Terry & Diana's
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Georgia and southeast 2021

This spring, Diana and I decided to take a trip to Georgia and Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Diana has always wanted to take a tour guided boat trip into the swamp. We decided to visit my brother Max and his wife Betty in Waco and then down to College Station and see the grand kids.

10 April: We left around 8:00 am and headed for Max and Betty's north of Waco. We got there around 2:00 pm. Visited and ate pizza. Spent the night.

11 April: Up early and ate a big breakfast (always get a big breakfast when we stay with them). Visited alittle longer before heading down to College Station to visit Rachel, Toby, and the girls. At Toby and Rachel's place I bird watched and checked out a few odes. They prepared a big supper for us. Also looked at their old place that they were selling. They needed to get and check on a few things before turning it over. All of the birds were submitted to eBird. I submitted several things to iNaturalist as well.

Blue Bonnets

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) and a Satyr Butterfly (Megistra cymela)

Velvet Ant

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)

Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula)

Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsularis)

Plains Clubtail (Gomphurus externus)

Oklahoma Clubtail (Phanogomphus oklahomensis)

Blue Corporal (Ledona deplanata)

Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia)

12 April: We left Toby and Rachel's early and headed for The Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren in Southeast Texas. On the way, we stopped at the famous roadside park 4 miles west of Woodville on US 190. We left Watson RNP at 1:30 pm and headed for Louisiana. Two of the places were closed, so we starting looking for an RV park.

Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis) Roadside park on US 190 west Woodville

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) Roadside park on US 190 west Woodville

Blue Corporal (Ladona deplanata) Roadside park on US 190 west Woodville

Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Eastern Bluebird, Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Regal Darner (Coryphaeschna ingens), Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Double-ringed Pennant (Celithemis verna), Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Burgundy Bluet (Enallagma dubium), Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum), Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax minuscula), Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve near Warren

13 April: After spending night at questionable RV park, we were up early and decided to drive through to Okefefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge at Stephen C. Foster State Park. We were on the road for 9 hours. We got to the park campground at about 7 pm. The boat tour trip was not until Friday at 1:30 pm. We had to add another day, so we had to move our camp site to another site because someone had reserved ours on the extra day. We ended up with a better site.

Elophia icciusalis and Iridopsis vellivola at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C. Foster State Park at lights

14 April: Signed in early and Diana and I walked the board walk trail. I photographed odes, butterflies, birds, and scenery.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C. Foster State Park

Barred Owl

White-tailed Deer

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Yellow-bellied Slider

Green Anole

Florida Cottonmouth

Alligator bellowing

Pig Frog

Spice Bush Swallowtail

Palamedes Swallowtail

Attenuated Bluet

Florida Bluet

Lilypad Forktail

Furtive Forktail male

Furtive Forktail female

Pale-green Clubtail

Regal Darner

Golden-winged Skimmer

Bar-winged Skimmer

Blue Corporal

Cypress Clubtail

15 April: Mostly cloudy today. Not as many odes, but a few different ones. Diana stayed around camp today. The park has washing machines ans driers for the campers. She washed clothes and dishes. I walked around on the trails in the park taking photos.

Catbird

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Great-crested Flycatcher

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-shouldered Hawk

Swallow-tailed Kite

Little Blue Dragonlet

Florida Bluet

Eastern Pondhawk

Southern Pearly-eye

Bar-winged Skimmer

Cypress Clubtail

Carolina Saddlebags

16 April: Cloudy and cooler. 70 for the high. This is boat tour day. Since we were going to leave as soon as the tour was over, we packed up the camper and parked at the office. It was an excellant tour with a good guide that catered to our interest, birds and odes. After the tour we headed for McCormick, South Carolina to meet Robert early the next morning. We camped at Robert's friend's place for the night.

While we were waiting for the boat tour.

Green Anole

Blue-headed Vireo

Northern Parula

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Taper-tailed Darner

Pale-green Clubtail

Cypress Clubtail

Boat Tour

Diana on the boat tour

Terry on the boat tour.

Boat tour route.

Wild Iris

Barred Owl

Purple Gallinule

American Alligator

Sparkling Jewelwing

Pig Frog

17 April: Robert's friend's place east of McCoemixk, South Carolina is mostly clear cut with 4 -5 year growth and a creek running on the back of the property. I birded and photographed some of the plant and animal life for the owner. Robert also took me to a couple creek crossings of Stevens (Turkey) Creek. Robert went back home and we spent the night at the same spot.

