 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Genesis 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.  Goose fight. An angry mother Canada Goose hen chases off a rival goose from her chicks. Photographed in May in Walton County, Monroe, GA, USA. Tuesday, 3:40 PM - This afternoon I observed a real goose fight. The two Canada Goose families were resting near each other in the shade on the northern end of the pond. As I approached, the goslings startled and ran down into the pond, the two families of goslings mixing together. Almost immediately, one of the parents of the smaller goslings began to chase and attack the larger goslings. This prompted a parent of the larger goslings to fly over and attack that adult! It took about two minutes until both families sorted themselves out and swam into the pond in their respective family groups. Walton County, Georgia  Goose fight. An angry mother Canada Goose hen chases off a rival goose from her chicks. Photographed in May in Walton County, Monroe, GA, USA.  Canada Goose hen swimming on blue water lake with five fuzzy yellow goslings that are four weeks old, hatched April 20. Photographed in May in Walton County, Monroe, GA, USA.
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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 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so a hastily spoken curse does not come to rest.  Barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, sitting on barbed wire fence of Walton County jail in Monroe, GA. The barn swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. Tuesday, 3:33 PM – All day long for the last few weeks I’ve seen the swallows darting and fluttering over the surface of the pond. In snatching up insects, they leave concentric ripples in the water’s surface. I just assumed that all the darting swallows were the Barn Swallows that are currently nesting by my office back door. But after identifying a Rough-winged Swallow at my house the other evening, I took a closer look at these here at the animal shelter. Sure enough, there are two species of swallows skimming the pond surface each day! Barn Swallows and Rough-winged Swallows! Walton County, Georgia  Northern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis  Barn Swallow on her mud nest under the roof eve outside my office door  Northern rough-winged swallow  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.  Two Green Carolina Anole lizards, Anolis carolinensis, breeding. May in Athens, GA. An arboreal anole lizard native to the southeastern United States. Other common names include the American green anole, American anole, and red-throated anole. It is also sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its ability to change color from several brown hues to bright green Sunday, 4:45 PM - I’m almost a bit embarrassed to post the photos of this private moment between two Carolina Green Anoles on my back patio. When I first spotted them on the tiki torch, I thought it was a lizard quarrel, for one had a solid bite upon his the other’s neck. But upon closer examination I realized I was wrong. Sometimes “love” in the animal kingdom isn’t all about comfort, tenderness and affection. But isn’t it that way with us too? Our marriage relationships have their share of quarrels and disagreements. Any outside observer of one of those "discussions" might assume the couple hate each other. But that is all a part of love. As Bob Weir with the Grateful Dead sang, ”Did you ever waken to the sound of street cats making love? You guess from the cries you were listening to a fight. Well you know, hate’s* just the last thing their thinking of. They’re only trying to make it through the night.” *My modification from “haste” to “hate’s”  Two Green Carolina Anole lizards, Anolis carolinensis, breeding. May in Athens, GA. An arboreal anole lizard native to the southeastern United States. Other common names include the American green anole, American anole, and red-throated anole. It is also sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its ability to change color from several brown hues to bright green
 Green Carolina Anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis, extending red dewlap. May in Athens, GA. An arboreal anole lizard native to the southeastern United States. Other common names include the American green anole, American anole, and red-throated anole. It is also sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its ability to change color from several brown hues to bright green  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Isaiah 49:10 They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside cool waters.  Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum, splash water in a bird bath on a hot Georgia afternoon in May. Yucca plant in background. Although not in the thrush family, this bird is sometimes erroneously called the brown thrush. Hot! Perhaps 90° isn’t hot for Georgia in general. But 90° in May in Georgia seems a bit high! In fact, we’re tying records set in the late 1800’s. I was even breaking a sweat while napping on my shaded back patio! A Brown Thrasher came down to enjoy a cool dip in the backyard bird bath. The look on his face appeared as if he was really enjoying himself. Afterwards, he alighted high in the persimmon tree to preen and dry off. