williamwisephoto's Journal

Nature Journal August 18, 2017...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66341876 - Great Egret; Walton County, Georgia. August 18, 2017. ©williamwisephoto.com

Friday, 9:16 AM - Hot, hot, hot and humid. Each day has been a replay of the last: highs around 90°, humidity through the roof. This has been a pretty stressful work week, but thank God it is Friday! I grabbed my wildlife lens and took a quick walk up to the water retention ponds in the rising sun. A Great Egret was fishing on the main pond. Perhaps this is the same bird I shot back on August 10 and 11 on the upper pond? It is not at all skittish and I walked the perimeter of the pond with him. Even approaching within 40 feet, he still kept to his business of spearing small fish and snapping up dragon flies.

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66341876 - Great Egret; Walton County, Georgia. August 18, 2017. ©williamwisephoto.com

It was fun to watch as some small prey would catch his eye. He would stiffen up, but shuffle his neck back and forth in a serpent-like fashion. If the critter was in range, he’d strike. We walked the entire back side of the pond together. As he turned the corner at the far end, the sun was no longer hitting him from the right direction so I went back to my office to get to work. ​

August 18, 2017; Walton County, Georgia

• Mostly Sunny, high near 91°
• Heat index as high as 99°
• Sunrise 6:57 AM; Sunset 8:16 PM
• Day length 13 hours 18 minutes

Nature Journal August 10, 2018...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 17336831 - Double-crested Cormorant; Walton County, Georgia. August 10, 2018. ©williamwisephoto.com

Friday, 8:32 AM – You never know what you’ll see. After literally hundreds of morning walks up to the small pond behind my office, this morning there was something I had never seen before. At first I thought the splash in the brown murky water was one of the beavers ending a night of tree-felling and heading back to his home. But when the creature surfaced, it had a much longer neck than a Beaver!

A Double-crested Cormorant popped up out of the water with a fish in his hooked bill. Since it didn’t immediately notice my presence, I was able to watch it fish for several minutes. Once his senses picked me up, he took to the air, circled the pond twice (giving me some great photo-ops!) and moved on.

Although not a rarity for Walton County, that is the first cormorant I’ve seen on this particular pond, and not sure when I’ll see one again.

• Walton County, Georgia, USA
• Sunrise 6:51 am; Sunset 8:25 pm
• Daylight Hours: 13 hours, 33 minutes (-1m 45s)
• Moon: 1.2% Waning Crescent
• eBird checklist: S47776777

Backyard Birding Journal, August 7, 2015...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 234308689 - Red-shouldered Hawk; Clarke County, Georgia. August 7, 2015.

A refreshingly cool morning; 68°. It hasn’t been this cool in quite some time. Sitting on my oasis patio, the sun is rising an orange radiance in the east to my left. A nearly full, silver moon still hangs in the blue sky in the west to my right. Our male Hummingbird takes repeated draughts at the nectar. A dog howls off in the distance; a mysterious call of the wild (with a bit of imagination). A bright red Cardinal and a rich blue Jay highlight the feeders in back. Goldfish swim under the drabbling pond fountain. Day Lilies and Knockout Roses colorfully border the oasis patio. Canada Geese briefly sound a fly-by in the distance. ​​A Red-tailed Hawk decides to come in for a closer look; perhaps to see if there was an easy meal of House Finch or Mourning Dove at the bird feeders.

Athens-Clarke County, Georgia
https://ebird.org/checklist/S46258879

Nature Journal July 30, 2022...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 141551931 - Osprey; Wasatch County, Utah. July 30, 2022.

During our family vacation to Utah, we took the short trip on the historic Heber Valley Railroad. As we passed through Deer Creek Reservoir, I pretty much hung out the window with my camera! Shooting wildlife that was waaaaaaay off in the distance, and from a moving train, didn't produce the greatest results as far as photography goes. But there were several species and lifers by the water that I didn't observe the previous few days up in Park City.

​Shooting from the Historic Heber Valley Railroad.

• Partly sunny, with a steady temperature around 87.
• Sunrise 6:21 am; Sunset 8:43 pm
• Daylight Hours: 14 hours, 22 minutes (-1m 57s)
• Moon: 3.5% Waxing Crescent

Nature Journal July 29, 2013...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 28818974 - Turkey Vulture; Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. July 29, 2013. ©williamwisephoto.com

It isn't often that you can photograph a soaring vulture from overhead! As we peered over the edge of the gorge in Talullah Gorge State Park in Georgia, a few Turkey Vultures were circling below our feet, just above the canyon floor. The gorge is approximately 2 miles long and almost 1,000 feet deep. Hiking trails around the gorge rim provide spectacular views. If you are physically fit enough, a hike down the hundreds of stairs into the gorge leads to a suspension bridge across the river. (https://gastateparks.org/TallulahGorge)

Photographer: William Wise - Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. July 29, 2013. ©williamwisephoto.com

Nature Journal July 28, 2016...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 30557395 - Common Snapping Turtle; Walton County, Georgia. July 28, 2016. ©williamwisephoto.com

I had been hunting for a big snapping turtle to use during upcoming classroom presentations. So this was my lucky day! ​This morning before work, right in the middle of the gravel road between the two ponds was a fairly big one! His carapace was 9.5 inches front to back. I carried him back to my truck, which was no small task. Have you ever held up a 5.5 pound snapper while he consistently tried to kick, bite and scratch his way out of your hands??? The kids are going to love this one!

