Fun with observing animals at the Okefenokee. Yes I love the swamp ...
I work as an interpreter along the boardwalk some days, most days on the swamp/wildlife drive and it's an interesting place to be . I meet some of the most interesting people.
If its really quite it can also be kinda eerie, especially when no one else is out there. So seeing visitors is a good thing.
I really don't believe there is a big foot but hey you just never know what may be living in the swamp !
The sounds of different animals carry a beautiful tune, you here birds,
pig frogs,cricket frogs, bull frogs. You may see and hear birds and wading birds like the sandhill crane, great blue heron, great egret, red shoulder and red tail hawk. barred owls, gators, crickets the rustling of a bobcat or a raccoon. There is more than I am listing.
As I go through the spring and summer I will try to photograph as many of what I see as possible.
The swamp isn't a zoo so seeing animals on demand isn't possible.
This is their habitat not mine.
They can sleep, eat roam as they like. The way it should be for them. You have to have patience and respect for them. To see and here them you have to be soft walking and quiet as a mouse.
As a volunteer I act as a guardian for the wildlife and their habitat.
I am a volunteer because I love wildlife and nature and it's my way of helping give back to nature and its beauty.
You may see several pileated woodpeckers and if you don't you can definitely hear their voice. It is also the largest woodpecker in the United States, except the possibly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus, formerly Picus pileatus)
(Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands.
I think most of the sandhills have left for the summer but occasionally for a little while we may here or spot one.
This is an Immature white Ibis along our boardwalk as it matures it will be all white. . The American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) is a species of bird in the ibis familyThe white plumage and pink facial skin of adult American White Ibises are distinctive.[10] Adults have black wingtips that are usually only visible in flight.[11] In non-breeding condition the long downcurved bill and long legs are bright red-orange.[12] During the first ten days of the breeding season, the skin darkens to a deep pink on the bill and an almost purple-tinted red on the legs. It then fades to a paler pink, and the tip of the bill becomes blackish.
It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises, and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight.
Though the bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it will hunt anything from insects, chickens, and small rodents to deer. Prey selection depends on location and habitat, season, and abundance. Like most cats, the bobcat is territorial and largely solitary, although with some overlap in home ranges. It uses several methods to mark its territorial boundaries, including claw marks and deposits of urine or feces. The bobcat breeds from winter into spring and has a gestation period of about two month.
Biology: The red rat snake is referred to by the scientific name, Pantherophis guttatus guttatus. This snake is a strikingly beautiful specimen. The snake has a brown skin with an orange tinged and a black and white underbelly. The skin also has markings known as saddles that are red with black borders. This snake really stands out in the brush, largely due to its bright red markings and the contrasting black.
Habitat: The red rat snake resides mainly in the southeastern portions of the United States. These snakes can be found as far north as New Jersey on down into Florida and have been seen as far west as the state of Texas. These snakes love to hide out in tall cornfields, trees, lots of brush and old abandoned out-buildings in the country. They love to live in higher elevated parts of the country as well. They can reside in the cold weather, although when it is colder outside, they will live down in rock ledges and around fallen trees, coming out during the warmer daylight hours to get some sun. When they hide out in the cold weather, they will eat less. During colder weather the male snakes will go through a time period called brumation, where they are apt to breed with the female red rat snake.
The Barred Owl is a very opportunistic predator. The principal prey of this owl are meadow voles, followed by mice and shrews of various species. Other mammals preyed upon include rats, squirrels, rabbits, bats, moles, opossums, mink, and weasels. A Barred Owl was photographed in Minnesota in 2012 predaceously grabbing and flying with a full-grown domestic cat, a semi-regular prey item for the Great Horned Owl but previously unknown to be taken by this species.[11] Birds are taken occasionally and commonly include woodpeckers, grouse, quails, jays, icterids, doves and pigeons, and even domestic ducks and chickens, where they will even swoop through small openings in enclosed and covered runs. Less commonly, other raptors are predated, including smaller owls.[10] Avian prey are typically taken as they settle into nocturnal roosts, because these owls are not generally nimble enough to catch birds on the wing. It occasionally wades into water to capture fish, turtles, frogs and crayfish.[3][12][13] Additional prey include snakes, lizards, salamanders, slugs, scorpions, beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers. Barred Owls have been known to be attracted to campfires and lights where they forage for large insects. Prey is usually devoured on the spot. Larger prey is carried to a feeding perch and torn apart before eating.
The Barred Owl hunts by waiting on a high perch at night, or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. A Barred Owl can sometimes be seen hunting before dark. This typically occurs during the nesting season or on dark and cloudy days. Of the North American owls, the Pygmy, Hawk, Snowy, Barn and Burrowing Owl are more likely to be active during the day. Daytime activity is often most prevalent when Barred Owls are raising chicks.[3][13] However, this species still generally hunts near dawn or dusk.
