Every Day is a Gift!
We’ve been watching painted buntings come to our feeder in the back yard for the last couple of weeks. For several days every time I set up my camera to capture these beautiful birds I scared them away. They are very skittish and fly off when they sense the slightest movement.
I never gave up trying and my patience finally paid off when I was able to get a few shots of a pair at the feeder.
Wood storks, egrets, and herons build their nests every spring in the trees of Woody Pond at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Located in Georgia just a few miles from I 95 in between Savannah and Brunswick, it is a great day trip from our home.
Wood storks were placed on the Endangered Species list in 1984. After almost 30 years of conservation efforts to increase the wood stork population, their status was upgraded to Threatened in June, 2014.
A path along the dike beside Woody Pond provides a great place to view the birds. The wood storks and egrets shared the trees.
Many of the wood storks were working on their nests. None of their eggs had hatched yet.
As I took photos, Henry used the spotting scope and pointed out a mother egret with chicks that I would have never seen. The nests were a long way from where we were so the picture isn’t the best but it gives you an idea of the size of the baby egret.
In the shallow water at the edge of the pond a tri-colored heron entertained us as he searched for food.
After leaving the refuge we stopped at the Smallest Church in America to take a look and do a little geocaching.
An arsonist burned this church in November, 2015. The church is being rebuilt through the efforts of volunteers and the work is almost complete.
After finding the geocache hidden near the church we headed for home.
We enjoyed walking around the marina and going on the nature trail at Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge but we wanted to be in a boat to really experience the swamp. On one of our visits a few years ago we rented a canoe to paddle into the swamp and another time we rented a boat to venture even farther into the swamp. On our most recent trip in early spring we decided to take a ranger guided boat tour.
As we glided through the man made canal our guide pointed out the baby alligators and their mother Sophie who was keeping a close watch on her babies. Her mate Zeke was no where to be found.
As the boat exited the canal we entered the big water of Billy’s Lake where we were about six miles from the headwaters of the Suwanee River. The water here gets up to six feet deep, much deeper than the average depth of two feet.
It was a beautiful day to be on the water and we saw a few other people out on the water.
Our guide took us through the narrow waterway toward Minnie’s Lake. In some places the water was barely wide enough for the 24 foot Carolina Skiff. As we ventured farther into the swamp it was as if we had stepped back in time to a prehistoric age. We were miles from civilization in this incredibly wild place.
It is estimated that the alligator population in the swamp is about 20,000. We saw quite a few as we went along. It was mating season and I wondered if this gator was trying to attract a mate.
Another gator was behind a huge cypress tree.
And there were young ones sunning on a log.
There are many species of wildlife besides alligators. While we didn’t see any raccoons, opossums, turtles, or bears, we did see a few birds out searching for food.
After our incredible few days in the Okefenokee it was time to return back to civilization and the real world.
On St. Patrick’s Day we left Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center in White Springs, Florida and drove about 50 miles to another park named after the famous composer. At the end of the road 17 miles from the nearest highway, Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo, Georgia is located in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge .
This is one of our favorite Georgia state parks and one we have returned to over and over through the years. There is just something I love about being surrounded by nature miles away from civilization.
The Okefenokee Swamp is one of North America’s most unspoiled natural wilderness areas. According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge web page, “the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has 353,981 acres of National Wilderness Area within the refuge boundaries. In addition, the refuge is a Wetland of International Importance (RAMSAR Convention – 1971) because it is one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems.”
Indians who once lived in the area called it Okefenokee which roughly translated means “Land of Trembling Water.” The headwaters of the Suwanee River is located in the Okefenokee Swamp.
Going out in a boat is a great way to see the swamp but there is also plenty to see from land. All the photos in this post were taken as we walked around the campground, marina and on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail which starts at the marina. One section of the trail is a boardwalk through the swamp. This huge gator was sunning on a log beside the boardwalk.
The only man made waterway in the park is this canal which leads to the open water of the Okefenokee Swamp.
The canal runs beside the road and alligators are frequently seen sunning themselves on the bank or chilling in the water.
One of the other campers told me about baby alligators beside the road so off we went in search of baby gators.
Besides alligators, many other animals make their home in the Okefenokee.
Coming up in my next post – a ranger guided boat tour into the Okefenokee.
Our last stop of our late winter RV trip to Florida and Georgia was Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Fargo, Georgia.
More of the Okenefokee Swamp coming up in my next post.
This is my contribution to the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge. For more Landscape photography go to WordPress Photo Challenge: Landscape
Wandering Dawgs 