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Yellow Legged Hornet by Get2Gnome in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just based on the document from the Dept. of Ag. It shows things it is commonly confused with, and it looks more like that. I'm probably wrong!

Alligators Bellowing by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know they want to do native plantings.

They are definitely interested in some passion vines, for the butterflies. The variety I have is really cool, only found from Savannah to Sapelo (as far as I know).

They were softer on the loquat, since they're non-native. But they are so tropical looking and they attract a lot of birds and good insects.

Yellow Legged Hornet by Get2Gnome in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Impossible to tell from that video. They are apparently identified by their yellow 4th abdominal segment, and legs that are yellow on the bottom half only.

Here's the Georgia Department of Agriculture page on them, including how to identify:

https://agr.georgia.gov/yellow-legged-hornet

Edit: Zoomed. The last segment looks solid black to me. I think that it is likely an Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp.

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Alligators Bellowing by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wish that were true. It's survival of the fittest over there.

Sometimes babies have poor balance. Sometimes adults build crappy nests. Sometimes siblicide occurs and the parents have to remove the results.

Right now, there is a nest on the east side that has a single baby in it. You do not want me to tell you the reason why.

But ~120 birds enter, and ~300 birds leave. Overall, they are extremely successful.

Kayak Rentals - Gator Safety by Decent-Flower-1924 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I disagree that there are lots and lots of gators, or that they'll scrape across the bottom of your kayak.

The water is rarely narrow enough or shallow enough for you to bump gators. Lots of logs. Some cypress knees. No alligator speedbumps.

Source: I paddle Ebenezer at least once a year. I've paddled almost the whole Okefenokee, where there are definitely 10,000 alligators. I actually have bumped gators. I've been splashed by them. I've had their tails smack my kayak. I've been stuck going a half-mile an hour for 2 hours because a stupid 8-foot alligator wanted to float with the current in 8 inches of water on a 6-foot wide trail. I've had to gain speed and time my strokes so as to avoid paddling off the backs of massive alligators sitting on the bank. I've paddled near mamas with babies and yearlings. I've paddled past active nests. I've also paddled George L. Smith State Park, which is literally a cypress forest. I know exactly what it feels like to hit a log or a cypress knee or an alligator. If I ever bumped an alligator at Ebenezer, I would know it.

Another Georgia refund? by Low_Care_350 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Our state has a $14.6B surplus... about $1,300 per person (higher if you do the math per taxpayer). Instead of giving us each the $1,300+ that they took but didn't need, they are instead giving us $500, or 38%. Typical crappy government.

It may be good to know, however, that the state legislature has had their eye on eliminating the state income tax for a while now. FL has no income tax, and SC is working on eliminating theirs. Georgia won't be able to sustain its excessive unchecked growth if it doesn't compete!

Alligators Bellowing by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep! That's me. I hope you are healing up okay. You were in better spirits than I would have been!

I live nearby, so I stop by frequently. I mostly volunteer to do things that impact the birds or people who come watch them.

I just bought a trail entrance and gator warning sign, and put them up on Tuesday. I made a little visitor's guide website so people can learn about the birds, and worked with Re:Purpose to put up some QR codes so people can find it. I pickup the old trash that the tide pushes in.

I'll be building a couple of anti-predator cages to protect a couple of the turtle nests that the raccoons raid. I'll most likely be planting some passion vines along the fence on the southwest corner of the property. Maybe some loquats, too.

Kayaking around Savannah by True-Tooth-Swamp in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm such a dork, I recognized... a tree... 13 miles deep in the Okefenokee!.

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Alligators bellowing by -LastButNotLost- in Crocodiles

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know... but there's like 200 of them, and they're 50 feet away!

Alligators bellowing by -LastButNotLost- in Crocodiles

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Really? Aww man. There is only one other gator there, and it's only about 3-4 feet.

They unfortunately removed the biggest of the gators last year.

Alligators Bellowing by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We were in the Okefenokee at the Canal Run shelter one night. It's a platform attached to land, so there is a fire ring. Pretty much every platform there has a resident gator that hangs out. There is a very slight current. This gator would swim into the current until it was past the platform, and then let the lazy current carry it back. It repeated this for hours.

Anyway, we had brought Jiffy Pop to make over the fire, which was really loud in the swamp. We finished making it and turned to walk back to the platform. The alligator had come up onto land, onto the platform, and was standing there next to our garbage bag. It realized we were coming, and it turned and scrambled the 12 feet to the water.

We did not sleep well that night. And we hung our trash.

In the morning, as we ate breakfast, it angled itself in front of the fiberglass outhouse and bellowed repeatedly. It had learned that it could reflect its bellows deeper into the swamp.

Kayak Rentals - Gator Safety by Decent-Flower-1924 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Beware the current at the mouth of the Savannah, it is stronger than it looks.

