 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Total solar eclipse of the sun photo passing under cloud taken at 2:26 PM EST from Monroe, Georgia, USA Monday, 2:26 PM - Today is the day. The climax of much media buildup. The Great American Total Eclipse will be visible here in Monroe, Georgia beginning at 1:07 PM, peaking at 2:38 PM, and ending at 4:02 PM.
My first look through the viewing glasses was at 1:18 PM. Wow! You can actually see it. A small dark, rounded edge of the moon was passing over the upper right edge of the sun. I went in and out of my office repeatedly over the next several hours making sketches of the eclipse progress. At approximately 2 PM, I could notice it getting a bit dimmer outside. By 2:20 it was noticeably dim, like wearing light sunglasses. And at the maximum, it was clearly much dimmer than normal. It was like late evening, but quite different. The long-shadows and ‘golden hour’ glow of evening were missing though it wasn’t as bright as midday. I wasn’t planning any photographs because I had read a special solar filter was needed. But when a coworker took a somewhat successful shot with his iphone, and didn’t burn up its sensor, I decided to try. I set my camera on a tripod and put a polarizer on my 300mm lens. Using live-view, I centered the sun in the frame and focused to infinity. With ISO set to 100, I choose a ridiculously fast shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds, and a tiny aperture of f/36. It worked. I was able to document the eclipse well enough and not burn up the sensor on my camera! Several shots looked like a detail-less banana on a black background. The most interesting shots were when the sun passed under the edge of a cloud. Walton County, Georgia, USA
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 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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 long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. Friday, 9:16 AM - Hot, hot, hot and humid. Each day has been a replay of the last: highs around 90°, humidity through the roof. This has been a pretty stressful week with some employee squabbles, a high maintenance “service dog” situation, and a neighborhood in an uproar over a pitbull attacking another dog. Thank God it is Friday, and that it is starting out quieter than the rest of the week. I grabbed my wildlife lens and took a quick walk up to the shelter pond in the rising sun to boost my vitamin D and get off my butt. A Great Egret was fishing on the main pond. Perhaps this is the same bird I shot back on August 10 and 11 on the upper pond? It is not at all skittish and I walked the perimeter of the pond with him. Even approaching within 40 feet, he still kept to his business of spearing small fish and snapping up dragon flies.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. It was fun to watch as some small prey would catch his eye. He would stiffen up, but shuffle his neck back and forth in a serpent-like fashion. If the critter was in range, he’d strike. We walked the entire back side of the pond together. As he turned the corner at the far end, the sun was no longer hitting him from the right direction so I went back to my office to get to work. Great Egret, Ardea alba  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret spear fishing on blue pond lake water. Long beak bill. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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 long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. Friday, 3:37 PM – at nearly the exact same time, and sitting precisely on the same log, my cooperative Great Egret was spear fishing and preening once again. I was able to get even closer today. According to an article entitled Researcher lives his life with egrets, Friends University professor Michael Pearce stated the birds tend to be predictable in their daily patterns. “Once they establish a routine it’s pretty much like a milk run, the same place day after day.” Pearce could predict, almost to the exact branch, where a bird would be perched in a tree on the far side of the river.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. Just like humans, if the fishing is good, the egrets will keep coming back. According to Cornell, the Great Egret eats mainly small fish but also eats amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals and invertebrates such as crayfish, dragonflies and damselflies, whirligig beetles, giant water bugs, and grasshoppers. It hunts in belly-deep or shallower water in marine, brackish, and freshwater wetlands, alone or in groups. It wades as it searches for prey, or simply stands still to wait for prey to approach. Walton County, Georgia, USA  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Female green Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Sweetgum tree. