 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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 on the Middle Fork of the Suwannee River; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Excerpt from William Bartram (1729-1823), Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.
William Bartram was a botantist, artist, and nature writer that explored the southeastern United States around the time of the American Revolution (1773-1776). He was a scientist, creationist and Christian that gave glory to the Author for all the wonderful works he observed and documented in his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.  Two Okefenokee Swamp Alligators Face Off.
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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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Paddling through Cypress and Spanish Moss in the Okefenokee Swamp. March, 2015. An Okefenokee excerpt from Jack Rudloe’s, The Wilderness Coast: “The sun was just rising, but it was already hot when we launched our canoe just below the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. We were beginning the 217-mile journey through Georgia and Florida to the Gulf of Mexico on the Suwannee River. “We paddled for days, with only the occasional splash of a bowfin or a garfish, or the bellow of an alligator, breaking the silence. Sometimes we ducked beneath the low hanging branches bearing wasps’ nests, watching for snakes among the contorted cypress tree roots. “The Suwannee is one of the few large wild undammed rivers in the Southeast. As it leaves the sloughs and hammocks of the vast Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia it gradually coalesces, flowing through an eerie wilderness of stunted Ogeechee tupelo trees. Scattered cypresses rise above the swamps and give little shade from the blazing sun.” The Wilderness Coast, by Jack Rudloe, 1988, Page 36 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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 basking on a burned cypress log on Minnie's Lake; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com. Excerpt from The Last Remaining Indian in the Okefenokee Swamp, by Tommy Hartley.
In my search for anything Okefenokee, I came across a used copy of The Last Remaining Indian in the Okefenokee Swamp by Tommy Hartley (LAH Publishing Company, 2003). Hartley writes in the inside cover, “Both of my parents were raised as swampers in the late 1800’s... We were swampers and spoke swamper and now I enjoy speaking and writing swamper.” Hartley passes down entertaining swamp stories that were told to him by his mother. It appears the book may be out of print, but I recommend it for reading, especially if you enjoy southern culture and history. 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  A large alligator sits at our turn-around spot on the Middle Fork canoe trail; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. As the afternoon wore on, I realized we wouldn’t cover the ten miles we had planned and still make it back before sunset. We turned around in a small pool on the Middle Fork between Minnies Lake and Big Water where sat a particularly large gator on a downed cypress, allowing an impressive photo that filled the viewfinder with his girth. The trip back was surprisingly more rapid as we paddled with the current. Other than a “spider” that fell into Amanda’s lap (which turned out to be a stick), nearly causing her to abandon ship into gator infested waters, the trip back was pretty much without incident. We arrived at the GPS waypoint labeled “baby gators” and spent some time with mom and her chirping brood again, then lazily allowed the wind and current to push us down Billy’s Lake back toward home. Back at camp for the evening, the overcast skies and strong gusts hinted at a storm that never came. Thinking ahead with a bit of sadness, our next morning would be waking early, breaking camp and heading home. To get one last moment of solitary enjoyment, Amanda and I walked the campground together. At one point she placed her hand in mine as we strolled. A great time together, and well worth it. We said goodbye to Sophie and wished to come again next year. But it would be two years before our return… 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Curtains of Spanish Moss wave on the limbs of Cypress on Billy's Lake; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Thursday, March 12, 2015 – After a breakfast of freeze-dried biscuits and gravy, we loaded the cooler and our packs for a full day of paddling. We were going to press further up the Suwanee River than on our guided tour, perhaps 10 miles up closer to the heart of the swamp. Coming upon Billy’s Lake at the outset of the journey was a serene, moving experience. A hush fell over my daughter and me and we dared only to whisper rather than break the crystalline stillness. The water is a pane of glass, reflecting the tall cypress and gently swaying Spanish Moss; the light breeze, the buoyant lily pads, the echo of swishing oars… we see no other paddlers, hear no motors… we sit and the drift is taking us. A beautiful place; an alien world found nowhere else. Perhaps not the most hospitable, but sure the hand of the Creator is here.
