WILLIAM WISE PHOTOGRAPHY
  • Home
  • Shelter Photography
    • 2019 Shelter Photography
    • 2020 Shelter Photography
    • 2021 Shelter Photography
    • 2022 Shelter Photography
    • 2023 Shelter Photography
    • 2024 Shelter Photography
    • 2025 Shelter Photography
  • Nature Photography
    • Film Days
    • 2008-2011
    • 2012
    • 2013
    • 2014
    • 2015
    • 2016
    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    • 2024
    • 2025
    • Texas Deer "Hunts"
    • Okefenokee Swamp >
      • Okefenokee Contact Sheet
    • Cades Cove GSMNP
    • GA State Parks
    • Tucson Sweetwater Wetlands
  • Creation Speaks
  • Disney
  • Blogs

assiduous and courageous Mother Alligator

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Picture
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. ​
0 Comments

Colorful Baby Alligators

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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 alligator Picture
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.
0 Comments

Obliging Alligators

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Swamp alligator Picture
Large American Alligator laying on a log along Billy's Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015.
An excerpt from naturalist Bradford Torrey's 1894 book, A Florida Sketch-Book:
"​The river in that part of its course is comfortably narrow,—a great advantage,—winding through cypress swamps, hammock woods, stretches of prairie, and in one place a pine barren; an interesting and in many ways beautiful country, but so unwholesome looking as to lose much of its attractiveness. Three or four large alligators lay sunning themselves in the most obliging manner upon the banks, here one and there one, to the vociferous delight of the passengers, who ran from one side of the deck to the other, as the captain shouted and pointed. One, he told us, was thirteen feet long, the largest in the river. Each appeared to have its own well-worn sunning-spot, and all, I believe, kept their places, as if the passing of the big steamer—almost too big for the river at some of the sharper turns—had come to seem a commonplace event."
0 Comments

Guardian Mother Gator

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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 alligator and babies Picture
A guardian mother American Alligator and her pod of babies in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
Thursday, 2:20 PM - Trying not to disturb the exhilarating, tense moment, I whispered to my daughter Amanda in a low voice, "Momma gator has to be here somewhere." Sure enough, in the midst of the dozen or more colorful babies, her eyes peered at us attentively from between the abundant swamp vegetation; her body completely submerged. We daringly pressed in a little closer. Cute little chirps arose from a few of the babies. Mom tolerated our approach for only about thirty seconds before swiftly swimming directly toward us and emitting a forceful release of air.

Sitting in the front of the canoe just a few feet from this upset maternal guardian, I knew what was “safe”, and what was not. This was bordering on “unsafe”, and, in fact, a bit foolish. While most gators predictably retreat or submerge upon approach, a mother gator is quite courageous and assiduous in defending her young against onlookers.
​
I let wisdom prevail and we backed out the canoe a bit, took a few more photos, and paddled onward. 
Mother alligator and babies Picture
A guardian mother American Alligator and her pod of babies in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
Mother alligator and babies Picture
A guardian mother American Alligator and her pod of babies in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
0 Comments

Up the Okefenokee Middle Fork

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Picture
Okefenokee Middle Fork canoe trail sign toward Big Water and Minnies Lake. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
Thursday, 9:12 AM - The number of large basking gators quickly dwindled as we paddled up the narrower channel toward Minnie’s lake. Large lily pads crowded in toward the canoe on either side; Spanish moss hung overhead. After about a mile we came to the cove where we had spotted the juvenile gator on the boat tour the day before. He was in the same spot, on the same log.