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia  Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum, suns in a Persimmon Tree on a hot Georgia afternoon in May. Although not in the thrush family, this bird is sometimes erroneously called the brown thrush.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Psalm 84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.  A Northern Rough-winged Swallow circling far above my house. A Life Bird photo for me! Saturday, 6:50 AM – out on my back patio ebirding again. Started out the morning with a bird I hadn’t photographed since 1998 on a 35mm film camera. A pair of Great Crested Flycatchers stopped just momentarily high up in a Sweetgum tree, flew lower into my next door neighbor’s yard, and then were gone. A little bit later, 5 Wood Ducks flew over the house heading south to north. Later in the day, what I thought were just the neighborhood Barn Swallows circling high up in the air turned out to be a Life Bird photo for me: Northern Rough-winged Sparrows! I’ve seen them quite a bit over the last few weeks high up on the winds, but didn’t think too much of it. But I decided to get a quick (but poor) photograph and plug it in the Merlin ID app. Bam! I'll have to try for some better shots now that I know its a newbie for me. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia  Great Crested Flycatcher  When 5 Wood Ducks flew over my house, I knew my morning count would be higher than normal.  A Summer Tanager makes a somewhat rare appearance at my feeder. When the birding was ended for the morning, I had a couple more birds than my usual counts:
 Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of 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 Robin, Turdus migratorius, songbird. Close up portrait face study showing details of feathers and beak. Photographed in May in Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA. Migratory songbird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae. Known as Robin Red Breast. Hebrews 11:3 "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." “Without faith in Christ, the natural world is a wondrous thing, of course. But with faith in Him, we perceive everything on a different level. Nature becomes a great concert of praise. The heavens declare the glory of God. The stones cry out with hosannas.” From Exceeding Gratitude for the Creator’s Plan by Dr. James P. Gills American Robin  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Jeremiah 27:5 -- 'I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.  Brown Headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, songbird hanging upside down with small caterpillar in beak to bring back to babies in nest cavity. Photographed in spring breeding and nesting season in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia. The brown-headed nuthatch is a small songbird found in pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States. Thursday, 7:46 AM - On my morning walk, I diverted from the normal trek on the gravel road around the ponds and took a cut-through into the woods, coming out at the middle of the upper pond. As I quietly approached, a doe flushed from the bush about 50 feet to my right. She ran around of the southern end of the pond, pausing briefly to peer at the intruder. Secluded in the trees and brush, I approached the dead snag where I had several weeks prior seen a Brown-headed Nuthatch is going in and out of a cavity. As I waited, the tiny squeeking of a nuthatch pierced the relative silence and the little bird approached with a small caterpillar in its mouth, no doubt for the young within the nest. Walton County, Georgia  White-tailed Deer; Walton County, Georgia.  Brown Headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, songbird hanging upside down with small caterpillar in beak to bring back to babies in nest cavity. Photographed in spring breeding and nesting season in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia. The brown-headed nuthatch is a small songbird found in pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Exodus 8:3 The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed!  As I stood and watched, not too far from my feet a Leopard frog surfaced and peered at me. - Leopard bullfrog pickeral frog, Rana, in a pond with eyes sticking out of water. Photographed in May in Walton County, Monroe, GA bog. Leopard Frogs are found throughout the Southeast, including all of Georgia and South Carolina. They breed in virtually any shallow freshwater habitat, particularly wetlands that do not have fish and can also be found in slightly brackish water. Wednesday, 7:51 AM - The diligent beaver have flooded an even greater area between the shelter and the firing range. Arriving early to work, I spent a few extra minutes standing concealed along the water’s edge behind the shed. A couple or Red-winged Blackbirds flew overhead, but other bird activity was scarce. But as I stood, circular ripples appeared randomly along the water’s surface. And little dark shapes were popping up about an inch out of the water. It almost looked like snakes or eels breaking the surface repeatedly. But as I watched, I realized it was frogs. Little peepers were popping up all over the place. To get a photo was a challenge. I just focused on one patch of water and waited. Walton County, Georgia  A small frog breaks the surface of the water...  ...then quickly swims back down...  ...leaving only a ripple.  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.”  Large wading bird Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, standing on edge of a pond, marsh grasses and goldenrod wildflowers in background. Photo taken in May in Walton County, GA, southeast United States. The great blue heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America Wednesday, 4:34 PM - It appears our afternoon Great Blue Heron may be beginning his rounds once again this year. The Public Works employees leave at 3:30 PM, so this somewhat more skittish heron chooses to begin his shift once they are all gone. I snuck around the far edge of the pond, trying to stay within the shadows. Although I haven’t had much luck with it in the past, I decided to give the teleconverter a try. I actually managed a few decent shots. I believe they were the photos that I manually focused since the autofocus doesn’t work that well using the teleconverter. Of course, I had no trouble shooting one of our resident Mallards. They always make a close approach hoping for a handful of cat food or old hot dog buns! Walton County, Georgia  Male Mallard duck drake swimming on pond. Photo taken in May in Walton County, GA, southeast United States. Mallards are commonly hunted waterfowl in the United States.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Song of Solomon 2:12 (The Living Bible) "The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here."  A small Carolina Wren bird, Thryothorus ludovicianus, sings from atop a pine tree in the spring in Georgia. Photographed in Walton County, Monroe. The Carolina wren is a common species of wren that is a resident in the eastern half of the United States of America, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. Tuesday, 7:45 AM - I had to make a decision to refrain myself from raising my camera and shooting yet another bird unless it is something new, rare or a really good photo opportunity. I have gotten so far behind on blogging that instead of being a stress reliever, it has become added stress in my life. I always feel like I’m behind. So this morning, I’m just strolling and enjoying God’s wonderful sunrise and the chorus of praises from the birds. (But of course, I still have my camera with me!) As I’m walking, I restrain myself and pass up several mediocre photo opportunities. It is a challenge, but I can do it. Then I come around to the duckweed bog. A Carolina Wren climbs in stages to the top of a pine tree and just demands a photograph! How can I deny him his moment of fame. For spring is the time of singing! Walton County, Georgia  A small Carolina Wren bird, Thryothorus ludovicianus, in a pine tree in the spring in Georgia. Photographed in Walton County, Monroe. The Carolina wren is a common species of wren that is a resident in the eastern half of the United States of America, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico.  A small Carolina Wren bird, Thryothorus ludovicianus, sings from atop a pine tree in the spring in Georgia. Photographed in Walton County, Monroe. The Carolina wren is a common species of wren that is a resident in the eastern half of the United States of America, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Psalm 84:3-4 Birds find nooks and crannies in your house, sparrows and swallows make nests there. They lay their eggs and raise their young, singing their songs in the place where we worship. How blessed they are to live and sing there!  Sunday, May 6, 8:07 AM – As is my custom before going to the House of God each Sunday, I sit on the back patio of my house. This particular monring, a bird that I at first thought was a typical Carolina Wren, perched on the trampoline pole. A closer zoom on my camera’s LCD revealed that I grabbed a new life bird: a House Wren. Glad to have him around my house! “A plain brown bird with an effervescent voice, the House Wren is a common backyard bird over nearly the entire Western Hemisphere. Listen for its rush-and-jumble song in summer and you’ll find this species zipping through shrubs and low tree branches, snatching at insects. House Wrens will gladly use nestboxes, or you may find their twig-filled nests in old cans, boots, or boxes lying around in your garage.” www.allaboutbirds.org. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Exodus 16:4 "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no."  