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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Passing by a large American Alligator in a canoe; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. As one leaves the more open waters of Billy’s or Minnie’s Lakes in the Okefenokee and enters the cypress forests and hammocks, the channels become considerably narrower. While there aren’t as many alligators in these tighter areas, occasionally a large crocodilian might be patrolling the water. This begs the question: how do you safely pass a large gator in a little kayak? On the left, or on the right? The answer: let him choose! While padding up the Middle Fork, my daughter and I encountered a particularly large bull gator swimming in the narrow channel, his tail swishing back and forth as he cut through the water ahead. And although he was headed in the same direction, we were gaining on him. How would we pass him? He spied us from the corner of his eye and slowed a tad as we came alongside. He was more than half the length of the canoe. I took some close up shots and a video as he slowed and allowed us passage. So close. He could easily have been touched with the oar; but we dare not try.  Passing by a large American Alligator in a canoe; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  A large American Alligator drifting by our canoe in the Okefenokee Swamp; March 12, 2015. An excerpt from E. A. McIlhenny's 1935 book, The Alligator's Life History:
E.A. McIlhenny (1872 – 1949), of the McIlhenny Tabasco Sauce company, was a hunter, explorer and naturalist that established the Avery Island wildlife refuge on his family estate in Louisiana and wrote The Alligator's Life History in 1935. While some of his statements are criticized by modern science, he was one of the most knowledgeable alligator experts in the country at the time. His work contains valuable information and entertaining anecdotes. 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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 and white juvenile White Ibis foraging in wetlands in Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Stephen C Foster State Park. When the Okefenokee’s time for preservation had finally come, different government departments and environmental groups had varying visions for the swamp. Some wanted a National Park, like Yellowstone or Yosemite, to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Others wanted a National Wilderness Area where “human activities are restricted to scientific study and non-mechanized recreation.” Still others wanted a waterfowl refuge managed for as licensed hunting grounds. But in the end, the Okefenokee was designated as a National Wildlife Refuge. Executive Order 7593 signed on March 30, 1937 stated the Okefenokee was to be “reserved and set apart… as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.” Literally, the Okefenokee was for the birds! While there are several miles of beautiful waterways that are maintained for ecotourism, the vast majority of the 400,000 is uncrossed by canoe trails, leaving thousands upon thousands of acres solely for the birds and wildlife. Truly, this is their refuge! Source: Constantino G and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 2006. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge: Comprehensive Conservation Plan 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 basking on a Cypress Log on Minnie's Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015 ©www.williamwisephoto.com A description of the American Alligator from an 1829 publication describing the wild animals in the zoos of London… "The voice of these animals is very loud and dreadful, and they have an unpleasant and powerful musky scent. M. Pagés says, that near one of the rivers in America, where the alligators were numerous, their effluvium was so strong as to impregnate his provisions, and even to give them the nauseous taste of rotten musk . This effluvium proceeds chiefly from four glands, two of which are situated in the groin , near each thigh, and the other two at the breast, one under each fore leg. Dampier informs us, that when his men killed an alligator, they generally took out these glands, and after having dried them , wore them in their hats by way of perfume." The Wonders of the Animal Kingdom; Exhibiting Delineations of the most distinguished Wild Animals in the Various Menageries of this Country. London, 1829. By Robert Huish 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Pod of baby American Alligators hiding under yellow bonnet lily pads in the Okefenokee Swamp. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. March 12, 2015. A shadowed, meandering channel runs just north of Billy’s Lake in the Okefenokee. It is the Middle Fork of the Suwannee River. This narrow waterway is barely wide enough for the john boats to pass. If it weren’t for the refuge staff, it would soon close in, choked by floating Spatterdock, pickerelweed and tangled branches draped with Spanish Moss. The giant alligators tend to avoid these choked waters. So there isn’t much to see… or is there?