​We turned the canoe in toward the cove and came to rest on the lily pads and thick floating vegetation. After about a minute of shooting him with different focal lengths, flash and without flash, I finally noticed an even smaller juvenile lying about five feet further down the log to the left. Glistening scales, bright yellow bands, a grinning look. We pushed even closer until the larger of the two flipped off the log into the water. We backed out and paddled further up the flowing channel.
Baby alligator Picture
Juvenile American Alligator on a floating log along the Middle Fork canoe trail; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
The first order of business is learning to steer. Amanda is now in the rear and in command of the direction of our canoe. She is trying to get a feel for alternating her paddling – left side, left side twice more, switch right, a few strokes – and trying to keep us in a more or less straight line. I am now poised in the bow, perfect for the close up shots of the reptilian inhabitants as we press into the vegetation. The big gators are just as numerous as the previous day.
Picture
Wood Duck in Cypress and Spanish Moss; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The original photo wasn't very sharp, so I rendered it as more of a watercolor feel in post-processing. I couldn't bring myself to delete it as it seems to capture the beauty and mystery of a cypress swamp.
0 Comments

Bradford Torrey's Handsome Heron

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
​In 1894, naturalist and ornithologist Bradford Torrey wrote of the Great Egret in his book, A Florida Sketch-Book. 
Great Egret Picture
Great Egret perched in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.
“Incomparably the handsomest member of the heron family (I speak of such as I saw) was the great white egret. In truth, the epithet 'handsome' seems almost a vulgarism as applied to a creature so superb, so utterly and transcendently splendid. I saw it—in a way to be sure of it—only once. Two birds stood in the dead tops of low shrubby trees, fully exposed in the most favorable of lights, their long dorsal trains drooping behind them and swaying gently in the wind. I had never seen anything so magnificent. The reader should understand that this egret is between four and five feet in length, and measures nearly five feet from wing tip to wing tip, and that its plumage throughout is of spotless white. It is pitiful to think how constantly a bird of that size and color must be in danger of its life.”
0 Comments

Appetite For Hound Dogs

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Okefenokee Swamp Alligator Picture
American Alligator 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. 
"​They say the Lee’s never carry dogs in the swamp anymore without caring a long, keen, Cypress sapling with a knife blade fastened to one end. Mr. Lee says one stick with that knife and them gators lose their appetite for hound dogs fer a mighty long time. Old man Lee can stick a gator in the side with that bayonet and he’ll walk on the water with his tail for the longest. I just hope I never get close enough to an alligator to stick him in the side with a knife. He can have all the hound dogs in this swamp for all I care."
​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. 
0 Comments

Okefenokee Swamp Alligator Trails

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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 Okefenokee Swamp Picture
American Alligator in the marsh grasses of Billy's Lake; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.
​Excerpt from the 1926 History of the Okefenokee Swamp by AS McQueen and Hamp Mizell:
“It was in the early winter of 1874 that my father found Chase Prairie. On this trip, and on all others thereafter he always carried a small pole about 8 feet long with an old bayonet on the end which was used to fight off the thousands of alligators that would, at times, fight the boat and attempt to drag out the dogs.

​"The last few hours of their journey they had been following alligator trails, which looked like small streams running through the moss, grass and lily leaves. These trails showed that many alligators had traveled these streams for the trails were worn out wide, and the further west they traveled the wider the trails grew.”
0 Comments

Okefenokee Swamp Sentinels

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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 Alligators Picture
Two large American Alligators lay as Swamp Sentinels at the entrance to Billy's Like in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 11, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 7:20 AM - It is always pleasant waking within a tent to the natural, gradual illumination of breaking dawn. The woods were vocal, but not overdone. The melodies of a few birds were accompanied by the pleasant percussion of a Pileated Woodpecker. Breakfast consisted of freeze-dried scrambled eggs (which taste much better than they sound), oatmeal bars, and a cup of coffee (hot cocoa for Amanda). We headed to the ranger station for a 1.5 hour boat tour guided by Jeremy, Park Manager in-training, and a rather talkative woman from Jasper, Florida, along with her daughter.

