove nearby he would take off. But I was wrong about his direction. Instead of flying toward the other pond, he flew to my side of the pond and landed on the bank not far from where I was sitting! Today: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.  Great Blue Heron in flight; Walton County, Georgia  Belted Kingfisher at sunrise; Walton County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11  Eastern Bluebird on my neighbor's rooftop; Clarke County, GA Clarke County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Psalm 28:9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.  White-breasted Nuthatch on suet feeder; Clarke County, GA.  Red-bellied Woodpecker on suet feeder; Clarke County, GA. Light, consistent drizzle continues to fall but the winds have died down. 73°F. |
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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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