These denser, darker places devoid of larger gators make them the perfect place for a mother to raise her young (for a large alligator will actually eat the smaller gators). Only six to eight inches at birth, these tiny reptiles are hard to see. If the kayaker has keen enough eyes, they just might pick out bright yellow bands of a baby alligator’s tail amongst the green and yellow bonnet lilies. A patch of sunlight might pass through and reach the occasional fallen log prompting the juveniles to climb from the cool swamp waters into the warmth. But being so tiny, a stiff lily pad will serve as a suitable basking sight. All the while mom stays close by to protect her brood. 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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 swimming alongside our Canoe on the Suwannee Middle Fork (red trail); Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com. In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp, like the following…
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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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 basking on a fallen cypress in an Okefenokee Swamp Prairie habitat. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com. Within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, there are several habitats contained within one “swamp” ecosystem: lakes, prairies, hammocks and island forests. With such a variety, all day paddling does not become monotonous or boring. The open lakes leave one out in full sun with expansive views all around; then the lakes collapse into narrow channels bordered by tall Cypress with the curtains of Spanish Moss obscuring a view into the deeper reaches of the swamp; then opening again into large, grassy prairies with well-spaced, tall snags reaching into open sky.  The turns and curves of the canoe trails, further concealed by large Cypress buttresses and patches of vegetation, limit the oncoming view, and constantly renew that “what’s up ahead?” anticipation. The color contrasts of earth tones keep the senses awakened: medium browns of Cypress bark, swaying grays of Spanish Moss, floating rich greens of vegetation, dark liquid tannin swirling below, and blue heaven above. Colorful white, red and yellow stems of Neverwet emerge from the water adding flashes of vibrant, eye-catching color to the scene. A beautiful place of which the eye and mind never become weary.
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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  An American Alligator mother with several babies on her back. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. E.A. McIlhenny of the Tabasco Sauce family tells a story of nearly having an upset mother alligator nearly grab his head:
E.A. McIlhenny (1872 – 1949), of the McIlhenny Tabasco Sauce company, was a hunter, explorer and naturalist that established the Avery Island wildlife refuge on his family estate in Louisiana and wrote The Alligator's Life History in 1935. While some of his statements are criticized by modern science, he was one of the most knowledgeable alligator experts in the country at the time. His work contains valuable information and entertaining anecdotes. 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Mother American Alligator with a pod of baby alligators in the lily pads; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Excerpt from William Bartram's Travels, Part II, Chapter V "The female, as I imagine, carefully watches her own nest of eggs until they are all hatched, or perhaps while she is attending her own brood, she takes under her care and protection, as many as the can get at one time, either from her own particular nest or others: but certain it is, that the young are not left to shift for themselves, having had frequent opportunities of seeing the female alligator, leading about the shores her train of young ones, just like a hen does her brood of chickens, and she is equally assiduous and courageous in defending the young, which are under their care, and providing for their subsistence; and when the is basking upon the warm banks, with her brood around her, you may hear the young ones continually whining and barking, like young puppies. I believe but few of a brood live to the years of full growth and magnitude, as the old feed on the young as long as they can make prey of them." William Bartram was a botantist, artist, and nature writer that explored the southeastern United States around the time of the American Revolution (1773-1776). He was a scientist, creationist and Christian that gave glory to the Author for all the wonderful works he observed and documented in his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida. 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 and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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 American Alligator laying on a cypress log in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Middle Fork red canoe trail of the Suwannee River. March 12, 2015. On our first day in the Okefenokee, the number of huge gators lining the edges of Billy’s Lake was quite mind blowing. As our count climbed higher, we lost track of how many of the big swamp sentinels we saw. In some places, groupings of four to eight large alligators sunned in one spot; many of the same gators in the same exact spots we had seen them on the previous day’s guided boat tour. But after the initial shock of the giant gators was waning, we began to desire to see a colorful juvenile gator, or better yet, a pod of babies surrounding their mother.
Baby gators are something special. Their more distinct patterns, texture and coloration with bright yellow banded tails makes them more beautiful than the older, drab, bluish-black monsters. They have a lizardy – almost gecko-like look - with cute upturned smiles that border on a mischievous grin. And not to mention the chirp! It is hard to imagine this happy little chirp emanating from an animal that will one day emit a thunderous bellow and strike fear into any living creature. In 1997 I had come upon a mother gator and her babies in the Okefenokee. And only on a couple of occasions, another being in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, had I heard baby gators chirp unseen from amongst the reeds. Perhaps today Amanda would hear that chirping up close for the first time. |
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