 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  Tall Slash Pine tower over Saw Palmetto in an upland pine habitat of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in South Georgia, USA. Pine plantations for timber are managed by prescribed burns. Chesser Island Swamp Island Drive. Just after 11 AM, I finished my drive over to the east side of the Okefenokee Swamp and headed out the Swamp Island Drive. The winding, 9-mile paved road has a few roadside ponds, pull-overs and trails.
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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 Thankfully, Saturday dawned with the sun! I broke camp quickly in order to head over to the east entrace of the swamp. Before leaving, I made a few observations while retrieving my trail camera off the Upland Pine Trail, and made one more drive through of The Sill Recreation Area on the west side. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. 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  Chesser Family homestead cabin in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The Chessers were pioneer swamp settlers in the 1800`s. The Chesser family was a pioneer swamper family in the 1800s. The National Wildlife Refuge conducts interpretive demonstrations at the homestead. The settlement included beehives, a sugar cane mill, syrup shed, smokehouse, grindstone and hog pens.    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  Christmas lichen in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Cryptothecia rubrocincta is a species of lichen often shaped like a wreath and bordered in red. In an effort to broaden my horizons and increase my species observed in the refuge, I kept an eye out for the members of Kingdom Fungi. Recognizing only a few, I had to rely upon the help of fellow iNaturalist users for identifications. 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  An Eastern Ribbon Snake climbed out from between the slats of the Chesser Island Boardwalk Trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Thamnophis saurita is a non-venomous species of garter snake common in wetland swamp marsh habitats. At the back of Swamp Island Drive on the eastern entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp is a trail worth visiting. The Chesser Island Boardwalk is a three-quarter mile, well-built boardwalk that projects out into the prairie. If you take it slowly, you might find a Cottonmouth slithering in the water, Gray Catbirds, warblers and sparrows chipping in the scrub, and hawks and vultures flying overhead.  Laurel-leaf Greenbrier, Smilax laurifolia, photographed on Chesser Prairie in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Plant native to the southeastern United States
Typha Cattail marsh plant grass, photographed on Chesser Prairie in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.  Laurel-leaf Greenbrier, Smilax laurifolia, photographed on Chesser Prairie in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.  Laurel-leaf Greenbrier, Smilax laurifolia, photographed on Chesser Prairie in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The trail ends at a 40-foot observation tower shaded in a small hammock of Loblolly Bay. Forty feet doesn't sound high, but the view is staggering, and somewhat dizzying for the faint of heart! Bring your binoculars and try to spot the alligators basking in Seagrove Lake. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. 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  Chesser Family homestead cabin in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The Chessers were pioneer swamp settlers in the 1800`s. The Okefenokee Swamp teaches us a something about our lives on this planet. It lets us know how dependent we are upon our modern comforts.
Many a traveler or adventure-seeker comes to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to "get away from it all." And rightly so! Yet even in our effort to "leave it all behind", we bring so much with us. A few days in the primitive world of the Okefenokee brings a realization of how dependent we are upon our ___ (fill in the blank with that thing you just can't live without). For just a short three-day paddle we bring all sorts of advanced gear: ultralight kayak, carbon fiber oars, a mini stove, a small pillow, a portable latrine, water purifier and coolers to keep our food for days. But let us stay just a few days longer than expected and we find our expensive gizmos are of no more use! Flashlight and GPS batteries die with no outlets to resurrect their life. Memory cards fill and our thousand dollar camera is now just added, useless weight working against our paddling. And the signal to our expensive cellphone was lost after the first mile we rowed into the swamp. And if you run out of food, what next? Do we know what wild foods are good to eat, or which will kill us? It is hard to imagine how the Swampers lived this way permanently, and even more primitively. They are proof that it can be done, and has been done, without all the modern technological crutches! If you truly want to get away, try to minimize as much as possible and truly leave it all behind a few days in the Okefenokee. It's a real challenge! (One that I haven't even tried myself!) 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 Swamps are wet. But when it rains non-stop all day long, “wet” is an understatement. The sound of the downpour began around 3 AM and woke me up in my little tent. Toward sunrise, it slackened to a light rainfall that lasted the entire day. I had to make the best of it. I started off with my muck boots and rain jacket. I walked to the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Plants, scat and mushrooms were recorded with my iPhone, while the dark, gloomy birding shots were with my Nikon D500 protected by a rain cover. After about three hours of hiking, except for my feet, I was soaked to all my undergarments and headed back to the campground. I threw my wet clothes in a dryer and took a long, hot shower. From noon until about 3 PM, the rain did not relent, so I took up residence in a picnic shelter and waited. Feeling like a day was being wasted, I left the picnic shelter and decided to drive the west entry road (Hwy 177) and The Sill, just hoping to find something and redeem this wet, gray, gloomy day. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. 