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A solo visit after a job nearby. Hurricane Debby passed by yesterday morning, but I thought that there might be something -- a Sooty Tern maybe -- lingering. There wasn't! But 45 Magnificent Frigatebirds were almost exclusively southbound -- some quite low -- in groups of 1, 7, 2, 2, 4, 2, 4, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 5, 1 (northbound), 2, 2, and 4. Several Brown Pelicans following the same pattern may also have been storm-dispersed: groups of 4, 4, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, and 1, all southbound. It was easy to count the birds as they flew directly overhead -- but determining precisely how many photographs I took of each individual was impossible. I am submitting 38 records of Magnificent Frigatebirds and 6 records of Brown Pelicans. The weather at the start was sunny, 88 degrees ("feels like" 99), and windy. I remained at my stationary watch until 1350, when I wandered around the northwestern part of the park.

Moved this poor guy off Wiscon road to keep the scavengers safe. Male; healthy & in his prime. Appears to have been there for around 24 hours.

SLOW DOWN ON WOODED ROADS! Speeding only gets you home 1-2 minutes faster (Yes,even if you speed all the way from Tampa!) but SLOWING DOWN can save lives... Including your own!

A solo visit to check on the Eryngium aquaticum (Marsh Rattlesnake Master) along the road. There's a lot! I stopped at the fire tower and did not examine any farrther section of County Road 336. The weather was overcast, 86 degrees ("feels like" 98), with a light breeze. All the Eryngium was grwing on the "north" side of the road, so I walked the entire length of the patch, mostly west of the fire tower. The ditch was dry. Considering the lack of sun and the fact that I checked just one section of the road, I did well, with 14 records of hairstreaks (at least 2 individual Juniper Hairstreaks) and 5 record of skippers. I left at 1648 and headed for home.

©williamwisephoto.com Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023.

• Location: Minnie's Lake; N30.86442° W82.31940°
• Cloudy with high 83, low 52.
• Sunrise 7:00 AM; Sunset 7:58 PM
• Daylight hours: 12 hours 57 minute (+1m 48s)

See and learn more about the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on my blog at www.okefenokee.photography

With Don Fraser; another -- and eminently successful -- search for flower moths, including a Bleeding Flower Moth in great condition.

The weather at the start was sunny and 71 degrees with a light breeze. We left at 1410.

Holy shit! Woo-hoo! Mind-boggling camoulflage!

With Don Fraser and John Reynolds; a successful chase of John's and my lifer Western Pygmy Blue; we saw several dozen. I photographed many plants to see what the blues were nectaring on, plus to learn Annual Sea-Blite (Suaeda maritima) so that I can look for this species in Pasco and Hernando counties.

The weather was sunny and 93 degrees ("feels like 101 degrees) with a breeze.

Exner Marsh Nature Preserve; McHenry County, Illinois.

• Cloudy and 48 degrees. Wind and rain with a high near 59 degrees.
• Sunrise 5:47 AM; Sunset 7:51 PM
• Daylight hours: 14 hours, 4 minutes (+2m 10s)
• Moon 19% Waxing Crescent

Chesser Island Boardwalk; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 9, 2022. ©www.williamwisephoto.com

• Cloudy with showers, high near 83 F.
• Sunrise 6:46 AM; sunset 6:33 PM
• Daylight hours: 11 hours, 47 minutes (+1m 54s)
• Moon: 43% First Quarter

See and learn more about the incredible Okefenokee Swamp at www.okefenokee.photography
Help protect the Okefenokee at https://protectokefenokee.org/

Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis is a variety of hooded pitcher plant primarily found in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. This variety grows impressively tall compared to the typical form of S. minor and can reach 3 feet or more in height.

Paddling with @djlavor between Kingfisher Landing and Double Lakes; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.

• Sunny, high 75 F, low 46 F.
• Sunrise 6:54 AM; Sunset 5:32 PM

To learn more about the Okefenokee Swamp, follow the blog at www.okefenokee.photography

comparison pic displaying the characteristic leaves of the 4 most common Smilax species locally (S. auriculata, laurifolia, smallii, and bona-nox, respectively), each with one side torn off to show the diagnostic marginal vein, or lack thereof.

©williamwisephoto.com A weekend at "The Treehouse"; Waynesville, North Carolina.

©www.williamwisephoto.com Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia; Middle Fork Suwannee River between the Big Water canoe shelter and mile marker 24.

• Sunny, with a high near 72, with a low around 48.

• Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph.
  Sunrise: 6:51 am; Sunset: 6:31 pm

• Daylight Hours: 11 hours, 40 minutes (+1m 52s)
• Moon: 56.3% Third Quarter
• www.okefenokee.photography