Nature’s Neighbors

Brown marsh bunnies munch away in the green grass by the roadside as we cross the causeway. Elusive mink scamper over the rocks as they forage for dinner. The antlers on the fallow deer make us do a double-take when we spot them traversing our neighborhoods. Skinks and anoles greet us in sunny spots in the backyard, while frogs chirp lullabies at night. Coastal Georgia wildlife is so much more than our amazing array of birds, the alligators that inhabit our swamps, the dolphins that swim in our waters, and the sea turtles that nest on our sandy beaches. Here we look a little closer at our neighbors in nature that make their homes in the Golden Isles. 

Backyard Critters 

Our backyards play host to myriad species of wildlife. Whether lush lawns in busy neighborhoods or more secluded wooded havens, animals live among us. Water is easily accessible, and our yards offer natural food sources ranging from fruit, nuts, and vegetation from our trees, gardens, and other foliage to the insects and smaller animals that may live there. Old trees, sheds, piles of leaves and debris, pots and other containers provide spaces for foraging, hiding, resting, and nesting. And, quite often, we humans have been known to intentionally offer food and shelter too. Although, to be fair, we may have intended the bird feeder to provide for our feathered rather than furry friends or meant the kibble in the bowl to be for our pets and not visiting varmints. 

One of our most notorious bird feeder bandits is the squirrel. Squirrels are not only one of our most common backyard inhabitants, they’re also one of the most common and recognizable kinds of wildlife found in the state of Georgia. Here in the region the Georgia Department of Natural Resources designates as the Coastal Plain, the gray squirrel is the species we most frequently see. Less common is the larger fox squirrel. Fox squirrels are generally found in mature pine habitats, with pine seeds being a major source of food. While acorns and other nuts make up most of the grey squirrel’s diet, they also eat buds, flowers, and fruit from trees like dogwood and mulberry as well. 

Here are some cool things you might not know about these fluffy-tailed fellas: Squirrels’ hind legs are double-jointed, and they can turn their ankles 180 degrees, so they’re fast and extremely agile climbers. They can leap 10 times their body length and can fall from a height of about 100 feet without hurting themselves. When jumping, or falling, they use their tail both for balance and as a parachute.

And speaking of airborne squirrels, Southern flying squirrels are common in Georgia. You may not realize it because they’re nocturnal and we rarely see them. And like Bullwinkle’s sidekick, Rocky, they can’t really fly. Using the webbed skin between their front and rear legs as “flaps,” they can glide through the air when they jump. People generally discover these small rodents when they take up occupancy in an attic or within the walls of a house, gaining entry from even tiny holes around the roofline. They make frequent noise at night and stay busy caching away nuts and seeds in their nests and handy spots in trees. Quite the hoarders, they’re known to store hundreds of nuts away in a night and around 15,000 in a season. Exterminators are no strangers to calls to remove these nocturnal pests that seek shelter in cozy attics during winter months and bring their friends. Not just noisy, flying squirrels are considered a dangerous nuisance because they’re known to chew electrical wires which can create a fire hazard. Stick with the cannon and the moose, Rocky! 

A native Georgia backyard animal that gets a bad rap is the Virginia (or common) opossum. The only marsupial in North America, the opossum is a solitary, nocturnal animal that carries its babies in a pouch. They’re about the size of a cat and vary in color from almost all white to almost all black. With a pointy face and mouth full of 50 teeth that they bare when cornered and a tendency to hiss and growl if feeling threatened, opossums can’t really be considered cute. Although they put on a frightening show, they’re gentle animals that have an automatic and involuntary physiological response to confrontation: playing dead. This comatose state that causes them to go limp can last up to an hour and mimics not only the appearance but the smell of a dead animal. Not exactly dangerous to people! In fact, opossums actively remove many dangers to humans. Opportunistic scavengers, they eat cockroaches and beetles, rats, mice, snakes (including poisonous ones!), rotten fruit, and even dead animals. They also help fight Lyme disease by killing more than 95% of the ticks that try to feed on them. That’s estimated at more than 5,000 ticks in one season. Thanks, ‘possum posse! 

It’s also worth noting that although we may call our GA opossums “’possums,” true possums are another animal entirely. Possums are native to Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and China. These foreign marsupials have gold or brown fur and a thick furry tail like a squirrel. Ironically, they don’t “play possum,” and are friendly animals that will approach people.  

