 Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  American Alligator on floating peat mat; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 13, 2019. ©www.williamwisephoto.com An excerpt from William Bartram's Travels, published in 1791.
William Bartram was a botantist, artist, and nature writer that explored the southeastern United States around the time of the American Revolution (1773-1776). He was a scientist, creationist and Christian that gave glory to the Author for all the wonderful works he observed and documented in his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.
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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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
American Alligator close up profile of teeth and scales
My daughter has always been the captain of our canoe. She sits in the stern and controls the trolling motor while I photograph all the critters. But last Christmas she got a GoPro camera, and it came with us to the swamp.
Over the course of this four day trip, she collected some great footage and made a video of her own. I really enjoyed seeing some of the clips that she produced and wove some together with my still photos. Here is one of the gator we encountered on our 2019 paddling trip. It was a medium-sized gator basking on a floating peat mat on Billy’s Lake, just up from the Stephen C. Foster State Park canal. 
Medium sized American Alligator basking on floating peat mat bog in front of water lily pads. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Stephen C Foster Georgia State Park.
 Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  A Pileated Woodpecker behind a tree on the Trembling Earth trail boardwalk at the Stephen C Foster Georgia State Park. Okefenokee swamp National Wildlife Refuge. The pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, is a large woodpecker native to North America. Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 6:52 PM. (©www.williamwisephoto #201903047_DT142928589) A loud call breaks the warm, still afternoon air. “Are there monkeys in the Okefenokee Swamp?”, my young daughter asks. “No. That’s a bird”, I tell her. “Watch over there.” In a moment, a flaming red crest appears from behind the trunk of the tree, peering in our direction as it searches another soft spot in the bark to hunt for an insect meal.
“The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest” says Cornell’s wonderful website. I’ve come across several Pileated Woodpeckers in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia; more often hearing them than seeing them. But a few in particular have given me the privilege of a swamp photo session! Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Large Alligator with mouth open showing teeth; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. 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. Here is an excerpt from May 25, 1875:
 Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9  March 13, 2019 - An American Bittern camouflaged in marsh grasses in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia; Stephen C Foster State Park. The American bittern , Botaurus lentiginosus, is a species of wading bird in the heron family.It is a well-camouflaged, solitary brown bird that unobtrusively inhabits marshes and the coarse vegetation at the edge of lakes and ponds. "Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power." Romans 1:20, The Living Bible My daughter and I were only ten minutes into a four day canoe trip through the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and already we had missed something. As we were paddling up the channel to Billy’s Lake from the Stephen C. Foster State Park boat ramp, we pulled to the side to let a tourist-laden pontoon boat pass by. As they went by, the naturalist on board pointed out an American Bittern camouflaged in the marsh grasses. We had paddled right past it, hidden in plain sight! But we can’t be blamed. Even one prominent ornithology website says, “You'll need sharp eyes to catch sight of an American Bittern. This streaky, brown and buff heron can materialize among the reeds, and disappear as quickly, especially when striking a concealment pose with neck stretched and bill pointed skyward” (i). With his bill pointed upward, he blends in perfectly with the tall brown grasses that line the water’s edge. Again, perfectly hidden in plain sight.
But why don’t we see them? In part, we are blinded by an outside force. The Bible states that, “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). And we are also blinded by our own internal biases against the Bible that cause us not to see the evidence of God in creation. When speaking of the past creation and future destruction of this world, Peter wrote, “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.” (2 Peter 3:5). Even though my daughter and I paddled right by that Bittern and didn’t recognize his presence, he was still there. He was just hidden in plain sight and merely needed to be pointed out to us. For twenty years, I paddled right through life not noticing Christ. But when someone pointed Him out on December 1, 1993, I realized He was there all along, hidden in plain sight and the overwhelming evidence became more and more obvious. i. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Bittern/overview Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "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  Large American Alligator submerged in blackwater tannin swamp bog. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Stephen C Foster Georgia State Park. March 13, 2019. Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: With only an occasional, gentle stroke, our canoe glides easily across the surface of Billy’s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp. The morning air is still, the water smooth, the entire scene quiet and meditative. From a bit further up the lake, echoing across the water, comes a deep rumble. A second time, the rumble breaks the still air, this time followed by another on our left bank. We stiffen in an attentive hush. Hearing the rumble again, I whisper to my daughter, “The bull gators are bellowing.” What a sound! You hear it, not only with your ears, but with your entire body. Never will you forget those intense, guttural moanings. The dragons of the deep were roaring. This is swamp!
Waltonpets Furtography is an animal shelter pet adoption and rescue photography blog highlighting the dogs and cats of the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Monroe, Georgia.
Large chunky friendly smiling female tan and white Pit Bull terrier bulldog outside on leash. Pet adoption dog rescue photo for animal control humane society shelter.
Sharon was pretty Pittie bulldog that was picked up stray by a Walton County Animal Control officer in Georgia on March 11, 2019. She was reunited with her owner!
Large chunky friendly smiling female tan and white Pit Bull terrier bulldog outside on leash. Pet adoption dog rescue photo for animal control humane society shelter.
