Truth be told, these photographs are terrible and probably shouldn't be posted. I can't make an absolutely-positive identification out of them; however, this should be a southern cricket frog, most likely the coastal plains cricket frog. They're enormously abundant in this area and I see them just like this one, each and every time I visit Grand Bay.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Dolomedes triton is very, very common at Grand Bay WMA, although --truth be told-- they're pretty common anywhere you have calm, fresh water. Lovely little hunters.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
These flies were savagely taking advantage of a young alligator carcass. The alligator was likely run over by a car and was sprawled near the edge of the entrance dirt road to Grand Bay WMA from Knight Academy Road. The flies were, of course, rather numerous and apparently having a great time. They hardly minded my presence.
I'd appreciate confirmation or correction about this identification!
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
This is (I believe) a Northern cricket frog, Acris crepitans. The snout is blunter than the more-regionally-common Coastal plains cricket frogs. This individual lacked the standard triangle mark on between the eyes, but that's not a tell for or against this identification. It happens in the species.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com.
I see at least one red-shouldered hawk on most visits to Grand Bay just east of Valdosta, Georgia. It seems they're as common here as they are in peninsular Florida.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com.
The Carolina green anoles are out in force as of early-to-mid March 2012. At Grand Bay, there's one dominant male at each of the ironwork (water) gates along the main line into Grand Bay. They seem to like displaying and claiming the territory overhanging the water.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com.
Yellowbelly sliders FTW! Plenty of these turtles at Grand Bay WMA, particularly along the entrance canal off of Knight Academy Road.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Time to start working on the south Georgia turtle identifications... (Identotron, I'm looking at you, kid.)
Judging from Tom Spinker's excellent description and identifications of similar turtles in this immediate area (over on Flickr), this should be a juvenile yellow belly slider, Trachemys scripta scripta. Lots of these turtles line the entrance canal to Grand Bay from Knight Academy Road.
Confirmation or correction would be appreciated!
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
I was thinking ruffled grouse, but the map didn't show the species ranging all the way to south Georgia... Turns out Northern bobwhite is the key (with thanks to loarie and the good Dr. May on Facebook). Rah!
There were two of them along the edge of Knight Academy Road just east of Valdosta and west of Grand Bay WMA. The road is somewhat rural and undeveloped.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
