the changing view

We had an unusual weather event in North Georgia last Friday evening. A waterspout formed on the north end of Lake Lanier where Wahoo Creek and Little River come together before joining the winding Chattahoochee. After touching down on a small island I have been photographing for several years, it was reclassified as a tornado. Fortunately, it was short-lived and spent most of its time over water.

The waterspout did not destroy the island, but it downed many of the trees, snapping them midway. So I drove out to make a photograph of the island after the storm, too.

Here are a few photos of the island.

1) In snow and high water.

2) Mud flats leading to the island in low water.

3) Downed trees after the waterspout.

While there, I walked the dog around the nearby park and noticed activity in the remaining treetops on the island. As it turns out, there are Great Blue Heron rookeries on this island and a smaller, nearby island (below). It appeared that there were at least a dozen herons on each island. What I don’t know and wonder about, is what kind of damage was done to their nests and whether any birds were lost in the storm. I went back the following night with a longer lens (though not long enough) to observe the comings and goings of the herons.

I hope this won’t signal the end of my island photo series. I don’t expect cleanup on either island and know it will take years for new trees to grow, but I’ll continue to drop by from time to time to see how things are progressing and to check on the herons.