 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Psalms 40:5-6 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done...: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.  March 2012; Walton County, Georgia. Most of the ducks disappeared off our pond by the animal shelter around the new year. This Scaup returned in full breeding colors and stayed for only a week or two.
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 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Psalms 104:10-12 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. Sunday, February 5, 2012 - An afternoon hike at our local park, Sandy Creek Nature Center.  Stately Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias in water at Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, Georgia. Whether it is for travel photography or nature photography, there is nothing better than making a free weekend in our busy lives in order to get away and enjoy. But since big trips often require a lot of planning, money and leave from our jobs, they don’t come often enough. That is when local destinations come into play. My busy life with work and church activities, kids’ band concerts and soccer games, doesn’t leave much opportunity to get away for my passion of birding and wildlife photography. That’s why I love my local park: Sandy Creek Park and Nature Center in Athens, Georgia USA. Even if I can’t get out of town for an extended trip, I can drive 15 minutes to the north side of town and be instantly transported into the wild. In this relatively small piece of nature, there are beaver diligently working to keep the wetland ecosystem from drying out. The turtles emerge onto the logs for basking on warmer days. Long-legged wading birds pick frogs and insects from the shallow waters with their spear-like beaks. Lizards scurry about the leaves and thickets. And if you’re lucky, a snake may slither across your path!  Three painted turtles Chrysemys picta sunning on log in blue water at Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, Georgia. Sandy Creek Park is almost 800 acres and a large body of water, Lake Chapman, sits right in the middle. Miles of trails circle the lake and there are plenty of other recreational opportunities. Adjacent the park, and connected by a wildlife corridor, named Cook’s trail, is the Sandy Creek Nature Center. Multiple hiking trails cross the 225 acre forested property and provide all types of nature and wildlife photography opportunities. So perhaps you can’t get away on an extended trip because of work or a busy life. But don’t neglect to look into your local parks and preserves. You may find a veritable wildlife safari tucked away in a small corner of your city that you never knew existed!  Stately Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias in water at Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, Georgia.   Orange lichen on mossy log, beaver bog, Sandy Creek nature Center, Athens, Georgia.  Green Anole at Sandy Creek Nature Center; Athens, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Psalms 134:3 The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee...  Hooded Mergansers on the main retention pond behind my office. Walton County, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Psalms 33:5-6 The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  Near full moon over Athens, Georgia. January 7, 2012  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Psalms 86:8-10 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.  Northern Mockingbird in my backyard. Athens, Georgia.  Northern Mockingbird in my backyard. Athens, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Psalms 50:10-11 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.  A huge flock of blackbirds clouds the air over the main retention pond; Walton County, Georgia. January 4, 2012.  Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. "Get me out of here on dove wings; I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country, I want a cabin in the woods. I’m desperate for a change from rage and stormy weather." Psalms 55, The Message  Kingfisher perched in the distance over the Claypit Pond at Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, Georgia.
 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.”  Song Sparrow perched on tree stump at State Botanical Gardens in Athens, Georgia, December 2011. The song sparrow Melospiza melodia is a medium-sized American sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable and adaptable species.  A Red-headed Woodpecker clings to a tree at the trailhead of the orange trail at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens, Georgia. Judging by the hole at the top right of the photo, he is a regular visitor here.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. "Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work." Psalms 111:2  Large flock of blackbirds taking off in a blur in Walton County, Georgia. The red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is found in most of North America and much of Central America. Wintering flocks can number in excess of a million birds per flock. It generally prefers wetlands, and inhabits both freshwater and saltwater marshes, particularly if cattail is present.  Song Sparrow; Walton County, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders 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-tailed Deer are a common sight along the country roads I take too and from work. These does and fawns stood alongside Barnett Shoals Road. Clarke County, Georgia.  Young White-tailed Deer; Clarke County, Georgia.  A White-tailed Deer alerts to my slowing as I drive along Highway 186 near Good Hope, Georgia (Walton County).  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.”  