 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  Several large alligators sunning themselves along the canals of the the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive within the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. My second trip to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. We primarily stayed on the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive. The drive in the SNWR is a great way to see alligators and wildlife up close, especially for those who love outdoors but may not be able to trudge through swamps and marshes. The four-mile drive follows the checkerboard levees of an old rice plantation. In the warming spring months and early summer mornings, there are alligators on every bank around every turn; even multiple “big ones” sunning together in one spot. SNWR was a favorite spot to "reptile hunt" in my college days.  Great Egrets at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
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 "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible ... everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." Colossians. 1:16  Common Garter Snake; Clarke County, Georgia. March 20, 1998. Another animal control critter caught in someone's house in 1998.  Common Garter Snake; Clarke County, Georgia. March 20, 1998.  Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.  Fledgling Barred Owl; Clarke County, Georgia. March 18, 1998. Flashback to the days of film: March 18, 1998. While working with Athens-Clarke County Animal Control in 1998, I was called out to assist and owl that couldn’t fly. It appeared to be a fledgling that just hadn’t quite yet figured it out. While getting his photos, he unfurled his wings in what I assume is a defensive posture to make himself look larger and less edible! I also remember all these years later (20 in fact) how he repeatedly clucked his beak at me.  Fledgling Barred Owl defensive posture. Clarke County, Georgia. March 18, 1998.  Fledgling Barred Owl; Clarke County, Georgia. March 18, 1998.  Isaiah 65:18 -- But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create  Redbelly Snake; Clarke County, Georgia. March 11, 1998 Storeria occipitomaculata, commonly known as the redbelly snake, is a species of snake endemic to North America. This species can be found in a variety of woodland habitats but in the Coastal Plain is most common in or around the margins of small wetlands. In the Mountains they are often found in open habitats such as fields and mountain balds. Redbellied snakes are generally very secretive and can be found hiding under logs, rocks, and leaf piles. They feed nearly exclusively on slugs.  Redbelly Snake; Clarke County, Georgia. March 11, 1998  Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.  Historic Savannah Tybee Railroad trail October 11, 1997 - On another one of my post-college trips to go reptile hunting in Savannah, a couple of "herp friends" and I rode bikes along the Old Savannah-Tybee Railroad trail. "The trails were once the roadbed of a railroad that took passengers from eastern Savannah to Tybee Island for nearly 50 years starting in the late 1800s. The trail presents visitors with vistas of marshland and the south channel of the Savannah River, opportunities for fishing and crabbing, and glimpses of wildlife indigenous to the marsh." (source)  Fiddler Crabs; Historic Savannah Tybee Railroad trail  A Boat-tailed Grackle life bird photo; Historic Savannah Tybee Railroad trail  American Alligator; Historic Savannah Tybee Railroad trail  American Alligator; Historic Savannah Tybee Railroad trail  Genesis 8:1 God didn’t forget about Noah and all the animals in the boat!  Virginia Opossum picked up by Athens-Clarke County Animal Control in October 1997. To be honest, I've completely forgotten the context behind this old Opossum photograph. But I'm sure he was the subject of some frantic citizen that called animal control!  Virginia Opossum picked up by Athens-Clarke County Animal Control in October 1997.  Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.  Marbled Salamander; Clarke County, Georgia. 1997 As best as I can remember, this little salamanders were found under a wood pile in my yard in 1997.  Red-spotted Newt; Clarke County, Georgia. 1997  Jeremiah 50:40 The place will be haunted with jackals and scorpions, night-owls and bats. No one will ever live there again.  Bat; Clarke County, Georgia. July 15, 1997 While working for Athens-Clarke County Animal Control in 1997, I was called out to remove a bat from an Athens residence. The little critter seemed healthy, so I snapped a few photos and let him go back outdoors.  Bat; Clarke County, Georgia. July 15, 1997  Bat; Clarke County, Georgia. July 15, 1997  2 Corinthians 2:15 As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us, an aroma to both the saved and the unsaved all around us.  Baby Skunk; Clarke County, Georgia. While working for Athens-Clarke County Animal Control, I was dispatched out to the University of Georgia Golf Course to pick up a sick skunk. Those are the calls we always dread, for nobody wants to get hit with that noxious defense! I was relieved when I saw it was a baby and a bit too lethargic to spray.
 Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  Virginia Opossum; Clarke County, Georgia. June 5, 1997. Another shot from my old photo album for which I don't remember the full context. But I'm sure this Opossum was the subject of an animal control call when I worked for Athens-Clarke County government.
 Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.  Fledgling Red-shouldered Hawk; Clarke County, Georgia. June 4, 1997 - A film flashback to my days with Athens-Clarke County Animal Control. My caption on the back of this old print states that we picked up two weak, emaciated juveniles that fell from a nest. This is my first photo (that I can still find) of a Red-shouldered Hawk.  Fledgling Red-shouldered Hawk; Clarke County, Georgia.  Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.  Raccoon in a tree; Clarke County, Georgia. One of my old animal control adventures. I was called out to remove this guy from a dumpster in an Athens apartment complex.
 Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.  Well, other than being date stamped and labelled "Athens, Georgia", I can't remember too much about this Box Turtle. I probably found him crossing the road somewhere and snapped a photo before releasing him behind the animal control shelter.
 Genesis 1:24-25 - And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  Coyote puppies trapped at the Athens-Clarke County Ben Epps Airport. One of my first experiences with Coyotes in Clarke County, Georgia (other than rumors) came in 1997. The Athens-Clarke County Ben Epps Airport called animal control about some puppies in a culvert near the runway. Being a potential hazard, we set a dual-sided humane trap and caught three puppies. But it was obvious they were not domestic dogs! Unsure at first if they were fox or coyote, they went to a rehabilitator. As they grew larger than fox size, it became quite obvious that coyotes had officially moved into Clarke County!  Coyote puppies trapped at the Athens-Clarke County Ben Epps Airport.  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  Northern Watersnake; Clarke County, Georgia. While working for Athens-Clarke County Animal Control, we received frequent spring and summer calls about “Cottonmouths” endangering school children in the pond at Memorial Park. To dispel the rumors, in May of 1997 I set out to show the watersnakes at the park were not “Water Moccasins”, for Cottonmouths, generally residing south of Interstate 20 and along the coast, do not normally range as far north and west as Athens.
On a slow day, I patrolled the park and found a glorious, fat-bodied guy sunning on the rip-rap on one end of the pond. As I approached, he shot down into the large spaces in the piled rocks. To the astonishment of onlookers, my hand was in fast pursuit and plunged down into the rocks after this “Cottonmouth.” I have frequently said, “The best way to catch a snake is to let him catch you”, and, pulling my hand out from the rocks, the feisty boy also emerged, teeth gripping firmly on my hand. Thus ended the tall-tale of Cottonmouths at Memorial Park. |
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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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