Eastern Grey Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, hangs from a bird feeder eating black oil sunflower seeds. Photographed in spring in Athens, Clarke County, GA, southeast United States. Like many members of the family Sciuridae, the eastern gray squirrel is a scatter-hoarder; it hoards food in numerous small caches for later recovery. Saturday, 8:00 AM - Yes, the squirrels are God’s creatures to. And yes, at times I do enjoy watching their antics and acrobatics at the bird feeders. But man, the little buggers can drive me crazy! Why do they have to sit there and entirely empty the feeder, spreading it all over the ground? Why can’t they just take their share and move on? Even though I had to repeatedly run the squirrels off, I still had a nice day of birding. To be honest, until the following morning, I had totally forgotten that today was the Cornell Lab 2018 Global Big Day. Even so, I was still diligent to make a backyard ebird list. I also spent a large part of the day putting older blogs and photographs into ebird to get my total species count equal to my life list. Unless I missed some, my ebird total species stands at 121! Most of the birds today were the normal backyard birds. The only less-than-usual visitors were a Summer Tanager and a Brown-headed Nuthatch. I also sat attempting to get a photo of the Carolina chickadee coming in and out of the camouflage color nest box in the backyard. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia  A Brown Thrasher hopes to get some of the seed spread by the marauding squirrels. Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum, songbird on bermuda grass lawn. Photographed spring in southeast United States, Athens, GA. The Brown Thrasher is the state bird of Georgia. The brown thrasher Toxostoma rufum is a bird in the family Mimidae, which also includes the New World catbirds and mockingbirds. The dispersal of the brown thrasher is abundant throughout the eastern and central United States, southern and central Canada.  Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, songbird looks into a wooden birdhouse nest box in spring. Photographed in southeast United States, Athens, GA. Carolina Chickadees excavate or find an unused cavity. Sometimes Carolina Chickadees nest in nest tubes or nest boxes. Both members of a pair excavate a cavity or choose a cavity or nest box. Carolina Chickadees don’t seem to have a preference for nest boxes filled with or without sawdust. The female builds the nest base with moss and sometimes strips of bark. Then she adds a thick lining of hair and/or plant fibers.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Genesis 8:9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.  Mourning Dove, May 4, 2018. Athens, Clarke County, GA Friday, 6:37 PM – It’s Friday and the work week is done! I'm so glad I can find a place to rest on my back patio. It's like an ark of refuge where I can relax and enjoy an evening of birding. 15 species total
Clarke County, Georgia  Northern Mockingbird, May 4, 2018. Athens, Clarke County, GA  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Ephesians 5:2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.  Thursday, 7:19 AM – I was a few minutes late for work today. But who could blame me? As I was passing through a rural area of Watkinsville on my way to work, I spotted a Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis, frolicking in a fresh cut field! This individual’s stripes looked a bit misplaced. Instead of running down the top sides of his back, the stripe split at the shoulders and ran down towards its back legs. According to one fact sheet, “There is considerable variation in striping patterns including a broad stripe, narrow stripe, pair of stripes, or a short stripe. Coloration can vary as some striped skunks will have very little white while other are almost completely white.” As I pulled over to watch, he was running a zig zag pattern through the field. He then came down the driveway toward me and passed over Barnett Shoals Road, luckily without being hit by the numerous passing cars. Near 2151 Barnett Shoals Rd, Oconee County, Georgia (33.8615, -83.3690)    William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them," Acts 4:24  Red-winged Blackbird Tuesday, 7:45 AM - My morning walk around the retention ponds before starting the day. All the usual birds were on the main pond: Grackles, Blackbirds, Kingbirds, Robins, etc. A pair of Eastern Bluebirds were bringing food into one of the old duck boxes. In addition to the Canada Goose pair with their 6 goslings on the main pond, there were 7 adult visitors on the more secluded upper pond. Back near the beaver bog by the firing range I spied a White-eyed Vireo; my first for 2018. I also heard a Kingfisher rattling off, but didn’t get a photograph. Walton County, Georgia  Eastern Bluebird bringing food to hatchlings to a nest in an old duck box  Canada Geese on a mist covered pond  White-eyed Vireo sings a monring song from the trees |
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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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