The boat slowly moved up the canal until reaching a larger waterway, Billy’s Lake, which stretches about 1.5 miles to the left and right. On the corner of the canal at the entry to the lake sat two very large gators as if gatekeepers to the swamp. These impressive guardians were quite formidable and made it clear whose domain was the swamp. As we glided along the edges of Billy’s Lake, at every bend and upon every prominent log lay basking an impressive sentinel. They ruled the edges of the water. Our guide pushed the pontoon boat into one cove where sat eight alligators, half out of the water upon floating vegetation.
0 Comments

William Bartram-An Old Champion

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Okefenokee Swamp Bull Alligator Picture
Alligator in Okefenokee Swamp Park National Wildlife Refuge Georgia. March 11, 2015
An excerpt from William Bartram's Travels, published in 1791:
"AN old champion, who is perhaps absolute sovereign of a little lake or lagoon (when fifty less than himself are obliged to content themselves with swelling and roaring in little coves round about) darts forth from the reedy coverts all at once, on the surface of the waters, in a right line; at first seemingly as rapid as lightning, but gradually more slowly until he arrives at the center of the lake, when he stops; he now swells himself by drawing in wind and water through his mouth, which causes a loud sonorous rattling in the throat for near a minute, but it is immediately forced out again through his mouth and nostrils, with a loud noise, brandishing his tail in the air, and the vapour ascending from his nostrils like smoke. At other times, when swolen to an extent ready to burst, his head and tail lifted up, he spins or twirls round on the surface of the water. He acts his part like an Indian chief when rehearsing his feats of war, and then retiring, the exhibition is continued by others who dare to step forth, and strive to excel each other, to gain the attention of the favourite female."  Part II, Chapter V
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. ​
0 Comments

One Live Gator is Worth a Dozen Dead

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Alligator in Okefenokee Swamp Park National Wildlife Refuge Georgia Stephen C Foster Picture
American Alligator in the swamp prairie grasses along Billy's Lake; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 11, 2015. ©www.williamwisephoto.com.
​An excerpt from naturalist Bradford Torrey's 1894 book, A Florida Sketch-Book: 
"But as we were skirting along the shore I suddenly called 'Hist! An alligator lay on the 'bank just before us. The boy turned his head, and instantly was all excitement. It was a big fellow, he said,—one of three big ones that inhabited the creek. He would get him this time. 'Are you sure?' I asked.
​
"'Oh yes, I’ll blow the top of his head off.' He was loaded for gallinules, and I, being no sportsman, and never having seen an alligator before, was some shades less confident. But it was his game, and I left him to his way. He pulled the boat noiselessly against the bank in the shelter of tall reeds, put down the oars, with which he could almost have touched the alligator, and took up his gun. At that moment the creature got wind of us, and slipped incontinently into the water, not a little to my relief. One live alligator is worth a dozen dead ones, to my thinking. He showed his back above the surface of the stream for a moment shortly afterward, and then disappeared for good."
0 Comments

Blood Curdling Night Swamp Sounds

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Okefenokee Swamp Alligator Night Glowing Eyes Picture
An American Alligator's eyes glow red in the dark swamp night. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.
Even in our modern age of campgrounds, well-marked canoe trails, and handheld GPS, the Okefenokee Swamp can still become a bit eerie to the unaccustomed traveler, especially at night. I can only imagine those first white explorers of the 1800's tasked with surveying this great swampland. Here follows an excerpt published in the Oglethorpe Echo newspaper in December 1889:
​"Woe betide the luckless adventurer who loses his way in this wildwood and is compelled to pass the night here. To the horror of darkness and unknown danger are added the most blood-curdling sounds. The hoarse monotone of the bullfrog, the wailing cry of the catamount, the deep growl of the bear disturbed in his slumber, the crackling of the canebrake under the tread of the puma, the mournful hoot of the owl, and the despairing shriek of some animal that has fallen a victim of the wildcat, are enough to freeze the blood and whiten the hair." – Oglethorpe Echo. Lexington, Georgia. December 13, 1889.
0 Comments

Okefenokee Double Crested Cormorant

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Double Crested Cormorant Picture
Double-crested Cormorant Perched in a dead tree in Okefenokee Swamp Park National Wildlife Refuge Georgia
Found throughout the United States, the Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is one of the common waterbirds found in the Okefenokee National Refuge throughout most of the year. These somewhat goofy acting birds can be seen milling about on bare cypress trees and snags over the open spaces of the swamp.

