​“When the Swamp was first penetrated by the pioneer white settlers of this section, and that was not so very long ago, so many alligators were encountered, and they were so large and vicious, that a boatman hardly ever entered the interior without a 'pike-pole' for protection. And this was especially true if a dog was carried along, for a large alligator dearly loves dog meat, and they will run the risk of being killed by attacking a boat in order to try to pull out a hound dog.” 

​In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp. 

As we pushed off from the Stephen C Foster State Park boat launch and into the blackwaters of the Okefenokee Swamp, I kept an eye on things. Although the giant reptiles weren’t immediately visible, there certainly could be alligators to the left and the right of our small canoe. But my cautious eye wasn’t for fear that we would be attacked or eaten, but that I might miss a great photo opportunity!

Not many strokes into our paddling trip, as I scanned the Spatterdock lily pads, I espied a cautious eye staring back at us and keeping a close look upon our actions! A large alligator lay mostly submerged just a few feet off to my left. Her eye remained fixed upon us as we drifted by, ready to submerge if we encroached into her comfort zone.

Billy’s Lake, just up from the Stephen C Foster campground, is always full of large alligators. At times they are laying on logs and floating peat beds every few feet. Other times, depending upon the weather, they lie mostly submerged. But keep a keen eye and you’ll begin spotting them all through this beautiful blackwater lake within the majestic Okefenokee Swamp!
​
A great start to our 2020 Okefenokee paddling trek! 

Teenagers. Waiting for my daugher and friend to wake up, I had extra time to stroll the Trembling Earth Nature Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. On one stroll, I took my focus off the alligators and avians, and tried to hit a few of the plants. 

“Wow, that water’s cold!” I exclaimed as I put my hand over the side of our canoe and dipped my fingers into the dark, tannin-stained waters of the Okefenokee Swamp. But the sun overhead was pleasantly warm. It was late in the afternoon, and as we circled Billy’s Lake, all the big gators were out in the sun.

Even as we pulled our canoe in close, they were reluctant to dive back into the cold water. That is why I love to come in March. Climbing temperatures on top of still cool waters means the alligators pull their full glory on every sunning spot for great photography!
​
Taylor Schoettle in A Naturalist’s Guide to the Okefenokee Swamp, writes, “Springs are delightfully long and may extend from middle February through May with temperatures in the 60s and low 80s with steady daily breezes.” Springtime is the perfect time to Okefeonkee! 

​Last minute packing, under-inflated trailer tires, construction on the interstate, slow drivers… just all the typical things that take place in this hectic world. We arrived in the Okefenokee later than I had desired. But once upon the waters of the swamp, all that was left behind. No cellular signal, no traffic noise, no way to even log on and work from home!

This year's trip was special. My daughter brought along a friend this time... her first trip to the swamp; her first time being face-to-face with an alligator. We pushed off from the Stephen C Foster State Park boat dock for an hour paddle around Billy’s Lake. Thankfully, the gators did not disappoint. Being around 75 degrees, there were many large alligators out of the cold water and laid out on the logs and mound to soak up the last solar rays warming their reptilian bodies.

By the time we made our six-hour drive, set up camp and unpacked, it was 4:30 when we hit the waters of Billy's Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp. Technically, we had only thirty minutes until we were supposed to be off the water, but we paddled around the edges for an hour. The spatterdock, logs and peat islands were still covered by gators taking in the last of the evening sun. 

Tomorrow morning my daughter and I embark on our annual Okefenokee Swamp paddling trip! And this time, she is bringing a friend who has never visited the swamp before. I love sharing this unique world of the Okefenokee with others. I’m sure she’ll be absolutely amazed.

We will be staying at our regular spot: site #4 in the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. Our food is all packed, the canoe is loaded, all is prepared and after a four hour drive, we’ll be in one of my favorite natural places!
​
Once that canoe hits the water, which way will we go? Which of our favorite gator watering holes will we visit… Big Water… Minnie’s Lake? Where will we get out and explore… Floyd’s Island… Billy’s Island? Is it up the Red Trail, or squeeze through The Narrows? Whichever we choose, it will be an incredible time as usual. I love the swamp!

A post on Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures, World Bird Name Changes, updated us on the recent changes published by the IOC. These changes are often a simplification of obscure Latin or Greek-based words, which many birders tend to dismiss anyway. But it got me pondering, what’s in a name?

“It’s all Greek to me!”
In the book, Latin for Bird Lovers, Roger Lederer and Carol Burr write, “Bird enthusiasts don’t often pay much attention to scientific names, but… the genus and species name may describe the birds’ color, pattern, size, or parts of the body; the name of an ornithologist; where it is found; its behavior; or some characteristic.” It only takes a few minutes of study to find out why a certain bird was given a “hard” name. And that short study can help fix that bird’s name and character in your mind forever!