Georgia’s own Okefenokee Swamp is home to a famous possum, a cartoon character named Pogo Possum. Celebrated cartoonist Walt Kelly launched his comic strip Pogo about a possum and his swamp friends that included Albert Alligator, Porky Pine, and Howland Owl, in October 1948. The strip was syndicated and ran until July 1975, dishing out satire, doing some moralizing, and pushing some political buttons along the way. With about 50 million readers following Pogo, Kelly received numerous awards and was inducted into the National Cartoon Museum’s Hall of Fame. 

Many people find raccoons more endearing than opossums due to the cute “bandit” masks around their eyes, but they’re much more trouble than their marsupial comrades. Raccoons have a very high mammal IQ, lower than monkeys but above cats, and they are highly adaptive omnivores. Those famous black masks on their faces actually serve a useful purpose for the raccoon. The black fur absorbs incoming light, reducing glare that would otherwise bounce into the animal’s eyes and obstruct their vision. At night, less peripheral light makes it easier for them to perceive contrast, which is essential for seeing clearly in the dark. These primarily nocturnal hunters are known to raid chicken coops and gardens. They use their intelligence and dexterity to get into garbage bins and food containers, making them common visitors to human homes. Sadly, they are also notorious carriers of disease and vermin and can be dangerous to pets for that reason. 

What might be most remarkable about raccoons however are their hands. Their front paws are incredibly dexterous and, similarly to humans, contain roughly four times more sensory receptors than their back paws. This allows them to differentiate between objects without seeing them, which is crucial when feeding at night. Raccoons can heighten their sense of touch by wetting their skin to increase the responsiveness of the nerves. This is called “dousing,” and looks like the raccoons are washing their food. Like light to a human's eyes, water on a raccoon's hands gives it more sensory information, allowing it to feel more than it would otherwise. Even when there’s no water, the action helps them grip their food and guide it to their mouths. This washing action gave raccoons their Latin name, Procyon lotor, with “lotor” meaning “the washerman.” Native Americans were the first to note their unusual paws. The Powhatan named them aroughcun, meaning "animal that scratches with its hands." The word “raccoon” is the English derivative of that term. 

Other backyard bandits you might see in this region, although not nearly as common, are foxes and coyotes. Grey foxes, or forest foxes, are native to Georgia’s woodlands. Red foxes were introduced by European settlers and can be found in fields and more open areas. Once hunted nearly to extinction, the red fox population has recovered to a healthy level. Both species are incredibly adaptable and can survive in wooded, rural, and urban areas. These primarily nocturnal carnivores are stealthy and elusive. The more dog-like coyote is a non-native species that has been in Georgia for decades. Their numbers have grown exponentially due to their ability to adapt to different environments and the wide availability of food like white-tailed deer and smaller rodents. Neither species are a threat to humans, but they can be a dangerous nuisance to small pets and livestock.

Another fascinating backyard creature is the bat. Like the opossum, because of their strange looks and myths spurred by folklore and vampire tales, and their known status as disease carriers, bats aren’t generally warmly welcomed by humans. However, these small, winged rodents play a critical role in our ecosystems by helping control insect populations and acting as pollinators. Of the 40 species of bats found in the U.S., Georgia is home to 16 of them, all of which feed exclusively on insects. Here in the South where mosquitoes are prevalent, we should appreciate how valuable any animal that eradicates them might be!

Currently the Georgia DNR is attempting to study coastal bat populations more thoroughly to determine their numbers, variety of species, and roosting sites. It is believed that on St. Simons Island our large intact areas of maritime forest may house a healthy population of the rare northern yellow bat, giving strength to the case for protecting maritime forest along the Georgia coast. These often misunderstood creatures may be more beneficial to us than we realize. Visit georgiawildlife.com to learn more about how you can help with the bat count or, if you’re feeling like more bats would be welcome in your yard, there are instructions on the site for how to build a bat house and create an attractive habitat for these winged wonders.

Wetland Wildlife  

These Marshes of Glynn immortalized in verse by Sidney Lanier and swamp regions like the nearby Okefenokee provide welcoming habitats for a wide variety of species beyond the alligators, turtles, and frogs we commonly associate with their murky waters. If you’re a keen observer, you may be able to spot some of the mammals that make their homes in the wetlands too. 

