Enjoying an afternoon of backyard birding, I could hear a Black-and-White Warbler singing in the tangle of vines and downed wood. I brought out my small portable speaker to see if I could get it to make an appearance. Sure enough, the playback worked! He popped up for a few seconds to explore the little speaker, even fluffing up his feathers in agitation at the supposed intruder. I got my photos and then let it be. (Frequent use playback is not recommended, particularly in breeding season.) A very striking bird in the muted earth tones of my small patch of woods. ​

Since it is typically a hobby that I fit in when I have spare time, my enjoyment of my backyard birds dropped off quite a bit the last year. When I looked at my eBird stats, I found that I skipped entire months in 2023. While I hate to schedule time for my hobbies, I decided to be a bit more intentional in 2024 and bird at least once a month in my backyard. Surely I can do that! On this particular Saturday afternoon, I relaxed in a chair near the back of my yard and watched at a pair of Brown-headed Nuthatches flickered back and forth, climbing up and down the tree trunks and limbs. 

Some random days for spring birding photography in Walton and Clarke Counties, Georgia. 

It's hard to believe she is grown up and engaged! What a privilege to do their engagement photography. 

Backyard birding in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. 

Wedding photography for a friend from church...

"Fabio" was a senior Pitbull Terrier dog that was picked up stray by an animal control officer on June 2, 2023. He had a microchip, but his owner never came and claimed him. He was rescued from the animal shelter on June 22, 2023!

While paddling the green trail from Kingfisher Landing to the Bluff Lake shelter, we found several tall Yellow Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia flava) along the canoe runs. Their bright green color and tall trumpets stand out among the Hooded Pitcher Plants.

On April 17 and 18, 2023, my daughter and I launched from Kingfisher Landing on the eastern side of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and paddled southward to spend the night at the Bluff Lake overnight canoe shelter. 

​The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge covers almost 630 square miles. Compare that to the city of Atlanta which covers 134 square miles. Or think of the Okefenokee being double the size of New York City, which spreads an impressive 300 square miles. But unlike Atlanta or New York with over 6,000 miles of roadways, the Okefenokee has only 120 miles of maintained canoe trails, which leaves the vast majority of the Swamp unmarked. Therefore, it could be quite easy to get lost if one paddles away from the marked trails.

This is why the Falcon Guidebook Paddling the Okefenokee exclaims, “Stay on the trails. Once off trail, there are surprisingly few prominent landmarks from which to regain your bearings in the Okefenokee. Some sections in the Okefenokee are obstructed by overhanging branches, downed trees, submerged stumps and logs, masses of floating Pete, aquatic vegetation, narrow banks, shallow water, or other obstacles.”

The designated trails have colored mile markers along the routes. But even with a GPS, I have occasionally found myself doubting my location while paddling the prairies. A mile marker sign may missing, damaged, or in high water, submerged! However, the US Fish and Wildlife Service does an excellent job of keeping the canoe runs obvious and open. But even so, stay on the path!

Hidden among the taller Okefenokee Giant Hooded Pitcher plants (Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis) is it’s cousin, the Parrot Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia psittacinae). The Parrot has shorter pitchers which lay more parallel, or prostrate, to the ground. In fact, upon seeing my first Parrot Pitcher Plants, I thought it was merely a stunted or new growth Hooded Pitcher! Sarracenia are carnivorous plants that trap insects.

My wife has never accompanied my daughter and me on an Okefenokee excursion. She isn’t really one for roughing it outdoors. And every time I mention “the swamp”, she pictures an ugly dark, muddy, gloomy place. I have a hard time convincing her of the beauty that can be found within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. And maybe I shouldn’t try!  I don’t want to rob her of her rejuvenating time alone when I run off to that ugly Swamp!