For example, in the recent IOC changes, the Greek-based Melidectes became “Honeyeaters”. But isn’t this just an unnecessary dumbing-down? Only a few minutes’ research and one finds that meli means “honey”, and dectes means “beggar”. From this short word study, we find that Melidectes not only eats honey, but that he’s got an addiction for honey that keeps him begging! Now, after the simplification, he just simply “eats honey”.

“This is My Name”
So what’s my point? While this simplification of bird names may not have huge ramifications in life, what happens when this same laziness is brought to the Bible? Just like the Latin and Greek-based names for birds, the Hebrew names of God are hugely descriptive. They describe an aspect of His character, actions or personality.

When we simplify Elohim to “God”, we miss the nuance that this personal name for the One True God is actually plural in form! With that simple truth revealed, the trinity in Genesis 1:26 is further elucidated: “And God (Elohim, the plural God) said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.

Instead of just knowing that our God is a healer, how about making a short study of Jehovah-Repheka? Take a few minutes to study why He’s called Jehovah-Jireh and forever know that you won’t fall short of needs in God. Let study reveal to you that Jehovah-Nissi will lift your weary arms and raise a victory banner over your enemies! There are so many more character-revealing names for God throughout Scripture if you’ll take the time to study.

So, maybe it is no big deal that the descriptive Melidectes is now a simple Honeyeater. But what do we miss when we dumb things down and Jehovah becomes “Lord”, and Adoni becomes “Lord”, and Elohim becomes “God”, and El Shaddai becomes “God”. What message are we sending about thought, research and education when we simplify bird names? And what powerful aspects of our Creator’s character are we missing when we simplify the divine names for the purpose of “clarity”?

It is political season in the United States. From now until November all the media outlets will be saturated with political ads as every advocate for every cause will be projecting their voices in an effort to be heard. Some days, I just have to pull away from all those voices and go for a birding walk. But as a Christian, should I pull away? Should I remain silent?
​
As I stepped outdoors to get away, my attention was immediately drawn to a noisy bird circling overhead; his loud voice was carrying on the wind. One of the Killdeer birds that is normally darting around in our parking lot was flying through the air and shouting its name: Kill-deah! Kill-deah!!! The voices of the other plovers are more pleasantly described as ‘a plaintive or musical whistle.’ But not the Killdeer, of which Peterson’s Field Guide gives a one-word description: “noisy”.

As the other voices carry along on the winds of social media, radio and television, our Christian voices in support of righteousness should also be heard! What if William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln had remained silent? Instead, they let their voices carry on the wind, like the vociferous Killdeer, and changed our society!

The Canada Geese are again beginning to congregate on the pond behind my office. Each year we have a pair or two nest on the shores. 
​-Walton County, Georgia

February 8, 2020 - I would call it strange weather, but since we live in Georgia, strange is actually quite normal. Only a few days ago we tied a February record at 75 degrees! Then the following day we had tornado watches and warnings. And today... snow! The morning rain switched to flurries just before noon and left that beautiful blanket of white. The only problem: my family and I were visiting my parents in Greensboro, GA (35 miles south of Athens) and we missed it all! It had all melted before we arrived back home at 5 PM that evening. 

The Hooded Mergansers have finally arrived for the winter on the small pond behind my office. Not only are they so unlike our resident Mallards in appearance, sporting that black-and-white retractable crest, but they differ greatly in habit and action. That’s the difference between dabblers and divers!
​
When not cutting across the water for a free handout of bread, our trio of “green heads” stay along the edges of the pond, searching the shallows for aquatic vegetation and larvae. They are the dabblers. But the Mergansers! Those “hoodies” swim out to the middle of the pond and SPLASH!!!... they disappear, diving down to the depths. They are the divers. They go deep for those delectable bottom dwellers! 

One observer of ducks wrote, “Dabbling ducks have the condition known as ‘duck butt.’ You look at them in the water and sometimes see no face, just a duck rear end sticking straight up in the air.” [i] And over the last twenty-six years of my salvation, I’ve observed that the church visitors or new converts that remain on the edge - only occasionally seeing their faces and merely dabbling in dedication – they usually migrate away at their season’s end never to return. But the diver! The diver that abandons all to explore the depths of prayer, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and the call of God, they repeatedly come with mouths full and to spare for others!

If you’ve been dabbling on the edges in your commitment to serve Christ and to serve in your local church, row out to the middle, step out of the boat, and dive in. I assure you, the water’s great! That’s the difference between dabblers and divers!

I was recently given the awesome privilge of becoming a guest author on Lee's Birdwatching Adventures, a great blog about birding from a Christian perspective. Well, on her site, Lee also has pages for kids! So the "creation kids" in my Creation Speaks class recorded an online commercial for their new favorite Bible-birding website, Lee's Birds of the Bible for Kids. Follow the link to the kids section for all kinds of great birding content from a Christian perspective... for kids! (You'll find some great stuff there for adults too!)

"Momma" was a pretty pitbull mix that was turned in stray to the animal shelter on January 11, 2020. She was rescued by WW DAWGS Rescue on January 22, 2020!