Possibly our cutest marsh inhabitant, the North American river otter is native to Georgia and the semi-aquatic mammal can be found just about anywhere in the U.S. While their7 name includes the word “river,” they don’t just inhabit rivers. In fact, all they really need is a year-round food source, and they find that in marshes, swamps, and other estuaries, as well as rivers. Otters are renovators, often taking over abandoned burrows created by other animals or repurposing hollow logs for their dens. A river otter’s diet varies depending on where they make their home. They mostly eat aquatic invertebrates and fish, but sometimes they also hunt for their meals on land. Cat-like predators, they have a sharp bite and occasionally use their whiskers to sense and detect their prey before giving chase. These mischievous scamps that occasionally steal or rearrange outdoor pillows from deck furniture or snatch fish from a fresh catch also play a significant role in the ecosystem. River otters serve as bioindicators for pollution in their home ranges. If a habitat becomes “spoiled,” they leave the area. Because of the density of the otter population, this absence from an area signals to researchers that there may be trouble and rehabilitation is needed to protect the ecosystem. This also protects smaller and more vulnerable species that may not show distress. Maybe Marvel needs to add an otter to the multiverse!

Another animal playing this same role in protecting the watershed animal and that we see commonly in the Golden Isles is the mink. Often mistaken for our playful otters at first glance, they can be distinguished by their dark sleek fur, sometimes with white patches on their chest and throat. Like otters, mink are excellent swimmers with waterproof coats that spend most of their time hunting in ponds, streams and other wetland areas. They too like to take over dens and burrows created by other creatures as their homes. Mink are most active at night, early dawn and late dusk. When threatened by predators, mink may hiss, snarl, screech and/or excrete a strong musky odorous fluid like a skunk from their scent glands.

Less common on Georgia’s barrier islands, are the beaver and muskrat. These semi-aquatic animals tend to be found near year-round water sources. Although unrestricted trapping and habitat loss almost led to the beaver’s elimination from Georgia, successful restoration efforts taken by conservationists in the 1940s has resulted in a healthy beaver population today. Beavers’ construction habits make them one of the state’s most important animals from an ecological standpoint. The ponds and wetlands they create improve water filtration, provide critical nesting and foraging environments for waterfowl and migratory birds, and are an excellent habit for many plants and animals.

It’s marsh rabbits that we spot in the early mornings and at twilight venturing away from the marsh’s edge to feed on the grassy vegetation by the roadside. Of the four rabbit species found in Georgia and three existing in the Golden Isles, this is the smallest. Marsh rabbits are only 14-16 inches long and weigh around 3 lbs. Their cousin the swamp rabbit, on the other hand, is the largest rabbit in Georgia and can weigh about twice that. Swamp rabbits, also called “cane cutters” are more common in the Piedmont region, but both species are known to be excellent swimmers and readily take to the water if pursued. This also makes them prey for alligators and water moccasins. Eastern cottontails are the most common and prolific variety of rabbit in Georgia. Unlike their more aquatically inclined cousins, they’re known for making their homes in brush and thickets or grassy fields with good cover. Dwindling habitat and food availability may be depleting their population. Rabbits are the third most popular game animals for hunters in Georgia.

And while we’re “splitting hares,” isn’t “hare” just another name for a rabbit? No; although hares and rabbits are both from the same family, Leporidae, they're different species, like goats and sheep are different species of the same family. Hares are larger,  have longer ears, and their coats tend to change color, while rabbits’ fur stays the same. Rabbits also prefer to stay well covered while hares prefer open areas. Hares are also faster, which is helpful if they’re spotted by predators in those wide open spaces they like. While people often call Georgia’s swamp rabbits “swamp hares,” we have no true hares in Georgia, although bones and fossils suggest two species did once reside here. As far as being “harebrained,” that 16th century English expression came from the earlier term “harebrain” that was used to describe “a giddy or reckless person.” This sprang from the common impression of a hare being nervous and skittish, with the term used today to imply that the person is acting with no more intelligence than a scared rabbit.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t dedicate some space here to the American Alligator that thrives in our coastal community. Alligators have been roaming the Southeast for 180 million years and the Georgia DNR estimates that there are approximately 200,000 living in our state, mostly south of the fall line that roughly connects Columbus, Macon and Augusta. The average size of an alligator is 11-12 feet and almost 800 lbs. They can live up to 60 years in the wild. 