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. Thursday, 8:48 AM – all of the dogs in the shelter now have glamour shots posted. I have to get up from my desk and take a short walk. Sitting at the computer staring at a screen cramps my back and makes my head hurt. I take a short walk to the ponds behind the shelter. Although it is overcast and only in the 80’s, I quickly start sweating from the high humidity. A few hummingbirds were busy near the duckweed bog drinking nectar from small, bell-shaped, orange flowers growing out of the wet ground. According to allaboutbirds.org, the wonderful website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Ruby-throated Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers. Like many birds, hummingbirds have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans can’t see.” Walton County, Georgia  Impatiens capensis is a wildflower native to eastern North America. Common jewelweed, spotted jewelweed, or orange balsam. Photographed August 2017 in Walton County Georgia.  Female green Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Sweetgum tree. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.   William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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 long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. Thursday, 3:16 PM – on the upper pond, I spy a Great Egret fishing and preening from a small branch just above the green pond waters swollen from all the rains. I quickly take a knee before he sees me. Before even approaching the pond, I had all ready. My camera settings adjusted appropriately for the lens and overcast skies; my monopod already adjusted to a kneeling position. I could begin firing immediately. Several shots, then move closer… and closer… and closer. Quite the cooperative Egret! I sat for nearly 20 minutes and took 345 shots. That will take a while to cull and edit! Walton County, Georgia  Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White Great Egret wading bird spear fishing  White Great Egret wading bird spear fishingon log in swamp  Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  “’For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!' I looked then and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered.” JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings Thursday, 6:31 PM – relaxing on my back patio on a weekday. A free weekday evening seems to be a rarer luxury of late. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird activity has finally picked up quite a bit. My wondering as to why we haven’t had the sky battles between the females like in previous years has ceased. There are now plenty of skirmishes over the feeder. One male will sit and enjoy a close-by perch in the Crepe Myrtle and go for repeated drafts when the coast is clear of the bullying females.  Male red throat Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Crepe Myrtle tree. Athens, Georgia, USA I snuck the lens of my 600mm through a crack in the door and watched. It was amazing to see the shift in color on his throat depending upon how he turned his head. One second a dark, drab, then the next a brilliant ruby red! How does this work? Others have adequately described this phenomenon, so I quote them here: "The stunning throat feathers of the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is what earned the bird its name. When glowing a bright red, it's a sight to behold. But one turn of the head can click off the color, like switching the lights off in a room. "Why is his gorget an iridescent red at times, and at other times, just a patch of dark feathers? You see, the little individual feathers that make up the Ruby-throated Hummingbird's gorget are not red at all. They have no pigment or coloration within them. The color comes from the shape and microscopic structure of the feathers and how light interacts with those microscopic structures. So depending on the lighting and the angle at which you see the hummingbird's throat, the feathers will either appear an iridescent red or a flat black." source Athens, Georgia  Male red throat Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Crepe Myrtle tree. Athens, Georgia, USA  Male red throat Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Crepe Myrtle tree. Athens, Georgia, USA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Sick juvenile red-tailed hawk picked by Animal Control. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA. Tuesday, 10:55 AM – The Department of Natural Resources' game wardens were all tied up and asked us at animal control to respond in regards to a sick hawk on the side of a country road. Upon arriving, it was quite apathetic to human handling. It didn’t protest, try to get away or even defend itself. I propped it on a low branch, but it wobbled and nearly fell off the perch a few times. I knew it wouldn't make it if left out there. I got some close up shots before placing it in a carrier to transport to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Walton County, Georgia  Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Sick juvenile red-tailed hawk picked by Animal Control. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA.
 Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Sick juvenile red-tailed hawk picked by Animal Control. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA. Thursday, 7:57 AM - A short morning walk before the day gets started to see what critters may be up on the shelter ponds. Several Yellow Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia) were busy over the duckweed bog last night. There were at least five large, perfectly formed webs suspended over the still water of the bog. This conspicuous arachnid goes by several names: yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider. In Australia, Argiope are known as St. Andrew's cross spiders, for their habit of resting in the web with legs outstretched in the shape of an X, the cross of St. Andrew.  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA. When a co-worker looked at my photo, he added another moniker: Zipper Spider. Their webs contain a dense zigzag, or stabilimentum, in the center. Hence the nicknames Zipper Spider and Writing Spider. I am not much of a spider aficionado, and much less a spider identifcation expert. But an internet search indicated the other spider may be a Longbodied Cellular Spider, Pholcus phalangioides. Walton County, Georgia  Pholcus phalangioides, Longbodied Cellar Spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA.  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA.  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA.  Spider Web  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Thursday,8:05 AM – While taking a walk up to the duckweed bog behind the animal shelter to check in on a family of Green Herons, I was repeatedly scolded by a scruffed up little yellow bird. Each time a neared a group of small pines, this White Eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) would alight nearby, flitting around and emit a buzz-like chirping, obviously directed at me. I gather her nest was nearby and she simply didn't approve of my presence! The White-eyed Vireo is a small and secretive bird of shrubby areas of the eastern and southern United States. It is more noticeable for its explosive song than its looks. Walton County, Georgia  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Green Heron on telephone power wire. Wading bird bittern crane, Butorides virescens. Walton County, Georgia USA Friday, 7:25 AM – “What kind of a bird is that?” inquired one of trustees that come to clean the kennels. Up flew a juvenile Green Heron to a power line over the shelter parking lot. I could tell he was an inexperienced juvenile as he allowed me a closer approach than the adult Greens back on the ponds. It appears the Green Herons have been successful in raising some young this year and have given me several photo opportunities this summer. I was able to catch another one the next week back on the “duckweed bog” near the firing range. Walton County, Georgia  Green Heron Wading bird bittern crane, Butorides virescens. Walton County, Georgia USA  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Thumb Butte is a volcanic plug, part of the Sierra Preita mountains in Prescott, Arizona, USA Friday, 9:44 AM – I brought along my camera during a brief morning walk around the courthouse square in Prescott Arizona. We were visiting for our fellowship’s International Bible Conference. Off in the distance Thumb Butte towers at what appears to be the end of the road. Several beautiful sculpted monuments grace the Yavapai County Courthouse steps; sculpted by Solon Hannibal Borglum, America’s first cowboy sculptor. Twice this week I also had the pleasure of running/hiking the beautiful red boulders of Lake Watson. The trails were wonderful and challenging. We turned and circled the boulders, climbing and descending, walking and running. We ran from the highway side parking area down into the “gully” below the dam. The scenery was beautiful, but the water stank. And not just a mild odor, but strong, sewer-like smell. Down in the gully we had our shirts over our noses. On the way back to the car I found a large, yellow and brown Bullsnake hunting rodents among the rip-rap lining the roadside. They normally make a loud hissing that resembles the rattling of a Diamondback. Wanting to impress my friend with this spine-tingling sound, I grabbed him and pulled him out of the rocks. But no hissing. He turned to strike my hand, so I quickly placed him back in the rocks. As he shot into a small hole, a small rabbit rapidly flushed out, scaring me half to death!  Bucky O`Neill monument sculpture by Solon Hannibal Borglum out front the Yavapai County Courthouse in Precott, Arizona, USA. Old west equestrian statue of cowboy and horse. Bronze, marble.  Placard to Cowboy at Rest and Bucky O`Neill monuments sculpture by Solon Hannibal Borglum out front the Yavapai County Courthouse in Precott, Arizona, USA. Old west equestrian statue of cowboy and horse. Bronze, marble.  Cowboy at Rest monument sculpture by Solon Hannibal Borglum out front the Yavapai County Courthouse in Precott, Arizona, USA. Old west equestrian statue of cowboy and horse. Bronze, marble.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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 Vulture, Coragyps atratus, carrion crow perched on rotten Sweetgum tree snag, blue sky background. Athens, Georgia, USA.