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  Caution Do Not Feed Alligators Warning sign in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. State and Federal laws prohibit the feeding and harrassment in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. In his 1935 book titled The Alligator's Life History, E.A. McIlhenny (of the Tabasco family) wrote, "It is quite safe to say that the food of the alligator at some period of its life, consists of every living thing coming in range of its jaws that flies, walks, swims, or crawls that is small enough for them to kill, and covers a tremendously wide range. After they reach three feet in length and larger, any creature inhabiting the land or water which they can catch and swallow is good food." This is no doubt a true statement! In 2020, I completed a review of over 19,000 American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) observations uploaded to iNaturalist between April 5, 2009 and December 31, 2020. Observations which depicted an American Alligator eating a prey item were added to the iNat Alligator Appetites Project. The result revealed a gruesome smorgasbord of dainties enjoyed by this giant reptile. A review of the 110 observations added to the project, fish and reptiles nearly tied for the top prey items at about 25% each, with birds and mammals nearly tying in second place around 14% each. Truly, the American Alligator is an opportunist that doesn’t discriminate or turn its nose up at a particular menu item… even another alligator! A breakdown is as follows: • Fish 26%  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  Yellow Rumped Warbler songbird perched on marsh grass in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia USA. Setophaga coronata is a migrating warbler in North America. It is numerous in the southeast in winter breeds in Canada. January 21 2021. The Yellow-rumped Warblers were all over the place in the Okefenokee on this January trip. All along the banks of The Sill, a hidden chirping was constantly heard in the tangled brush. In fact, no matter where I was during the three days, no matter what time of day, if I "pished" those little Butter Butts would practically swarm me! But on a couple of occasions, I'm glad I remained diligent in may scanning, for there were other warblers mixed in with the hoards of yellow-rumps. A couple of Orange-crowned Warblers and a particularly photogenic male Common Yellowthroat.  Orange-crowned Warbler perched in brier thorns. Leiothlypis celata is a small songbird native to North America. Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Georgia USA. Wildlife birding photography January 21 2021.  Common Yellowthroat songbird perched on marsh grass in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia USA. Geothlypis trichas is a common warbler in North America. January 21 2021.
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
Brown Water Snake, Nerodia taxispilota, coiled on a Cypress Tree branch in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. The Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area canoe and kayak trail. January 21, 2021.
​I was paddling up the beautiful Suwannee, a blackwater river that is born within, and meanders throughout, the Okefenokee Swamp. Being overcast and cool, it was slow day for reptiles… as slow as the current that carried my canoe along. But on a sudden, I had that feeling. Birders know that feeling… a sense that somewhere nearby is a nice find.
​I have no idea how I spotted it. Its long, coiled, brown body perfectly matched the twisted, tan cypress roots upon which it basked. A Brown Watersnake! These thick, heavy-bodied snakes are often mis-identified as the venomous Cottonmouth, which lurks in the same habitat.
​ Although the watersnakes aren’t venomous, they are no less feisty. Anyone who has had the experience of handling a watersnake knows their theatrics of writhing, striking, musking, and biting… anything to just be left alone! This individual didn’t disappoint in its performance. 
Brown Water Snake, Nerodia taxispilota, coiled on a Cypress Tree branch in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. The Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area canoe and kayak trail. January 21, 2021.
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  Artificial nest cavity in Long Leaf Pine tree for endangered Red cockaded Woodpecker. In pine uplands along Highway 177 between Fargo, Georgia and the Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife birding conservation photography on January 21, 2021. As I sit roadside peering into a batch of white-blazed Long-Leaf Pines, my eyes watering and blurring from over a half-hour of anticipatory scanning, I am amazed to think that at one time, millions of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers drummed across the eastern United States. But as the forests fell, so did the numbers of Dryobates borealis. In 1973, it was listed as an endangered species. Given my difficulty in spotting one on multiple trips to their prime habitat, I assume they are still in peril. "For I long to see you, ...to the end ye may be established." Romans 1:11  White blaze indicating artificial nest cavity in Long Leaf Pine tree for endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker The USFWS has been making attempts to bring back this little black-and-white woodpecker here in the Okefenokee Swamp. Along the western entrance to the refuge (Highway 177), tall stands of Long-leaf Pine, the primary nesting tree of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, are managed through prescribed burns and advanced forestry techniques. And high in those trees are placed artificial nest cavities for the woodpeckers. Bearing a white ring at the base, the pines with the artificial nest cavities are easy to spot as you drive through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Another tell-tale sign of woodpecker activity is the oozing white sap, like melting candle wax, that drips down from woodpecker excavations in the Long-leaf pines. This sap provides a sticky defense against climbing predators, such as snakes.  Artificial nest cavity in Long Leaf Pine tree for endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker I hope these efforts pay off and that one day, instead of squinting for hours just hoping to see one Red-cockaded Woodpecker, we can let an unexcited exclamation of "there goes another one. Man, these woodpeckers are everywhere!" Until then, look for the white blazed tree and hope to spot this endangered little woodpecker.  