 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.  A Red-shouldered Hawk silhouetted against a hurricane dawn. Saturday, 7:30 AM - Quite often, backlit silhouettes don’t make great photos, especially in bird photography. However, I couldn’t make myself delete this image of a Red-shouldered Hawk perched upon a snag at sunrise. Not because it was a great shot, but more because it reflected my mood. Hurricane Florence had made landfall and was dumping rain through the Carolinas. Several friends from our sister church in Jacksonville and Wilmington, North Carolina had either left home, or hunkered down. As the sun rose on the new day, I was waiting for a text or email, praying they were all okay. This silhouetted Hawk against an advancing wave of blue clouds fit the somber mood.  White-eyed Vireo; Clarke County, GA. But not much later, as the rays of the sun broke the horizon, a White-eyed Vireo perched atop the Persimmon tree and began to call. A ray of hope to break the sullen mood! Thankfully, I received word over the next few days that the friends that stayed it out fared well, and the friends that evacuated made it safely back to homes without any damage. Clarke County, Georgia  
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 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Proverbs 18:15 Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.  Acadian Flycatcher; Walton County, GA Friday, 8:03 AM - I'm not sure if I'll ever get all these little birds right! Not only are there a bunch of different warblers and sparrows, but I'm discovering there are several flycatchers to sort out as well! This morning I was drawn to a phoebe-ish sound and spotted it this one. I only heard it once, and there are also plenty of Phoebes and Pewees here to throw me off! It was in the same general area as the Alder/Willow Flycatcher I saw a few weeks ago, so I just wasn’t sure. I emailed Dr. Richard Hall over at UGA and he replied, “That looks like an Acadian Flycatcher to me - complete eye-ring, big bill and flat forehead giving it a 'thrush-like' profile. The fact that it appears to be in a treetop is more consistent with Acadian too (in general, Willow and Alders perch low down, though that's not a watertight rule in either direction).” When people bring or send me photos of snakes to ID, no problem. But these birds! One day I’ll get them! But it is exciting getting to learn all these birds. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 99.   Although I was sure it was still skulking about, I hadn't seen the Green Heron for a few weeks, until this morning.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Matthew 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.  Eurasian Collared Dove; Oconee County, GA. Friday, 5:36 PM - Wanting to boost my Oconee County birding numbers a little, I stopped by the Athens Seed Company on Depot Street in Watkinsville on my way home from work. Before they cut my normal route by making McRee Street one-way, I used to pass by here every afternoon. In fact, my Life Bird photo of a Cooper’s Hawk came from this very location. Depot Street is lined with trucks at the seed company’s loading dock. And as those trucks are loaded, plenty of seed seems to spill into the driveway. There are always plenty of Mourning Doves, Eurasian Collared Doves, Pigeons and others there to pick up the scraps. There was also a clever Red-tailed Hawk perched on the water tower above keeping an eye on those distracted doves scooping up the scraps! I was only there less than ten minutes and counted seven species. Oconee County, Georgia  Red-tailed Hawk; Oconee County, Georgia. Friday, October 19, 2018, 4:47 PM I passed through Athens Seed Company again on my way home from work. There were no less than 30 Eurasian Collared Doves feeding off the spilled seed, and plenty of House Sparrows as well. A fairly large group of Eastern Bluebirds patrolled the property edges too.  Blue Jay on the Athens Seed Company property; Watkinsville, Oconee County, GA.  Red-Bellied Woodpecker caching a water oak acorn on the Athens Seed Company property; Watkinsville, Oconee County, GA.  Eastern Bluebirds on the Athens Seed Company property; Watkinsville, Oconee County, GA.  House Sparrow at a nest hole entrance on the side of the Athens Seed Company building; Watkinsville, Oconee County, GA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”  Magnolia Warbler Thursday, 12:26 PM - Hurricane Florence is hitting the Carolinas, but we only have large billowing clouds moving through the sky. During my lunch break I stood at my overlook to the beaver wetland behind gun range. Having stood there about ten minutes, a little bird perched just twenty feet away over my right shoulder. It stayed to check me out as I raised my lens. I was pretty sure I was seeing another new warbler for me. Coming back into the office and checking the warbler guide, I narrowed it down to a Magnolia Warbler. The underside of the tail being a key feature to lock down the ID. The magnolia warbler is found in the northern parts of some Midwestern states and the very northeastern parts of the US, with states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin comprising its southernmost boundaries. However, it is mostly found across the northern parts of Canada, such as in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. During the winter, the warbler migrates through the eastern half of the United States to southern Mexico and Central America. Today: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.  Blue Jay spotted on my morning bird walk.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Song of Solomon 2:7 Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.  Wednesday, 7:08 AM - The peak of the Whitetailed Deer rut is usually estimated to be mid-november. Therefore, October is usually referred to as the pre-rut. So then what is September? The pre-pre-rut? Nevertheless, this young 6-point buck was out chasing a female at dawn in a meadow at the corner of Jim Daws Road and Snows Mill Road in Walton County, GA. I was surprised to see he had already shed all of his antler velvet. Most hunters use the term “rut” in reference to the peak of the breeding season, but it really applies to a much more extended period of time. The males start getting ready when velvet is shed from the antlers as the decreasing day lengths increase testosterone levels. Walton County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders 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  American Redstart; Walton County, GA. Tuesday, 12:00 noon – I skipped my lunchbreak treadmill run today for a full hour of birding under the cloudy sky. Perhaps without the direct sun beating down on us, the birds would be a bit more active. I took up camp along the edge of the duckweed bog. Already the Titmice and Chickadees were squawking nearby. I urged them on with a little bit of pisshing and soon a White-eyed Vireo joined the fray. Over the course of the next 50 minutes, I spotted seventeen species in this little spot, including a new Life Bird for me, the American Redstart. When the Redstart appeared and I focused my telephoto lens, I knew it wasn’t a bird I’d seen recently, if at all. At first I thought it was an early Yellow-Rumped Warbler because of the flash of yellow on the rear. But those yellow patches turned out to be on the sides of the tail feathers, not the rump.
