Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Swamp), Georgia

Great name and amazing place!  We visited the refuge the day before we left Georgia.  This swamp is huge!  It covers 630 miles in Georgia but also extends into Florida.  Only a few miles of trails but we also took a sunset boat tour which was awesome!

Okefenokee, the "Land of the Trembling Earth"

red shoulder hawks are common here

across a pond 11 young gators sunning

just down the road a bit, another 4 hatchlings hang out on a log....

with mom close by in the brush

part of the Chesser Island Homestead, this syrup shed is still used to demonstrate making cane syrup

We took the Chesser Island Boardwalk.....




and came across a banded water snake trying to warm up!  Right next to the board walk.

from a lookout tower

we saw several downy woodpeckers

these two guys were just coming back from spending the weekend in the swamp!

don't know what kind of snake this is yet, also next to the trail!

getting ready to head out for our sunset "cruise"

The variety and amount of wildlife was just crazy!  What a trip!!!

small blue heron

bittern

barred owl

green heron

blue heron

king fisher

last glimpse of the sun through the trees

egret

see the young gator in the water off Mike's right elbow??

birds of all kinds flocked across the sky, it was noisy 

this was the night of the super moon,  we did not see much of it due to clouds

the next day at a nearby beach

BBQ at Southern Soul

super moon alright!