By Claude Terry
Updated August, 2008

Could it be? Someone was making a strenuous effort to hand crank a model-T Ford, and in the process was causing an unholy row. I was sure of this as I came awake in my sleeping bag. When I finally opened my eyes, I remembered we were sleeping on the board dock of an overnight shelter in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp. Model-Ts in the Okefenokee? I sat up and saw my “Model-Ts” come flying over. They were large birds with white bodies and wings, black wing tips and a naked head. As they banked and glided by, they once again emitted the ear-jarring cacophony, which had roused me from sleep. Such was my introduction to the wood ibis, the only American stork.

The Eastern United States has too few wilderness areas, places where you can forget that persons other than your party have passed. Okefenokee is not only such a wilderness, but also a unique biological and geological area, housing many unusual species like wood ibis.

Various canoe trails twist through the park, exposing the paddler to an incredible variety of views. There are islands and hammocks templed by the columns of cypress, open prairies of low vegetation laced with water channels, and expanses of tea-colored water. The water is the home for sunfish, pickerel, bass and plenty of alligators. I’m not sure if it’s a result of efforts to stop poaching, or if we’ve just been lucky lately, but we’ve been seeing big gators on our last few trips into the swamp. I was still looking after the last of the wood ibis when a member of our party approached from the shelter. Seeing that he was looking past me attentively I asked, “Did some of the birds land opposite us?” “No,” he replied, “I’m just watching that gator under your feet.”

Sure enough, two wide apart bumps glided by, followed by faint twitches of the water, which revealed a 10-foot gator passing. This fellow was almost a nuisance at the Bigwater Shelter, apparently having been fed scraps by previous parties. I personally think this is akin to feeding park bears, and strongly recommend against it. (more…)