Eastern Screech Owl; Walton County, Georgia. Monday, 10:50 AM – Monroe, GA. “911 to Animal Control” barked the radio. “Complaint of a large bird trapped in a screened patio.” I grabbed my camera and jumped into the passenger seat of an animal control truck. I was hoping it wasn’t like the “large bird” flying around a living room a few weeks earlier that turned out to be just a small Starling. I was hoping it wasn’t a fisherman’s tale or like the “huge” snake calls we get that turn out to be just small Garter Snakes. I was hoping for some excitement; something to add to the life list photos. As we pulled up, the homeowner was out front. “I think it flew in last night and can’t find its way out.” I walked in the sunroom patio through the doorway that was missing its door. Quickly scanning the room, my eyes were drawn to a beautiful bird perched stoically on the blade of the ceiling fan, eyes near closed as if in deep meditation. It was obviously an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio), being way too small to be any other owl species. I fired a few shots. “Excuse me, I was sleeping here”, he seemed to state as his eyes opened to slightly larger slits. But these slits quickly widened to full, bright yellow coins as my partner reached up with elk hide handling gloves. He then began quickly flapping back and forth across the room, again searching for the exit that he had failed to find all morning long. I got a few more shots as he perched around the room before he was safely hand caught and released outdoors where he gracefully glided off, not phased by the encounter. Walton County, Georgia  Eastern Screech Owl; Walton County, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s 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 Thursday and Friday birding walks; December 8-9. Walton County, Georgia.  Pied-billed Grebe; Walton County, Georgia.  Northern Flicker; Walton County, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation."Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11  Lake Chapman at Sandy Creek Park in Athens, Georgia.  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  Muskrat, November 2011, Walton County, Georgia. The muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, is a medium-sized rodent native to North America found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. The muskrat is found in swamps, marshes, rivers, ponds, lakes, drainage ditches and canals. He was stuck tight in the ring of a chain-link fence. Even with Kevlar-lined leather gloves, I feared a piercing bite from those long, sharp, bark-shredding, rodent incisors. How could I pull this plump Muskrat out of his predicament without getting bit? Although my motive was to free him, there was nothing I could do to convince him that I meant him no harm. Liberating this furry reddish-brown muskrat from his plight reminded me of the complexity of sharing the chain-breaking freedom in Jesus Christ. In our love, we wish to free others from the constricting grip of sin. But as we preach the full gospel, which includes not only Christ’s love and redemption, but also the need for repentance of sin, our listeners may misinterpret our motives and aren’t always sure we mean them no harm. Yet freeing others is a calling motivated by love, as is my mission to free this muskrat.  Muskrat, November 2011, Walton County, Georgia. The muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, is a medium-sized rodent native to North America found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. The muskrat is found in swamps, marshes, rivers, ponds, lakes, drainage ditches and canals. As rodents go, Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are bigger than a rat, but smaller than a beaver. With their thick, double-layer of fur, they weigh in at a portly 1 to 4 pounds; just the right size to barely pass through, or, as in this case, get stuck in a chain-link fence! This guy was stuck in a fence surrounding a water retention pond. Preferring to burrow their homes in the banks of ponds and streams, muskrats have taken advantage of these man-made flood controlling constructions. My chubby muskrat must have gotten himself lodged when returning from grazing on the other side of the fence... where the grass is always greener! Even we humans, the “crown of creation” and supposed most intelligent creatures can be lured into captivity when we are “drawn away by our own lusts, and enticed” (James 1:14). We too fall captive to “the-grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side” mentality and chase fleeting fantasies into restricted areas that leave us trapped and in a helpless struggle. We inevitably need someone to set us free.  As I approached to liberate this marooned muskrat, I could see his long, bald, vertically-flattened tail and backside trapped fast in the fence. He had given up on the struggle. Reducing the fence’s grip with the aid of bolt cutters, I was able to pull the exhausted critter free without much of a fight.
My now liberated muskrat didn’t immediately run off in freedom. His long exertion had drained his energy and he retreated briefly to recover under a nearby log. He eventually caught his breath, sensed his freedom, and scurried off towards a patch of concealing leaf litter near the water’s edge. While they may not immediately embrace freedom, sharing God’s love and the truth of the freeing power of the blood of Jesus Christ does not return void. It will loosen the blinding grip of sin upon the human heart and free them to make a decision. We may have a sense of frustration when some don’t immediately accept Christ, but we never know what will happen down the road. It is still our calling to preach the liberating gospel. As long as there is life there is a chance to decide for Christ. The fruit of our evangelistic efforts may not be immediate, but we never know what may take place. It was a full 12 months from when I first heard a true evangelistic witness to when I surrendered and received Christ.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Job 33:21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.  Gray Fox skeleton submerged in the upper retention pond. Walton County, Georgia. November 30, 2011. Taking a walk to the upper retention pond behind my office in Walton County, Georgia, I found this Gray Fox skeleton partially submerged at the edge of the pond.  Gray Fox skull; Walton County, Georgia. November 30, 2011. |
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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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