A few days later he came to the classroom and, man, what a hit! This feisty guy made an impression on the kids. ​Although he remained his grumpy self and didn’t show it outwardly, I’m sure he was quite happy the next morning to be released back into the pond near where he was found.

Nature Journal entry, July 27, 2017...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 65491843 - White-eyed Vireo; Walton County, Georgia. July 27, 2017.

Thursday, 8:05 AM – While taking a walk up to the duckweed bog behind my office to check in on a family of Green Herons, I was repeatedly scolded by a scruffed up little yellow bird. Each time a neared a group of small pines, this White Eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) would alight nearby, flitting around and emit a buzz-like chirping, obviously directed at me. I gather her nest was nearby and she simply didn't approve of my presence!

The White-eyed Vireo is a small and secretive bird of shrubby areas of the eastern and southern United States. It is more noticeable for its explosive song than its looks.
​ - Walton County, Georgia

• Sunny, high 91°; heat index 98°
• Sunrise 6:31 AM; Sunset 8:47 PM
• Day length: 13 hours, 56 minutes

Nature Journal entry, July 17, 2015...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 30164327 - White-tailed Deer; Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. July 17, 2015. ©williamwisephoto.com

I love to see the neighborhood deer. It is good to know that we humans haven't been able to eradicate every habitat and animal on the planet yet. However, the deer love our Day Lilies. I wouldn't mind, except I paid money for them! And now I'm forced to spend more money on deer repellent to spray on the desired vegetation. I wish the deer would just be satisfied with the persimmon tree planted in our backyard.

I mostly see does and fawns, but this morning at 6:30 AM on my way to morning prayer, I managed to spot a young buck still in velvet chowing down at the better landscaped yard up the street. I'm sure when my neighbor awakes they too will make trip to Lowes in frustration to purchase some repellent!

​Athens, Georgia

Nature Journal July 7, 2018

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 91858801 - Osprey Nest; Greene County, Georgia. July 7, 2018. ©williamwisephoto.com

A few weeks ago I went to a small restaurant near Lake Oconee in Georgia, USA. I spotted several active Osprey nests. How badly I wanted to stop the car for some photos! But I didn’t want my photography addiction to get me in trouble again. Just have patience. Enjoy dinner with family. An opportunity will arise later, I told myself.

Patience paid off. After dinner, while my wife and kids went to a small store, I raced back and parked under pole #66 where a large Osprey nest sat atop the utility tower. Two hungry juveniles waited in the nest. It seemed their patience had run out as they squealed and cried for dinner. Patience youngsters. Mom and dad will soon be back with dinner. After a few minutes, an adult Osprey soared in toward the nest with a fish in its talons. Then the action began!

​The two juveniles and two adults shifted and bounced around the nest while eating their dinner and a few good shots became available. The longer I exercised my patience, the more shots became available. More Osprey circled the skies, some carrying large fish. I also shot a soaring Mississippi Kite. Patience pays off!

Getting my photos, I quickly sped back to the store to pick up my family. No problems! I had family time and photography time! You just have to have a little patience!

• July 7, 2018; Greene County, Georgia
• Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83.
• Sunrise Today: 6:28 am, Sunset Today: 8:47 pm
• Daylight Hours: 14 hours, 18 minutes (-43s)
• Moon: 37.1%, Waning Crescent

His thick green shell scarred with the signs of a brutal conflict, the giant beetle lay dead. Who knows how long he fought before being vanquished by the rival that disappeared into the night with the mate that the conquered had hoped to win...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 51727710 - Eastern Hercules Beetle; Walton County, Georgia. June 30, 2020. ©williamwisephoto.com

June 30, 2020; Walton County, GA - I couldn’t help but notice this massive Eastern Hercules Beetle on the sidewalk outside the back door of my office. With its large pronotal and clypeal horns, Dynastes tityus is fittingly classified into the “rhinoceros beetle” family. Both its common name and scientific name are steeped in Greek Mythology. No doubt a reference to the beetle’s size, Tityus was a Greek giant that was so large he split his mother’s womb. And Hercules is, of course, known to most of us as the Greek strongman who fought many battles, or labours. In similar feats of strength, there are many short videos on the internet of Hercules Beetles battling it out with each other.

Interestingly, the following morning I found another dead one about ten feet from where I found the first. Since they are reported to be active primarily in the pre-dawn hours, my imagination conjures scenes of battle campaigns between these horned brutes while the rest of us sleep. The only evidence of their nocturnal warfare is the carnage of vanquished foes that lie dead from exhaustion on our sidewalks.

• Walton County, GA