Okefenokee West Entrance Roadway

No matter how many trips I make to Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, 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.

Wild Turkey foraging in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 68610850 Wild Turkey foraging along Highway 177 between Fargo, Georgia and the Stephen C Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; January 21, 2021.

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 also 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.

White-tailed Deer foraging in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 68610847White-tailed Deer along the west entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: January 21, 2021.

~ William Wise, www.okefenokee.photography

Publicado el martes, 26 de enero de 2021 a las 01:29 AM por williamwisephoto williamwisephoto

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