A Week of Walton Wildlife

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

The clouds broke and the day warmed to around 70 degrees. The turtles lined the pond banks and logs to bask. Walton County, GA. Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 3:34 PM.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018- A strangely warm 64° morning. Storms came through in the morning but the clouds broke and cleared towards lunch. I spotted another river otter on the flooded beaver wetlands behind the animal shelter last Tuesday afternoon. He didn't see me and didn't become alarmed. I watched him for several minutes as he chewed on a Leopard Frog just about 15 feet from me. He then swam right by my feet and moved along. 

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 4pm, then a slight chance of showers. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 71. 
Sunrise Today:6:57 am; Sunset Today: 5:36 pm
Daylight Hours: 10 hours, 38 minutes (-1m 45s)
Moon: 1.4% Waning Crescent

White-throated Sparrow; Walton County, GA. Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 11:28 AM.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Walton County, GA. Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 11:26 AM.

River Otter munching on a Leopard Frog; Walton County, GA. Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 3:00 PM.

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Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - a bright, clear morning was overshadowed by advancing clouds by the afternoon. A bit of a birding walk on my lunch break gave me some needed stress relief and also added a Hermit Thrush to my Walton bird list. 

Today: Increasing clouds, with a high near 71. A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2 PM.
Sunrise Today:6:58 am; Sunset Today: 5:35 pm
Daylight Hours: 10 hours, 37 minutes (-1m 44s)
Near New Moon (Waning Crescent)

Hermit Thrust. Not a 'life bird', but a photo first for me in Walton County. Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 12:32 PM.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Walton County, Georgia. Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 12:26 PM.

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Thursday, November 8, 2018 - an absolutely beautiful fall day. A bit of a cool breeze; showers of golden leaves falling with each gust. Two young deer bounded off the upper pond at my approach.  

Northern Mockingbird songbird, Mimus polyglottos. Photographed in fall, November 2018, Walton County, Georgia USA. The northern mockingbird breeds in southeastern Canada, the United States, northern Mexico.

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura. Perched on a dead tree. Photographed in fall, November 2018, Walton County, Georgia USA. The turkey vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion.

Brown Thrasher songbird. Photographed in fall, November 2018, Walton County, Georgia USA. The brown thrasher Toxostoma rufum is a bird in the family Mimidae, which also includes the New World catbirds and mockingbirds.

Although not a rare bird, it is a rare occurance to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher here in Walton County so late in the fall.

Brown Thrasher; Georgia's State Bird. Walton County, Georgia. Thursday, November 8, 2018.