Alligators are typically found in marshes, swamps, rivers, ponds and lakes, but also have been located in drainage ditches, our local golf course ponds, and sometimes even in swimming pools. A recent viral video showed a large gator strolling along Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island. Yes, they can be found in salt water and may occasionally be spotted swimming near the shoreline. Alligators prefer open waters during their courtship and breeding season April to May. During the remainder of the year, males prefer deep open water, while females seek out nesting habitat in shallow, heavily vegetated and secluded spots. In areas where the water level fluctuates, like the Okefenokee, alligators dig themselves into hollows in the mud, which fill with water. These tunnels can be as long as 65 feet and provide protection during extreme hot or cold weather. Male alligators rule a home range of two miles, while females stick to a smaller range.

Since we share our space with these intimidating reptiles, we think it’s a good idea to share some rules about contact with alligators.

1. Don’t feed alligators.

2. Don’t try to swim with alligators or in an area gators are known to inhabit.

3. If you’re in an area where you see a gator or one approaches, try to maintain at least 10 feet of distance.

4. If you’re on the water, don’t strike at a gator with your paddle or slap the water with your paddle, because alligators interpret that as a challenge. Instead, raise your paddle in the air, to give the appearance that you’re a large animal and reestablish your dominance over the gator.

5. If you want to see alligators safely, head over to Horton Pond on Jekyll Island or visit the Okefenokee Swamp Park.  

Creepers & Jumpers

Without delving deeply into the realm of reptiles and amphibians, suffice it to say that there are quite a few species that slither, skitter, swim, and hop around us. We’ll touch on some of the most common and otherwise noteworthy.

There are more than 1,500 species of skinks, making them one of the most diverse families of lizards. These reptiles can be found in a wide variety of habitats and generally make their homes in environments protected from the elements, burrowing and foraging for insects. Some types we commonly find in our backyards in the Golden Isles include the broad-headed skink, the little brown skink, and the Southeastern Five-lined skink. The five-lined skink is one most of us recognize by the bright blue tail it has as a juvenile, which loses its color as it matures. A handy defense mechanism of the skink is the ability to divert a predator’s attention to that bright colored tail, then to escape by shedding it. 

The green anole is another friendly visitor we see often. These little lizards are tree-dwellers and can change their coloring in different shades of green and brown to match their environment. Males display a pinkish throat fan when approaching a potential mate or in territorial rivalries. They frequently bask in the vegetation, darting away from their sunny spots to catch insects or chase away rivals.  

The Mediterranean house gecko is an introduced species common in Georgia and Florida. The tiny spotted lizards arealmost completely nocturnal and hide in cracks, crevices, under leaves and tree bark by day. Sticky toe pads allow them to climb walls and they are often seen perched near outside lights feeding on insects attracted to the light. 

Another type of lizard worth mentioning is the glass lizard. We have more than one species of glass lizard here, with the largest being the Eastern glass lizard. These harmless, long, slender lizards can be found in wetland areas and dune habitats and are frequently mistaken for snakes because they have no legs and slither along the ground. Glass lizards can be distinguished from snakes by their moveable eyelids, external ear openings, and inflexible jaws. 

Among the wide variety of frogs and toads that inhabit the area, one of our favorites is Georgia’s official state amphibian: the green tree frog. Only about two inches long, this lime-green frog spends most of its time eating insects in the trees, but frequently can be found clinging to our windows or sliding glass doors. During warm months, we’re serenaded by the males who group together for nighttime chorus sessions. 

Exotic Invaders

Some of our local creatures didn’t start out that way. They were introduced to the region by European settlers or they migrated here. These animals are considered invasive or exotic species and require monitoring because they may threaten native wildlife through predation, competition, or transmission of disease. Known “intruders” existing on the barrier islands and mainland include armadillos, feral hogs, European fallow deer, and the wild horses on Cumberland Island. These species are met with varying degrees of enthusiasm. While island visitors may love to see them, many conservationists do not. 