Large chunky friendly smiling female tan and white Pit Bull terrier bulldog outside on leash. Pet adoption dog rescue photo for animal control humane society shelter.
Large chunky friendly smiling female tan and white Pit Bull terrier bulldog outside on leash. Pet adoption dog rescue photo for animal control humane society shelter.
Large chunky friendly smiling female tan and white Pit Bull terrier bulldog outside on leash. Pet adoption dog rescue photo for animal control humane society shelter.
 Waltonpets Furtography is an animal shelter pet adoption and rescue photography blog highlighting the dogs and cats of the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Monroe, Georgia.  Allie was a Labrador mix picked up stray by a Walton County Animal Control officer in Georgia on February 26, 2019. She was rescued on March 11, 2019 by Washington Wilkes DAWGS Rescue!   Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  Man and womans gold wedding bands with diamonds on a page of Bible scripture. 1 Corinthians 13:7 `Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.` “Can you take pictures at my wedding?” It seems every photographer is asked that question at least once. Even if your genre isn’t portraits, people or weddings, they still ask. Often, they do not understand there is a huge difference between shooting landscapes and shooting events. But they know you’re good with a camera, so they ask. Personally, I really don’t like photographing weddings. I do enjoy seeing someone’s face light up when you show them a good photograph of themselves, but I guess I can’t handle the immense pressure in photographing a wedding. If it doesn’t turn out well, you can’t repeat it! So very often I decline their request. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t like shooting weddings”, I tell them.  But in the end, I go back and tell them I will help. After all, it is normally a good friend on a tight budget that is asking for the help. And also, I reconsider what an awesome privilege it is to not only observe such a sacred ceremony, but to capture it permanently! To have a part in witnessing a major miracle… for that is what a wedding is: a miracle. Two imperfect people come together as one, to form a perfect union. So I suppose I shouldn’t look at the request to shoot a wedding as an annoyance, but a great honor. An honor to be trusted to preserve this wonderful event in photo; an honor to witness one of the greatest institutions given to mankind by God!  Husband and wife marriage wedding band. Gold with diamonds. Resting on top of Spanish translation Holy Bible, Santa Biblia. Gospel of Matthew 19:4. `He which made them at the beginning made them male and female,` ¿No habéis leído que el que los hizo al principio, “hombre y mujer los hizo”  Waltonpets Furtography is an animal shelter pet adoption and rescue photography blog highlighting the dogs and cats of the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Monroe, Georgia.  Large furry white Great Pyrenees livestock guard dog outside. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia. Pyrenean Mountain Dog "Shebo" was a gorgeous Great Pyrenees dog that was picked up stray by a Walton County Animal Control officer in Georgia on February 19, 2019. Although the shelter called his owner right away, they never came and claimed him. He was adopted by a very happy family on March 6, 2019!  Furry white Great Pyrenees farm dog wagging tail  Happy white Great Pyrenees dog  Large furry white Great Pyrenees livestock guard dog outside. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia. Pyrenean Mountain Dog  Large furry white Great Pyrenees livestock guard dog outside. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia. Pyrenean Mountain Dog  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. "Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work." Psalms 111:2  Pileated Woodpecker; Clarke County, Georgia. Sunday, 2:14 PM - If I sit long enough, almost daily I can hear that loud, distinct call of a Pileated Woodpecker or two near my house. They are typically further off in the woodline across the meadow. But on this gloomy, rainy afternoon, a pair made a direct visit to my backyard. I was sitting on the back patio covering my camera from the blowing mist with the loud pair passed over the yard. One came all the way to the ground and began pecking away at the old, termite infested firewood along the back fence. He stuck around a few minutes foraging up a few dead snags before flying off. Showers and thunderstorms, high near 65. South wind around 5 mph.  Pileated Woodpecker; Clarke County, Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Jeremiah 5:22 Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set.  Bonaparte`s Gulls frolicking in Atlantic Ocean surf on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Bonaparte`s gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) is a member of the seagull family Laridae found mainly in northern North America. Among the smallest of the gull species. It winters along the coasts of North America, and in the Great Lakes. My wife and I made a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Leaving work and the kids behind, we had an evening to ourselves to walk along the beach. Strolling hand-in-hand along the shell covered sands, we laughed along with the Laughing Gulls at all the silly Bonaparte’s Gulls frolicking and wave jumping repeatedly. I also spotted some life birds. Light showers. Cloudy, with a high near 62. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.  Myrtle Beach is a city and vacation resort on South Carolina Atlantic coast. The next morning I set out birding with several thousand other people. And this was no normal birding excursion, but Marathon Birding. No, it isn’t what you’re thinking. Marathon Birding sounds like hour after hour of non-stop, high-speed bird watching and listing for a period longer than most people care to do anything. And no, there weren’t six-thousand people actually birding. My Myrtle Beach Birding Marathon wasn’t a figurative birding marathon, it was literal marathon: twenty-six miles of running. Saturday morning I lined up at the starting line of the Myrtle Beach Marathon. At 7 AM, the gun went off and I began that long trip toward a finish line far off in the distance. As the miles wore on, 26.2 of them to be precise, a mental bird list was growing in my head. As my feet began to ache and my quads began to stiffen, repeating a list of birds I had spotted along the journey helped to ease the suffering! Some runners repeat mantras, I repeated a list of birds!  