​[i] 1 Kings 4:33
[ii] https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-kingfisher-bird-get-its-name
[iii] Matthew 4:19
[iv] Luke 5:4
[v] John 21:6
[vi] https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/id
[vii] 2 Corinthians 4:3
[viii] Acts 5:29

​July has felt like an insane month. Most days I have been unable to keep up with the animal intake. As of this morning, 105 dogs and 121 cats have come into the shelter this month alone. Each time I get caught up on evaluations, heartworm testing and postings, more dogs come in. Each time the front door opens, there stands a citizen with more cats or surrendering their “beloved” pets. Each time a kennel is emptied by an adopter or rescue (or sadly, by euthanasia), it just can’t remain empty through the end of the day.
 
This morning, and several other mornings over the past 3 weeks, I came in early to get some “glamor shots” done for a few of the dogs not getting interest. I know once we open the doors to the public and the officers hit the road, more and more animals will come in.  So today I left home before the sun came up and made my 45-minute journey from Athens. I was able to get some good glamor shots of a few dogs.  

​“Sydney” is a somewhat fearful and submissive Anatolian Shepherd mix that was picked up stray out in the country covered in ticks; “Banner” is a super happy puppy that should have been noticed and adopted by now; and poor “Venus”, a beautiful and well behaved Retriever mix who has stolen my heart (I love the older dogs), just isn’t getting rescued, probably because she has heartworms.  But perhaps the new photos will help these three make it out.  Unfortunately, we also just got in a handsome, young German Shepherd Dog and a super-cuter terrier puppy. Yes, they will both get lots of attention from adopters and rescues, but will overshadow “Sydney”, “Banner” and “Venus” for yet another day. 
 
I have emailed our Facebook volunteer several times this month that I was ready to quit this job and hike the Appalachian Trail for the rest of my life. But alas, I have a wife and two daughters, so completely checking out of real life isn’t an option.  So I must continue to slug it out here. Thank God for the relief I get through photography, journaling and running. Photography is a passion that brings me into a world of focus and escape.   And one other comforting thought:  winter will come along soon and things will slow down… I hope.  

I’ve been hunting 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 ponds behind the shelter was a fairly big one! His carapace was 9.5 inches front to back. I carried him back to my office, 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! 
Walton County, Georgia 

​UPDATE AUGUST 15, 2016 – What a hit!  Boy did this feisty guy make an impression on the kids and hammer the point home of how powerful and destructive our untamed tongues can be. 

​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. 

I went back up to the small, secluded pond further back from the shelter this morning. This time I approached a bit more cautiously and with my camera settings already adjusted. I was hoping to get a better photo and identify the ducks that I have flushed out twice in the last week.  Sure enough, as I rounded past some trees, they took flight again; but only 2 birds this time.  I remained calm and fired away as they went overhead. Looks like I have an ID:  Wood Ducks! In February 2014 I managed to get a decent shot of a pair of Wood Ducks on this same pond. 
​Walton County, Georgia​

UPDATE 8/4/16 ​Over the next few days I’ve gone up to the pond each morning and occasional afternoons. Although I am quite far away, as soon as I come into these ducks’ view from the far end of the pond, they immediately blast off from the water.  None of the photos have been of any quality, but have allowed me to count their numbers. There are three drakes and at least seven hens. Perhaps they will stick around this winter. 

I’ve been walking up to the wetlands near the sheriff's firing range each morning looking for a big snapping turtle to use in an upcoming class presentation. This morning, as I came past some tall reeds, I was startled by, and in turn I startled, a pair of Green Herons (Butorides virescens). I can’t be sure if these are the exact same birds, but I have spotted Greens before on this pond.

After they flew off, I walked about 30 more feet and startled a Great Blue Heron that took to the sky with repeated, guttural croaks. It was too fast, and my shutter speed too slow, to get a good photo. As I crossed up to the back pond, several ducks took flight as well.  I guess I surprised all of these beautiful birds as they were searching for a quiet morning snack.
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​Walton County, Georgia

​Each year we’ve had a pair or two of Canada Geese raise their young on the pond behind the animal shelter.  However, this year there is only one pair, and they have only one gosling.  I suppose the other eggs became breakfast for a marauding raccoon while still in the nest.  Each morning I try to start the day with a quick walk around the pond. Mom and dad stay quite close to their now nearly grown gosling, but stay within close enough distance for good photography. I bet they have previously been on a pond where they are used to free handouts from humans. 
Walton County, Georgia

​It absolutely amazes me how a tiny bird weighing less than a penny can fly across the Americas each fall and always find its way precisely back to my backyard feeder. As I hadn’t seen “Myrtle” appear in May this year, I was getting worried.  My daughter named her Myrtle last year because she would sit in the Crepe Myrtle tree next to the feeder and aggressively defend it from any other hummingbirds that tried to get a drink.  

This year, they finally showed up in June, and we’ve been treated to aerial battles of up to four hummingbirds at a time! I’ve only a few times seen a bright throated male attempt to brave her defenses for a drink.  According to allaboutbirds.com, the Ruby Throated Hummingbird flaps its wings about 53 times per second! 
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​Athens-Clarke County, Georgia

Each year my wife and I take a trip to Tucson, Arizona for our Fellowship's annual Bible Conference. This year we were able to visit Mt. Lemmon.  Just outside of Tucson, the winding road takes you to the top of this beautiful mountain with a spectacular view over the desert and the city of Tucson. There is a short ski lift that we took to the top. Imagine, skiing in Arizona!  Although it was near 100 degrees in the city, it was a chilly and windy 68 degrees on top of the mountain. 

​Another frantic caller to 911 sent one of our officers out to catch this "highly venomous Green Mamba" that must have escaped from an exotic animal collection.  Well, actually, it was just a Rough Green Snake; a very common and harmless garden variety snake found here in Georgia. But a very beautiful specimen nonetheless!  

Rough Green Snakes  (Opheodrys aestivus) are probably the most arboreal snakes in our region and spend the majority of their time hunting for insects, spiders, and other invertebrates in vegetation well above the ground. When encountered, green snakes often freeze, relying on their green coloration for camouflage. (Source: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory website)

​Walton County, Georgia

While enjoying a Sunday morning outdoor breakfast at my parents' home in Driftwood, Texas, my daughter spotted this creepy-crawly scaling the screen of the patio. We gently knocked it down with a pool brush safely into a bucket. After finishing breakfast, I took him down the road for a photo shoot in a more natural setting before releasing him to do what Texas Tarantulas do. 

​Aphonopelma hentzi, the Texas brown tarantula, is one of the most common species of tarantula thriving in the southern-most United States today. Texas brown tarantulas can grow in excess of a four inch leg span. The body is dark brown. Shades may vary between individual tarantulas and are more distinct after a moult.

​There have been a couple of does and fawns each year in our neighborhood, but judging by this shot in my front yard this morning (11 deer total), last year was quite a productive breeding season with low mortality rate. I can only imagine the damage my landscaping will receive this spring and summer!  There is no hope for the Day Lilies this time. 
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia

​Nowhere near the numbers we had last year, but a dozen or so Redhead Ducks took to the shelter pond this season to join our resident Mallards. Walton County, GA. 

​We didn’t spend as much time as previous years “deer hunting” while visiting my parent’s house in Driftwood, Texas for Thanksgiving. On a few short walks I managed to “shoot” a few bucks and one nice Axis Deer. I resisted filling up the SD cards with numerous other does and fawns that inhabit the subdivision in which they live in the Texas Hill Country.