Although the nine-banded armadillo can now be found throughout the southern states and in an expanding  range to the north, they are not native to North America. Named “little armored one” by the Spanish for their unique bony plate covered by leathery brown skin, armadillos are relatives of anteaters and sloths.  Armadillos migrated across the Rio Grande in the mid 1800s and spread across Texas and continued east to the southeastern U.S. Introductions in the state of Florida established a separate population that eventually merged with the Texas migrants. The fact that they are superb swimmers allowed them to reach Georgia’s barrier islands. Not only can armadillos hold their breath for up to six minutes, they are known to increase their buoyancy by gulping air into their stomachs, allowing them to float on the surface of the water. They thrive in the maritime forest and these omnivores are often seen foraging for for food with their snout to the ground and long, sharp claws digging in the dirt, and snatching insects with their sticky tongue. Their diet mainly consists of grubs, ants, worms, beetles and grasshoppers. Their eyesight is poor, but they make up for it with keen hearing and sense of smell.

While it’s commonly thought that armadillos curl into a ball when they’re frightened, the nine-banded armadillo can’t do this. Instead, its defense mechanism is to jump into the air. It cannot control the direction of its movement and may go as high as three feet. While this may effectively scare off predators, it can also dangerously put them directly in the path of the bumper of an oncoming vehicle. This behavior coupled with the fact that armadillos’ eyes don’t glow in the dark like other animals’ explains the high number of roadside casualties we see. 

All feral swine are members of the same biological species, but they are often referred to by different names such as wild boar, wild hogs, and wild pigs. Pigs were first introduced to North America by Spanish explorers in the early 16th century. Most were allowed to range freely throughout forest, marsh, and field and were harvested for meat. In the early 1900s, the introduction of the Eurasian wild boar for sport hunting resulted in interbreeding with the free-ranging domestic pigs already present. High reproductive potential, habitat generalization, wide range in diet, and low mortality rates all contribute to the feral hogs’ rapid population growth. Soon they were causing economic and ecological damage across agricultural regions in the Southeast, resulting in the ban of free range farming practices. Unclaimed free range populations continued to proliferate and spread across the U.S. Not only did the pigs make it to the Georgia coast, their excellent swimming abilities made even the islands accessible! 

Feral hogs wreak havoc on every large undeveloped Georgia barrier island: Cumberland, Sapelo, St. Catherines, and Ossabaw. They’re also known to be on Little St. Simons Island. They cause widespread damage because of their voracious appetite and omnivorous diet. Rooting up virtually any food, whether plant, fungus,  or animal, living or dead. What makes these hogs especially troublesome for our coastal ecosystem is the fact that they eat the eggs of sea turtles, diamondback terrapins, and ground-nesting birds. In the early 2000s, hogs destroyed nearly 70% of the loggerhead sea turtle nests laid on Ossabaw Island beaches. This means they’re not just destructive, but their consumption habits could contribute to the extinction of an entire species. Systematic shooting and trapping has shrunk the predation rate to about 10%, but takes relentless work to keep it low. Collaborative efforts for eradication that go beyond hunting are being pursued through the state. 

It’s not unusual to see white-tailed deer in the Golden Isles. Near dawn and dusk, they nonchalantly wander through yards, nibbling on foliage and flowers. In the early 1900s, however, the whitetail population in Georgia dwindled due to excessive hunting. Due to conscious, and highly successful, efforts taken to reestablish white-tailed deer throughout the Southeast, these native deer have been thriving throughout the state for more than 50 years. Locally, there’s more to the story, and it all started on Little St. Simons Island. 

When Little St. Simons was purchased in 1908, there were no deer on the island. The island’s owners were avid sportsmen and brought in exotic deer species from Europe and Asia to establish a population. The introduced European fallow deer thrived in this environment. Over the course of the next century, the number of fallow deer increased dramatically, with a count in 2006 estimating there to be approximately 750 deer on the island. Fallow deer eventually started being spotted on St. Simons Island too, as the deer swam to new territory. They’re easy to recognize with male fallow deer sporting large palmate antlers, like moose or caribou.

Although white-tailed deer have been reestablished on St. Simons Island and surrounding areas for quite some time, the large population of fallow deer on Little St. Simons Island kept the whitetails from being able to recolonize there. The native deer were deprived of the food they needed to survive by the extensive grazing of the vast number of fallow deer.

In 2015, following increased control of the fallow deer population, naturalists on Little St. Simons Island were excited to report the return of white-tailed deer for the first time in more than 100 years. In 2017, they began regularly observing a group of whitetails moving around the island. Conversely, St. Simons Island has experienced an increase in the number of fallow deer. Oh, deer...