Ring Billed Gull on Myrtle Beach seashore  Double-crested Coromorant in Atlantic Ocean Waves  Gull playing in surf at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Bonaparte`s gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia is in seagull family found mainly in northern North America, one of the smallest gull species. It winters along the coasts of North America, and in the Great Lakes. Myrtle Beach, a city and vacation resort on South Carolina’s Atlantic coast, is the hub of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile string of beaches.  Male Bonaparte`s Gulls flying over Atlantic ocean waves  Horned Grebe; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Bonaparte`s Gull frolicking in Atlantic Ocean surf Myrtle Beach  Bonaparte`s Gull over Atlantic Ocean; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina  Bonaparte`s Gulls frolicking in Atlantic Ocean waves  Bonaparte`s Gull on Myrtle Beach seashore  Ring Billed Gull on Myrtle Beach seashore  Bonaparte`s Gull on Myrtle Beach seashore  Waltonpets Furtography is an animal shelter pet adoption and rescue photography blog highlighting the dogs and cats of the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Monroe, Georgia.  Black and white spayed female Lab and Border Collie mix dog outdoors. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia. Bella was a sweet Lab and Border Collie mixed breed dog that was surrendered by her owner to the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Georgia on February 25, 2019. She was rescued on March 8, 2019 by the Humane Society of Valdosta.  Black and white spayed female Lab and Border Collie mix dog outdoors. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Black and white spayed female Lab and Border Collie mix dog outdoors. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Black and white spayed female Lab and Border Collie mix dog outdoors. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Black and white spayed female Lab and Border Collie mix dog outdoors. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Black and white spayed female Lab and Border Collie mix dog outdoors. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Waltonpets Furtography is an animal shelter pet adoption and rescue photography blog highlighting the dogs and cats of the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Monroe, Georgia.  Tan and white female Pit Bull bulldog puppy, 5 months old, with pretty yellow eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  “Hazel” was a lot more interested in romping and playing than in having her photos taken! She was a cute pittie puppy that was surrendered by her owner to the Walton County Animal Control shelter in Georgia on February 25, 2019. Although the man turning her in said, “My kids are going to kill me,” he left her behind anyway. Not wanting a precious girl like this to fall through the cracks, I immediately took her out for a photo session. Her gorgeous deep yellow eyes really stood out in her photographs. Unfortunately my lens choice made her look a bit bigger and more serious than she was in person. But altering my camera angle and getting a shot from overhead, her playful nature and wagging tail began to shine through. She was posted on the shelter’s adoption website, www.waltonpets.net, and had a generous free spay offer from Walton Animal Guild, a local rescue that supports animal control’s efforts in the community. She was adopted into a new, loving home on March 1, 2019!  Tan and white female Pit Bull bulldog puppy, 5 months old, with pretty yellow eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Tan and white female Pit Bull bulldog puppy, 5 months old, with pretty yellow eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  Tan and white female Pit Bull bulldog puppy, 5 months old, with pretty yellow eyes. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for animal control humane society shelter in Georgia.  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9  Downy Woodpecker on a lichen covered tree in winter in Walton County, Georgia. The downy woodpecker Dryobates pubescens is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Walton County, Georgia. February 26, 2019. Both of the identifying features of the Downy (bill length and spotted tail feathers) can be seen in this photograph. There are several critters posted on iNaturalist that cause some identification conundrums. It is often two species within the same genus that look largely similar until you examine the details. Sometimes it comes down to visible characteristics which differentiate the two species. But other times they look nearly identical and the range is the main clue as to the correct species. Two birds that fall in this category of confusing critters are in the genus Dryobates: the Hairy Woodpecker and the Downy Woodpecker. Both have very similar plumage colors and patterns. I’ve seen many posted on iNaturalist that are either incorrectly identified, or have long threads of confirmations and corrections, or are simply left at the genus level. I must admit my own shortcomings in identifying the two woodpeckers too! In my regular birding areas, the Downy Woodpecker is much more common and I have learned to recognize their call and mannerisms, which helps me out quite a bit. When the slightly larger Hairy Woodpecker shows up from time to time, it really stands out as different to me. The main feature that initially helped me distinguish the Downy Woodpecker was the length of the bill. I had read, or was told, that the shorter bill of the Downy was roughly half the length of the total head, while the longer bill of the Hairy Woodpecker was about ¾ the length of its head. Holding up a ruler to a photograph often helped me out.  ©KOAW, Source: https://www.koaw.org/dmvwoodpeckers But after messing up many identifications on iNaturalist (don’t worry, it happens to all of us), I’ve also learned another identifying feature: the Downy has spotting on the outer tail feathers. From watching many ID’s on iNat, this doesn’t always seem definitive as the outer tail feathers can’t always be seen in the photo. Walton County, Georgia, US. Public Works Retention Pond, Monroe US-GA (33.7726,-83.6976)  Downy Woodpecker on a Georgia winter day. Walton County, Georgia. February 26, 2019.  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Walton County, Georgia. February 26, 2019. |
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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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