My usual Okefenokee campground was full, so I stayed for the first time at the Laura S Walker State Park near Waycross...

​The eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp has two entrances, as opposed to the single entrance on the western side. But unlike the western entrance, which has the beautiful and convenient Stephen C Foster State Park, the eastern entrances have no overnight camping within the refuge boundaries. But a nearby alternative is available, and still within close proximity to the two eastern Okefenokee entrances, the northern Okefenokee Swamp Park. 

The Laura S Walker State Park is located northwest of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.  From there, it is just a 10 mile drive to the private Okefenokee Swamp Park. It is a mere 30-minute drive (21 miles) to the Kingfisher Landing canoe launch into the Refuge, or 45 minutes to the main visitor entrance at the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area, where much of the refuge’s visitor activities take place.

The Laura S Walker State Park is run by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. As with all the wonderful state parks in Georgia, this small park is clean, secure, affordable and picturesque. There are 44 available camping spaces, complete with electric, water and a nearby comfort stations. The campground loop was fairly small, and there wasn’t much screening between sites, but it doesn’t have an ‘overcrowded’ feeling. Instead, the small village of RV’s and tents felt much more like and extended family reunion, as all the campers were cordial willing to wave or chat. 

​There is a small lake which can be partially explored by trail and boardwalk along the Lake Trail (1.2 miles), or completely circumnavigated if one is willing to walk a portion along the roadway and dams. There are also about 2.5 miles of trails across the road from the park. These trails give hikers a perfect, on-foot, taste of the swamp and upland habitat found throughout the swampy southeast, where much of this habitat can normally only be explored by canoe or kayak. 

​In all, the Laura S Walker State Park is a great base camp for excursions into the eastern entrances to the Okefenokee Swamp. It is also a fitting tribute to its namesake, a local teacher, writer and conservationist from the nearby town of Waycross.  

"Jason" was a Shar-pei and Shepherd mix breed dog that was picked up stray by an animal control officer on October 25, 2021. No owner came to claim him and he was adopted into a new home on November 2, 2021!

"Steven" was a mixed breed boy that was picked up stray by an animal control officer and brought to the animal shelter on October 22, 2021. I got to do his adoption photography on November 1. The biggest challenge in photographing this boy was to get him to be still for a moment! I had to increase my shutter speed a bit in order to avoid motion blur. 

Typically the warm, brown Fall colors are great for outdoor photography. But in the case of "Steven" his brown brindle coat could blend too much with the brown pine needles and make an unpleasant photograph. So I had to be sure to "get down low" to get the ground out of the photos as much as possible. 

I posted Steven's new adoption photos on the pet websites and he was rescued by Three Dog Night Rescue the very next day!

"Man" was a malnourished Pitbull Terrier that was brought to the animal shelter on October 14, 2021. He was rescued by ATL Lab Rescue on October 27, 2021!

A morning walk along the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful spot for some easy wildlife photography. It is a roughly 4,000 acre nature preserve located along coastal South Carolina, USA. The refuge is very well maintained and has an extensive gravel roadway, excellent for casual hiking and birding. Sitting at the entrance bridge to Hilton Head Island, a popular beach island resort area, the Pinckney Island NWR sees many visitors.

​The many visitors usually stay along the gravel roadway, and don’t venture too far past the first main pond, Ibis Pond, and the butterfly gardens located there. But a bonus awaits the explorer that pushes on past the first mile. While one will spot many beautiful wading birds along that first stretch, some of the more seclusive animals may be harder to see. The further back you go on the island, the fewer people you’ll pass, and the more wildlife you’ll encounter.

My adventure this morning took me back to Osprey Pond and even further to the Nini Chapin Pond. It was here I found the alligators! There were several adults and about 9 juveniles on Osprey Pond. And hidden on the Nini Chapin pond was a pod of about 15 tiny alligators born this summer. Each were about 9 inches long, were brightly colored with their yellow stripes, and let out that cute little chirp characteristic of baby alligators. In my excitement, I didn’t quite notice that their chirping had brought their guardian mother over to check me out. Thankfully, as I kept my distance, so did she! 

What a pleasant surprise! As I circled the Nini Chapin Pond on the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, a couple of scurrying, brightly-banded baby gators caught my attention. And then, to my right, a few more! And on the left, about 5 more under a bush! These tiny things were certainly this year's hatchings, being about 8 to 10 inches long. After letting out a few of those cute chirps, their diligent mother came over to check me out... and keep me safely back from her babies. 

Bringing my bike to Pinckney Island NWR, I was able to cover more ground on my morning trip. I rode up to the Nini Chapin Pond and left my bike to explore on foot. The pond was lined with wading birds, alligators and other critters! 

While pushing my way through some tall grass and Dog Fennel lining the Nini Chapin Pond on Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, I looked down at my feet and saw the back end of a snake in the grass. Since the first snake I encountered quickly slithered off, I didn't want to miss this one!  It was a thick, dark-colored snake with roughly keeled scales. Was it a Cottonmouth? Taking a few more seconds to assess, I figured it was a non-venomous Watersnake. 

I put my foot on the snake to keep it from shooting through the grass into the pond. And reaching down, I grabbed the back half to throw it up on the shorter grass above the bank. Success! It immediately took a defensive posture and posed for some photography and videos. 

"Maleficent" was a cute kitty picked up stray by an animal control officer on October 20, 2021. She was rescued by Altered Feral State Rescue three days later! ​

"Spider" was picked up stray by an animal control officer on October 19, 2021. He was a very happy and playful young pup. No owner came to claim him and he was adopted into a new home on October 22, 2021!

"Dixie" was surrendered to an animal control officer on October 15, 2021. I did her furtography photo session on October 21 and she was rescued by Bossy Paws Rescue on November 1, 2021!

The fall nights have gotten much cooler and this tiny Green Anole lizard crawled underneath the front door to spend a warmer evening indoors. When the sun warmed the sky later that afternoon, I released him to sun on a leaf in a patch of briers. 

"Boone" was a happy young brindle Pitbull Terrier mix breed dog that was picked up stray by an animal control officer on October 12, 2021. No owner came to look for him and he was rescued by Bossy Paws Rescue on October 20, 2021. His rescue was sponsored by pledged donations to the rescue from Anne, Lorraine, Sonia, Nancy, Becky, Jason, Dana, Adela and Joyce. ​