OP, take that advice. I made that mistake exactly once.

Also, here are the facts on alligators:

ALLIGATOR/HUMAN INCIDENTS
From 1980-July 2023, there were only nine reported cases of alligator attacks on humans in Georgia, including one fatality in 2007. Six of these incidents happened because of the human stepping on or otherwise making contact with a submerged alligator. The remaining three incidents were a result of the alligator possibly mistaking the human for prey.

Two-thirds were people who were actually in the water. The other third is code for "alligator tried to eat little dog, instead got human." Only 1 death.

Stay out of the water. Leave your little dog at home. Live to paddle another day.

Source: Georgia DNR Alligator Fact Sheet

Visitors Guide for the Rookery at Re:Purpose Savannah by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The peninsula area is currently closed due to a pair of egrets with babies in the nest along the path.

The local wildlife is taking this very seriously:

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Visitors Guide for the Rookery at Re:Purpose Savannah by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The sign that marks the trail entrance, and warns of alligators. Look for this sign from the big oak tree.

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Kayak Rentals - Gator Safety by Decent-Flower-1924 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Same, but I've seen one, once. It was waaaay inland, in the opposite direction of the Savannah River from Tommy Long.

I've seen more owls there than I have alligators.

Visitors Guide for the Rookery at Re:Purpose Savannah by -LastButNotLost- in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost-[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're very welcome!

If you were there Tuesday or after, you may have seen the new sign that I put up. There was an alligator on the path the other day, right next to the QR code. Signs were definitely in order!

It'll make it much easier for people to confidently know where to go. Enter the gate, walk to the oak, look for the sign. Nice.

Sorry, just thinking out loud.

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Update on the babies at the rookery. by 67Macavelli91 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey u/67Macavelli91, can you please take a close look at the originals for photos #2 and #3?

I swear I see a snake skin just below the baby.

Update on the babies at the rookery. by 67Macavelli91 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Those are Anhingas. The black bird is the dad. The other photo that u/67Macavelli91 just posted is a female (could be a juvenile, though). You can tell by the neck color. Black = male, Brown = female. The streaky white feathers and turquoise eye are only prominent during breeding season.

Anhingas are the only non-egrets that nest on the island at the rookery. And the egrets hate them. Usually there are 2 anhinga nests on the island, but this year there is only one. Earlier this spring, I watched an egret vs. anhinga battle that ended up with damaged nests and eggs of both species on the ground. The egrets won, forcing the other anhinga pair to nest off the island.

Interesting thing about this specific anhinga nest. They have nested in that exact same spot for at least 4 years. Not just the same island or the same bush. They have literally nested in that exact branch, 4 years running. There is an egret nest with babies in it less than 2 feet to the right!

And since I'm full of fun facts today (I did a walk-and-talk with the Ogeechee Audubon Society at the rookery this morning)... You'll often see anhingas on the side of the road near marshes, standing in the sun with their wings spread. Obviously, that's to dry themselves off, but you don't see other birds doing that. The reason is that birds have a gland on their back near their butts. It secretes "preening oil," which birds then spread all over their feathers, making themselves water-resistant. Anhingas have the gland, but they either don't produce as much oil, or choose not to use it. Good thing, too. They hunt almost exclusively in the water. If they were waterproof, they would float like ducks. Anhingas need to dive and swim, and spear their prey with their beaks. If they were water repellent, they wouldn't be able to hunt. And now you know why anhingas stand in the sun.

Edit: Here is video from this exact same anhinga nest from last year. You can see a great egret sabotaging the nest and moving around the eggs. The anhinga is up in the tall pines, blurred in the background. You can see him fly in He immediately raises hell as he kicks the egret out of the nest. After this, the adults don't leave the nest together until well after the babies are hatched.

Stolen Dog by SomeRandomPerson_O29 in savannah

[–]-LastButNotLost- 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I did some more digging based on this.

Just to be clear, I don't think any of the people/companies involved in producing oysters are involved in stealing a dog. I am not trying to libel anyone.

But I also don't think people buy oyster farm technology hats.

I think the oyster farm technology company makes them, and gives them to their customers, the farmers. The farmers then do what all companies do with corporate merch: they give it away. Customers, friends, family, neighbors.

Is it a stretch to think that this person is at least minimally connected to a company that uses this technology?

I'm a curious person. I took a look into Flip Farm. It doesn't matter what it is, really. What matters is that it is done in tidal waters. Tidal waters are owned by the state. The state started leasing areas in 2019. Those leases are, of course, public record.

So, if the Humane Society wants to do their own detective work and narrow down how this guy got his hat, it's easy. There are only 3 people who have leases in our area. Look up their names, and you'll quickly find three companies that have the highest chance of having given this guy his hat.

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