As I was scanning for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, my heart leapt as I saw a woodpecker fly by. But alas, it was a Red-bellied Woodpecker. 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 An excerpt from EA McIlhenny's book The Alligator's Life History where he describes stepping on a submerged alligator...  Young American Alligator swimming in the blackwater of the Suwannee River Sill Recreation area in Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia USA. Eyes and nose peering above the water line. January 21 2021. "The water was less than knee deep and the going good until I got almost half way across, then the bottom began to suddenly get soft, but thinking it was only a pot hole, I kept on, and in a few steps more was in slush up to my armpits. As I made another step I felt my foot strike something solid, and thinking it was the opposite side of the hole, raised my foot until I got something hard underneath and heaved myself up. I had just thought how nice it was to get out of the slush, when it seemed as if an earthquake had struck me, and my feet lost the bottom, the mud and water around me began to boil. I got a hard blow on one leg below the knee which I afterwards found was cut to the bone, and I was thrown violently to one side and went under. Fortunately, I did not lose my gun, and as soon as I could find my feet, lost no time in getting to the grass... What happened was a very large alligator had deepened the centre of this little pond for his den, and when I stepped on him, he threw me off his back and hit me on the leg with the side of his jaw. I don't think for a minute he made any attempt to catch me, for he could have easily done so." E.A. McIlhenny (1872 – 1949), of the McIlhenny Tabasco Sauce company, was a hunter, explorer and naturalist that established the Avery Island wildlife refuge on his family estate in Louisiana and wrote The Alligator's Life History in 1935. While some of his statements are criticized by modern science, he was one of the most knowledgeable alligator experts in the country at the time. His work contains valuable information and entertaining anecdotes. 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 It was January. And it was cold. But snow in the Okefenokee Swamp??? Not exactly...  A white Snowy Egret walks along the banks of the Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Egretta thula is a small white heron whose feather plumes were once hunted for the fashion industry but now protected under the Migratory Bird Act. Wildlife birding photography January 21 2021. As my canoe drifted back toward the boat launch and parking lot of The Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area, I assumed the small white bird up ahead was a juvenile Little Blue Heron. I could see it running in bursts up and down the edge of the canal to corral and catch little fish. But with each sprint, as it lifted its feet out of the water, I could see a flash of yellow. These were the golden slippers of a Snow Egret, not a Little Blue Heron! I was quite excited to find this little fisherman. Even with seven Okefenokee adventures under my belt, this was my first photograph of a Snowy Egret in the refuge. And this particular individual was quite the compliant model. Over the course of the three days, it was right there near the boat ramp and parking lot. It didn’t seem to notice my presence as I slowly approached whether by canoe or by foot.  Snowy Egret in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Georgia USA 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 Wild Turkey hen seen foraging along Highway 177 between Fargo, Georgia and the Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife photography on January 21, 2021. No matter how many trips I make to the Okefenokee, my excitement always builds exponentially as I near the refuge border. It is a twenty mile drive from Fargo, Georgia on the western edge of the Okefenokee until you reach the dead-end within the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. This long stretch of Highway 177 can seem quite boring if all you notice are the telephone-pole-straight pines that seem to go on endlessly to your right, left, forward and behind. The tendency can be to “gun it” and get to the swamp more quickly. But if you slow down and take your time, you just might find some critters along this drive (and not splat them into roadkill as well). White-tailed Deer and Wild Turkey often emerge from the dense Saw Palmetto to forage on the roadside grasses. In January 2021, I spotted an American Black Bear crossing the road far ahead, but alas, no photograph. From spring to fall, Highway 177 is a great stretch for “herping”, as the snakes like to crawl out onto the warm pavement in the evenings and overnight.  A White tailed Deer doe seen foraging along Highway 177 between Fargo, Georgia and the Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife photography on January 21, 2021.  A Wild Turkey hen seen foraging along Highway 177 between Fargo, Georgia and the Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife photography on January 21, 2021. 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  The Suwanne River Sill Recreation Area of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The lower half of the canal is paralleled by a long driveway with parking and boat launches. Thursday, January 21, 2021 , 4:00 PM - Upon paddling the upper half of The Sill, I made it back to the boat launch parking lot with a little more daylight left. I decided to walk the long driveway that parallels the lower half.  Rattlebox legume plant have large seed pods. Invasive plant species introduced to the United States from India and are toxic to cattle and domestic livestock. Genus Crotalaria. I’ve been trying to broaden my perception beyond crawling and flying things and tune into the world of stationary productions. Since nearly everything appeared brown and drab on this overcast afternoon, the colors of leaves and mushrooms more easily caught my eye. I’m very weak on vegetable identifications and knowledge, so why not try got get some lessons from iNaturalist! As I walked, I heard the calls of a couple Barred Owls echoing in the forest opposite the canal. I found a few other birds in there, and in the canal as well. |
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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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