White Ibises on Billy’s Lake; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Although ribbons of morning fog still linger over portions of the swamp, the view here along the Suwannee River has become remarkably clear. The cypress trees press ever closer together as the channel narrows, their massive fluted buttresses rising from the dark tea-colored water like the foundations of an ancient cathedral. Curtains of Spanish moss hang almost motionless from their limbs, the air so calm that not even the lightest breeze disturbs them. Contrary to its name, Spanish moss is neither a moss nor a parasite, but an air plant that gathers moisture and nutrients directly from the humid atmosphere, thriving in the swamp’s perpetual embrace.

The first birds to greet me this morning are a small flock of White Ibises. One brilliant white adult feeds methodically along the shoreline while eight or nine juveniles, dressed in their mottled brown-and-white plumage, probe the mud nearby with their long, down-curved bills. The youngsters appear almost like an entirely different species until one remembers that they will gradually molt into the pristine white feathers of adulthood over the next two years. They forage quietly among the submerged vegetation, searching for crayfish, insects, and small aquatic creatures hidden beneath the shallow water.

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) photographed in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. October 14, 2025.
– Location: Billy’s Lake
– Morning fog. Sunny, with a high of 86 degrees
– Sunrise 7:32 AM; Sunset 6:59 PM
– Daylight hours: 11 hours, 27 minutes (-1m 47s)
– Moon: 42% Waning Crescent