 American Redstart; Walton County, GA.  Carolina Chickadee; Walton County, GA  Carolina Chickadee; Walton County, GA.  Red-tailed Hawk. Walton County, GA. September 11, 2018  Great Egret. Walton County, GA. September 11, 2018  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. 2 Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’  Brown Thrasher; Walton County, Georgia Monday, 7:43 AM – hardly enough time for a bird walk, but will take my 15 minutes before work starts anyway. I have found that as the sun crests the horizon, the birds tend to come out of hiding and get into the tops of the trees that are getting hit by the first rays. There they take in the warmth and drink and bathe in the fresh dew upon the leaves. On my short walk this morning, a Brown Thrasher prominently displayed his beauty in the bright orange rising sunshine. Forecast: mostly sunny, with a high near 87. A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm.  Brown Thrasher; Walton County, Georgia  Eastern Pheobe; evening birding in Clarke County, GA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Malachi 3:11 "I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.  Female White Tailed Deer doe eating persimmon from backyard in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. The white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Sunday, 7:41 AM - the persimmons continue to drop in my backyard, and each day there is a family of four that comes to dine. Two does and their two fawns are repeatedly seen in my backyard and around our neighborhood. They are a cute and pleasant site, but as summer wears on and natural foods begin to dry up, they tend to devour your tenderly cultivated landscapes and gardens! I'm glad the persimmons are back there for them instead!  Ruby-throated Hummingbird; Clarke County, Georgia.  Blue Jays; Clarke County, GA.  Ruby-throated Hummingbird; Clarke County, Georgia  Yellow-billed Cuckoo; 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. Genesis 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth...  Nuisance Gray Squirrel caught in humane trap; Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. Most critters have a fear of man. I suppose God put this there to protect the animals from the brutal savagery usually practiced by fallen man. Just ask the Passenger Pigeon and countless other species what we are capable of. But then there are those critters quite comfortable with life in close association with us. In fact, they seem to prefer it! Eating from our bird feeders, trash cans, cat food bowls… Some, like the Eastern Gray Squirrel, even seem to have this intense desire to chew through your siding and move into your attic! Here enters the nuisance wildlife company. My original intent upon graduating from UGA Warnell School of Forestry’s wildlife program was to start my own company, for there were few back at that time. But in a turn of events I ended up at animal control and after successive promotions, there I decided to stay. Now, nuisance wildlife control is big business and there are plenty of companies operating to take care of those pesky squirrels for home owners!  Nuisance Gray Squirrel caught in humane trap; Athens, Clarke County, Georgia.   William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  White-breasted Nuthatch on suet feeder; Clarke County, GA  American Goldfinch; Clarke County, GA. Saturday, 7:29 AM  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. "They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord."  Red-eyed Vireo; Walton County, GA Friday, 7:34 AM  Great Crested Flycatcher; Walton County, GA  Carolina Wren; Walton County, GA  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Psalm 36:5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Common Nighthawk; Clarke County, GA. Friday, 6:07 PM - spotting the Common Nighthawks circling the skies at dusk more and more. Clarke County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors." Mark 13:28  Summer Tanager, September 6, 2018 I was excited to spot this Summer Tanager here near my office on August 29. It would be another species for my Walton list. But the more I looked at the photos, I began to wonder if the darker wings marked this as a Scarlet Tanager. With a little bit more hopeful consideration, I listed her as a Scarlet Tanager, and a new Life Bird for me. Then the following week, on September 4, I heard the distinct call of a Summer Tanager right in this same area and spotted the yellow bird afar off. Hmmmm? I went back indoors and reconsidered the photos I had taken the other day. After a little deliberation, I changed the eBird listing from Scarlet Tanager back to Summer Tanager. Then again today (September 6) I came across this yellow bird in the same area. And her wings looked dark again in the photos. Summer or Scarlet? Summer or Scarlet? Unless another eBird user corrects me, I left it as a Summer Tanager because of the call I heard. Perhaps one day I’ll be so familiar with most of these birds that I won’t call myself into question!  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety. Hosea 2:18  Northern Flicker; Walton County, GA. September 6, 2018. Thursday, 7:47 AM - another quick birding walk before heading into the office. Walton County, GA  Northern Flicker; Walton County, GA. September 6, 2018.  Prothonotary Warbler; Walton County, GA. September 6, 2018.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:  Gray Catbird; Walton County, GA. Wednesday - added a Gray Catbird to my Walton County list while on my early morning birding walk! Lots of bird activity this morning. I didn't really want to stop birding and go to the office. Walton County, GA
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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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