The feral horses of Cumberland Island are our most well-known exotic invaders. Whether they’re famous or infamous is debatable. The horses were likely first brought over by the Spanish when missions were established in the 1500s. The first documented mention of the herd was in 1742, when at Fort Andrew the Spanish wrote of discovering “fifty to sixty horses in a corral within the fort.” Over the years, new stock was introduced and horses were removed for sale, but by the time the national park was established in 1972, the island’s horses had become feral. While these “wild horses” are a romantic notion and attract visitors eager for a sighting, they a point of contention for many conservationists and animal lovers. Not only do they cause damage to the island’s native ecosystem, but the herd is unmanaged, meaning no food, water, or veterinary care is provided, and there is no population control. Hopefully a solution can be found that protects the land and these beautiful creatures. 

Animal Encounters

To see these animals, get out and explore! Spend some time visiting our local nature trails and wildlife preserves. Visit sslt.org for more information about Cannon’s Point and their other parks, trails, and protected greenspaces. Take a kayak tour in the marshes or the swamp. Book a day trip on Little St. Simons and learn from their naturalists. Join one of Jekyll Island’s Gatorology sessions at Horton Pond or a turtle patrol with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Take your lunch or dinner to the park or the beach, or even just the middle of your backyard, and pay attention to the creatures around you. 

For additional close-up encounters with animals, both native and exotic, there are several places that you can visit that are within a short drive. 

The Farm at Oatland North

A rescue and sanctuary for abused, neglected and abandoned animals that include horses, goats, donkey, cows, and miniature pot belly pigs.

70 Cannons Point Road, St. Simons Island - 912.399.8159 - thefarmssi.org

4-H Tidelands Nature Center

Animal exhibits including aquariums and reptile viewing tanks, birding area with wildlife viewing platform. 

100 S. Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island - 912.635.5032 - tidelands4h.org

Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Sea turtle hospital and rehabilitation center. View sea turtles, diamondback terrapins, and gopher tortoises. Watch their page on social media for sea turtle releases you can go to the beach and observe!

214 Stable Road, Jekyll Island - 912.635.4444 - gstc.jekyllisland.com

Okefenokee Swamp Park

A private non-profit facility that exists in part of the larger Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee) and includes interactive displays, live animal shows and animal exhibits that include alligators, snakes, and other reptiles, train and boat tours. (You might even see Pogo here!)

5700 Okefenokee Swamp Park Road, Waycross - 912.283.0583 - okeswamp.org

Oatland Island

Wildlife center featuring species native to Georgia including birds of prey, bobcats, armadillos, flying squirrels, bison, fox, wolf, deer, and alligators. 

711 Sandtown Rd., Savannah - 912.395.1212 - oatlandisland.org

Wild Adventures Theme Park

A theme park and water park that also features an animal park with hundreds of native and exotic animals and a safari train attraction. Animals include monkeys, lemur, sloth, black bear, lion, tiger, zebra, giraffe, llamas and alpaca, fox and ferret, capybara and coatimundi.  

3766 Old Clyattville Rd., Valdosta - 229.219.7080 - wildadventures.com

White Oak Conservation

Non-profit conservation center that works with zoos and is dedicated to the conservation and care of endangered and threatened species, including rhinoceros, zebras, okapi, cheetahs, giraffe, and now, African elephants. 

581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL - 904.225.3396 - whiteoakwildlife.org

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary

Non-profit wildlife rescue and sanctuary for big cats confiscated by the state for illegal ownership, improper enclosures or maltreatment. 

1860 Starratt Rd, Jacksonville, FL - 904.757.3603 - cattyshack.org

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We’d like to say a special thank you to three talented local photographers: Wayne Morgan, Laurie Lohne, and Debbie Dean who permitted us to use their wonderful wildlife photos. To see more of their photos, as well as wildlife and local scenery shot by other photographers, follow/join the My Georgia Coast group on Facebook. Wayne and Laurie also have photography pages on Facebook. You can purchase prints from Wayne at waynemorganartistry.com or contact him at 912.288.0810. Laurie’s prints and books are available at pixels.com/art/laurie+lohne. To purchase prints from Debbie, contact her at 912.282.5603.