Hard Labor Creek State Park revisit...

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

Slider Turtle basking on a log over Lake Rutledge in Hard Labor Creek State Park, Georgia.

​​Monday, February 20, 2017 - In preparation for our upcoming Okefenokee trip, I wanted Amanda to get used to navigating the canoe using our new electric trolling motor. We went for a quick day trip on the waters of Lake Rutledge at Hard Labor Creek State Park. Amanda took to the controls in the back of the canoe while I sat up front with my camera and monopod. I didn’t want to waste any time in the Okefenokee getting used to camera handling and navigation.

Our trip started well. Not far from the boat launch a Great Blue Heron stood near the vacant beach. As we neared, he took flight, allowing me some panning practice with the monopod sitting in the bow of the canoe. I wasn’t completely ready with my manual settings, but still got some fairly sharp shots for 1/400 seconds fully zoomed to 300 mm.

Double-crested Cormorants on Lake Rutledge; Hard Labor Creek State Park, Georgia

Being a warm day, there were myriads of turtles basking on the logs and snags in the water. Reluctant to dive back into the cold water, some sat longer than others for photos. Being mid-afternoon and the sun at a high angle, the glare was often too harsh on their shells. A polarizing filter would be good in this situation, but I haven’t yet purchased one for the 28-300mm zoom (it isn’t cheap!).

Trolling on, I could see some birds on the water across the lake. Although they were too far away, I could see they were bigger than ducks. My guess was Cormorants… and that guess was confirmed as we rounded a bend. Several sat on a log and were spooked as we came around the corner. ​​As we approached another cove, several ducks took flight with whistling alarm. Wood Ducks!  One pair stayed put, seeming to nervously swim back and forth a few seconds before blasting off the water as well.

The small group of Cormorants that took off earlier must have joined a larger raft of the funny looking waterbirds. We spotted the group near the middle of the water as we followed the shore heading back in the northward direction. They paddled away from our approaching canoe, casting glances over their shoulders as they swam.  Eventually, they all blasted off from the water in a loud cacophony of slaps and splashes. This scene repeated itself several times throughout the afternoon as the Cormorants would blast off the water as fishing boats got too close for comfort. They consistently went from one end of the lake to the other, either by paddling or flying, to stay a comfortable distance from the human invaders looking to enjoy the lake with them. 

​The shores were lined with boulder fields and towering trees, making Hard Labor Creek State Park a pleasant place to hike. The overturned trees made for some interesting, textured, wormy-looking sights along the banks. The snags and stumps along the shore kept Amanda alert and she immediately proved to be an astute navigator. We should have no troubles in the swamp in March.  Along the wet banks of one cove, a loud chorus of frogs drifted across the water. And just ahead, two Kingfishers battled in the sky over a prized fishing spot.

On the northwestern tip of the lake we pressed back into shallow coves where other fishermen couldn’t bring their larger john boats. It was serene and peaceful back there. Other critters also found it a comfortable spot, as we followed two large Great Blue Herons throughout the coves.

Overall, the somewhat cloudy, hazy glare of mid-afternoon sun didn’t produce any good photography. But the main goal was achieved. Amanda was ready for Okefenokee navigation, and I ready for shooting from the canoe!