Camp site 4.4 miles east of McCormick in South Carolina

Stevens (Turkey) Creek

Black-and-White Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Prairie Warbler

Ebony Jewelwing

Tiger Beetles

Stream Cruizer

Common Baskettail

Septima Clubtail

Lancet Clubtail

Ashy Clubtail

18 April: We left Robert's friend's place at 8 am and headed north to the Chatooga River at the US 76 bridge and canoe launch in Sumter National Forest. It was really a little too cool for odes. I only found one dragonfly on the river plus 3 or 4 on the north side of the road on the Georgia side. We stopped at one more river put-in north of this site before crossing over into Georgia. No luck. Checked one more spot in Georgia called Warwoman Dell National Forest picnic area. We were just too early for this year.We then headed up to Black Rock Mountain State Park in Northeastern Georgia. The tree have not even completely leafed out yet. We got a camp site and relaxed the rest of the day.

Chatooga River, South Carolina side, Oconee National Forest

Silver-spotted Skipper

Wild Azalea

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Edmond's Snaketail

Repanda Tiger Beetle

Black Rock Mountain State Park, northeast Georgia

April 19: I spent the morning searching and photographing birds. We then headed down to the lake to check out for odes. At the lake I only saw a few common odes. We decided to go farther south where it was warmer. Traveled through Atlantia to I-20 and turned west. We stopped for the night at Tanner County Park. Nice place. Arrived around 3:30 pm and after setting up camp, I went walking around the lower lake looking for odes.

Wild Azalea

Arum

Buckeye Tree

The valley below the state park and the hills across the canyon.

Blue-headed Vireo

Brown Thrasher

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Wren

Dark-eyed Junco

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Towhee

Hairy Woodpecker

Hermit Thrush

Hooded Warbler

Northern Parula

Oven Bird

Common Green Darner

Little Blue Dragonlet

Now at Tanner County Park.

Lower lake at Tanner County Park

Campground at Tanner County Park

Chipping Sparrow

Stream Cruiser

Blue Corporal

Lancet Clubtail

Ashy Clubtail

Common Whitetail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

April 20: I got up early and walked the trail around the bigger lake to check out what birds I could photograph. After checking out the park for birds, we headed for Coldwater Creek in Coldwater, GA. I had heard that it was good for snaketails. I only saw a couple of Springtime Darners. We then headed for Opelika, Alabama to visit with one of our nephews, Noah. I did run down to the park while Noah went to pick up his son, Kai, at school. Spent the night with them.

American Goldfinch

Cap May Warbler

Lousiana Water Thrush

Palm Warbler

Red-shouldered Hawk

Tufted Titmouse

White-eyed Vireo

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Opelika, Alabama city park

Variable Dancer

White-throated Sparrow

April 21: Left early when Noah took his boy to school and then to work. We headed for Cahaba River National Refuge in Bibb County, in central Alabama. Troy said that there were Septima Clubtails here. It was cool 47-52 with a strong north wind. I need to go back sometime under better conditions. I didn't find very much and what I did find was along the road out of the wind and in full sun. From here we headed for Paul B. Johnson State Park in south central Mississippi.

Cahaba River

Springtime Darner

Splendid Clubtail

Clematis species

Eastern Fence Lizard

April 22: I birded for a while and let Diana sleep in. No photographs of birds were taken. Before heading to east Texas, we stopped at one of my favorite spots in southern Mississippi in Stone County along a national forest road. I found a few odes along the old logging road.

Little Blue Dragonlet

Yellow-sided Skimmer

Painted Skimmer

Hodge's Clubtail

Ashy Clubtail

Laphria lata Robberfly

We then headed for Texas. Trying to get to Double Lakes National Forest campground near Cleveland, Texas.

Bridge over the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

April 23: Double Lakes Recreation area. I got up early and bird watched but didn't take the camera with me. We then headed home. Got home around 5:30 pm.

Terry & Diana's Photography and More

HOME - OUR PROPERTY - FAMILY - SCENERY AND TRIPS - PLANTS - CACTUS - DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES - BUTTERFLIES -AMPHIBIANS - REPTILES - BIRDS - MAMMALS

Terry & Diana's
Photography and More