Partly sunny with high near 88°  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Baby North American Opossum caught in box trap. Didelphis virginianus. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia USA. Wednesday, 2:58 PM - Opossum in your bedroom? That’s just part of life in the south. Okay, maybe not for everyone. But when you work for animal control, it seems that way. I don’t know what it is about mobile homes that seems to attract wildlife and stray cats. Perhaps it is all those “tidy” human beings concentrated in one area. The little critters just want to be part of the group love action too! One particular young fellow was making surprise appearances here and there over a week. Normally, animal control would refer the caller to a nuisance wildlife company. But this older lady needed a little assistance. Junior was caught in a trap after a couple of days, came to the shelter for a photo shoot, and was released. After removing him from the trap, I placed him on a low branch for close up photos. But the little guy shimmied up the tree in no time flat. Sitting up about 20 feet in the air, I had to get out my telephoto lens for the session. Cute little guy! Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)  Baby North American Opossum climbing pine tree. Didelphis virginianus. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia USA.  Baby North American Opossum caught in box trap. Didelphis virginianus. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia USA.  Baby North American Opossum climbing pine tree. Didelphis virginianus. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia USA.  Baby North American Opossum climbing pine tree. Didelphis virginianus. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia USA.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Baby Eastern Bluebird songbird fledgling sitting in birdhouse. Athens, Georgia, USA. Sialia sialis Tuesday, 5:58 PM - Throughout the month of June the Eastern Bluebirds have been raising a second clutch of the season. I’ve watched the diligent parents making runs to and from the nest box all day long; bringing bugs, removing waste. Going out to grill some kabobs, I saw a brave fledgling peering out through the nest box hole. He kept a curious eye on me. I kept my distance and in about 20 minutes he gained the courage to come out of the box to the lip under the door. In another move of bravery, he flapped his wings, but didn’t make it far. He half-flew, half stumbled over to the ledge between the birdhouses. I left him sitting there with mom making frequent chirps from a distance while I went inside to enjoy the kabab. Upon coming back out, he was gone. I couldn’t find him on the ground around the turtle pond. So I’m hoping he flew off to a safe place. Athens, Georgia  Baby Eastern Bluebird songbird fledgling sitting by birdhouse. Athens, Georgia, USA. Sialia sialis  Baby Eastern Bluebird songbird fledgling sitting in birdhouse. Athens, Georgia, USA. Sialia sialis  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "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  Female Eastern Towhee songbird bathing in bird bath. Athens, Georgia, USA. Pipilo erythrophthalmus Sunday, 7:11 AM – we are finally seeing a sunrise rather than the totally overcast and rainy skies of the last few days. There is so much bird activity in the backyard. The “usuals” are all there: Chickaees, Titmice, Cardinals, House Sparrows… But I keep hearing a different, higher pitched chirping of several birds in the Black Cherry tree. It is hard to get a good look with such quick flurrying in the leaves, but I see some black and white. Is it the Chickadees? But they’ve never sounded like that before. Finally, and just for a quick moment, one lands on the swingset. Obviously some sort of warbler that I haven’t seen before. Getting my Birds of Georgia book, the first little bird in the black and white section is, aptly named, the Black and White Warbler (Mniotilta varia). Cornell’s website says: the Black-and-white Warbler’s thin, squeaky song is one of the first signs that spring birding has sprung. This crisply striped bundle of black and white feathers creeps along tree trunks and branches like a nimble nuthatch, probing the bark for insects with its slightly downcurved bill. Though you typically see these birds only in trees, they build their little cup-shaped nests in the leaf litter of forests across central and eastern North America. To confirm my identification, I emailed Katy with Oconee Rivers Audubon Society. She replied: "Yep, the one and only! One of my favorite birds. They migrate here in spring and stick around until late summer, then they're gone. We do have occasional over-wintering birds, but I'd say seeing one on your feeder is a nice treat! Their song is like a squeaky wheel, unlike anything I've ever heard from a bird!" A new one for my photo lifelist! I’ll have to sit and try for a better shot soon. A bit later I was privileged to spy in on a female Eastern Towhee taking a bath in our birdbath. Athens, Georgia |
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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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