With feathers that are not water repellent, most of their body typically sinks below the water’s surface as they fish and dive. Afterwards, while roosting upon a limb, they spread their wings to dry them in the sun.
​
Because of their color, size and behavior, they are often confused with the Anhinga. But the cormorant's bill is shorter and hooked at the end, unlike the long spear-like bill of the Anhinga. And while it is just my opinion, they seem less graceful than the sleek Anhinga. 
0 Comments

Hot Afternoon Sun

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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 Picture
Paddling past a submerged alligator as we row from Billy's Island back toward "home" at the Stephen C Foster State Park campground after an afternoon of Okefenokee exploration.
Wednesday, 3:30 PM - After our hike on Billy’s Island, we rowed back toward the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. Even though it was early spring, the sun was still high and bright. It became quite hot sitting in the open sun of the canoe. Our throats became parched as we toiled at the oars, for we had finished all of our water while hiking on Billy's Island. 

When confined to a canoe, there is no escaping the heat of the sun, especially if out on one of the lakes or open prairies so common in the Okefenokee. I made a mental note (and later added it to my packing checklist) to bring plenty of water and sunscreen on future excursions. Even though surrounded by water, we thirsted. I have read that the tanin-stained waters are a bit bitter possibly contaminated with protozoa and bacteria. 

As we contineud to toil across Billy's Lake toward "home", the heat had sequestered most of the wildlife out of sight into the shade of the cypress trees. In the hotter afternoons, most of the alligators lay fully or partially submerged in the cool waters and the photography opportunities are fewer. However, we cruised past a few gators and a fishing Cormorant. Being insufficiently cooled only by our own sweat, we were a bit jealous as we watched the Cormorant dive and swim in the cool, refreshing waters. 
Picture
0 Comments

Okefenokee bUGABOO iSLAND dEER

3/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
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
Okefenokee Deer Picture
A White-tailed Deer crosses the swamp water on Billy's Island in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.
Excerpt from the 1926 book History of the Okefenokee, by Hamp Mizell and AS McQueen:
"When Bugaboo Island was first discovered it was then traversed by various trails and paths made by the numerous wild animals on this particular island. There were quite a lot of deer on this island, and it is said by the oldest inhabitants that very few islands of the swamp had more game than Bugaboo, although there were several larger. this prairie gives the dear good feeding grounds, as there are several different kinds of water plants that are choice food for deer." 
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Categories

    All
    Creation Speaks
    Disney Pin Trading
    Misc. Photography
    Nature Photo Posts
    Okefenokee Swamp
    Shelter Photography
    William Bartram

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    June 2023
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    January 2011
    July 2010
    February 2010
    November 2009
    October 2009
    July 2009
    June 2008
    May 2008
    January 2008
    April 2006
    August 2002
    June 2002
    May 2001
    May 2000
    April 2000
    March 2000
    October 1999
    September 1999
    July 1998
    June 1998
    May 1998
    April 1998
    March 1998
    October 1997
    September 1997
    July 1997
    June 1997
    May 1997
    March 1997
    February 1997
    October 1996
    August 1996
    April 1996
    October 1995
    July 1995
    June 1994
    May 1993

Contact me here: 

Stock Photos & Images
All content is  ©williamwisephoto.com. Please don't steal images. My images are available at dreamstime.com. Stock sales go into the shelter photography program. 
Picture
In December 1993 I came to know the Designer and Creator of this wonderful planet and its creatures: Jesus Christ. 
Donations help support the animal shelter adoption photography equipment and adoption website hosting and domain fees.  Thanks for your support!  
  • Home
  • Shelter Photography
    • 2019 Shelter Photography
    • 2020 Shelter Photography
    • 2021 Shelter Photography
    • 2022 Shelter Photography
    • 2023 Shelter Photography
    • 2024 Shelter Photography
    • 2025 Shelter Photography
  • Nature Photography
    • Film Days
    • 2008-2011
    • 2012
    • 2013
    • 2014
    • 2015
    • 2016
    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    • 2024
    • 2025
    • Texas Deer "Hunts"
    • Okefenokee Swamp >
      • Okefenokee Contact Sheet
    • Cades Cove GSMNP
    • GA State Parks
    • Tucson Sweetwater Wetlands
  • Creation Speaks
  • Disney
  • Blogs