Georgia Wildlife Network

10/11/2026

If you could have ONE wildlife superpower, what would you pick?

🦉 Night vision
🦌 Super hearing
🐢 Never feel the need to be in a hurry
🦅 Be able to fly!

Choose wisely. 😁 What are you picking?

10/10/2026

Have you noticed it’s getting dark a little earlier?

It starts small. You get home from work and think, “Huh… it’s getting dark already.” Then it gets dark a little earlier each day. Before long, you’re heading home in the dark and wondering where the daylight went.

But while we’re adjusting our schedules, wildlife is adjusting too.

Wildlife doesn’t have an Apple Watch. They use the sun. As the days get shorter, their patterns change. When they feed, forage, hunt and move around can all shift with the changing daylight.

That’s why it’s important to slow down and pay a little more attention when you’re driving, especially around dawn and dusk. The drive may feel completely normal to you, but there may be a lot more wildlife moving around than you realize.

After all, your road is going through their forest.

📸 Photo by GWN. Obviously taken while driving with one hand, holding an Alani in the other, and responding to a hotline text. 😅

IT’S A JOKE! WE’RE KIDDING! PLEASE KEEP BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL.

10/09/2026

Meet the eastern hognose snake!

When threatened, a hognose may flatten its neck like a cobra, hiss loudly, and strike with its mouth closed. All that drama, and it's usually just a bluff!

But if that doesn't convince you to leave? It pulls out the big finale. It flips over, opens its mouth, sticks out its tongue, and plays DEAD. Sometimes it even releases a little… something… to really sell the performance. 🤢 And the second you walk away? It will flip right back over and carry on like nothing happened.

Eastern hognose snakes are generally harmless to people, though they may bite if handled, but then, so would I. They mostly eat toads, and their upturned snouts help them dig for toads.

So if you see one putting on the performance of a lifetime, give it space and let it go about its business. It's probably late to theater class.

And if you want us to quit making posts about snakes, just put out a few mothballs.

I'm just kidding. They don't work for snakes OR our social media team. 😂

📸 Zacerrimo

10/08/2026

Every year we get calls from people who found a “baby owl” that actually isn’t a baby.

Meet the Eastern screech-owl! Despite their name, these little guys make a haunting, high-pitched whinny and a soft, even-pitched trill. It's less “SCREECH!” and more “tiny haunted horse in the woods.”

They're one of Georgia's most common owls. Adults are only about 8" tall and they come in two fall colors: GRAY or reddish-brown! Gray is the more common color in Georgia. And it goes with everything. 😉

These tiny owls are masters of disguise. Their feathers blend right in with tree bark, making them extremely difficult to spot. They spend their days tucked into tree cavities and come out at night to hunt insects, mice, small birds, and other little critters scurrying about.

Eastern screech-owls can make themselves at home in wooded neighborhoods, parks, and even nest boxes. You can buy inexpensive owl boxes on Amazon if you'd like to invite them to be neighbors. Just make sure you choose one designed for Eastern screech-owls and place it in a suitable location, preferably with a view.

📸 by GWN of educational ambassador with Georgia Raptor Conservation & Education Programs, LLC

10/07/2026

Fun facts…

You don’t have to agree with us.
You also don’t have to comment.

We don’t mind the first one. But the second one might save us from having to block you if you can’t be civilized. 😎

10/07/2026

Meet the nine-banded armadillo! These little armored weirdos are found right here in Georgia, and they’ve got one of the strangest tricks in the animal kingdom.

Almost every time, mom gives birth to FOUR identical babies. Not just similar-looking siblings. IDENTICAL QUADRUPLETS. They all develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into four embryos. Nature said, “Copy. Paste. Repeat.”

Armadillos are also surprisingly good swimmers, can hold their breath underwater, and have a tendency to launch themselves straight into the air when startled. Which is not ideal when a car is involved.

And if you’re thinking about sneaking up on one…Armadill-NO. 😂 Admire from a distance and save yourself from a potential heart attack for both you AND the armadillo.

Want more information on their purpose, the risk of disease, and ways to safely deter them from your yard? Scroll on down to the chaos in the comments! 😆

📸 by GWN friend while camping

10/06/2026

Meet the loggerhead shrike! It's tiny, adorable, and looks like it's wearing a little bandit's mask. But this little bird has a DARK side.

Native to Georgia, shrikes hunt insects, lizards, mice, and even small birds. But here's where things get weird…

They impale their prey on thorns and barbed wire! 😳

Without the powerful talons of a raptor, shrikes use these sharp objects to hold their prey while they tear it apart with their hooked beak. They may even stash leftovers for later. They're like 'if Jeffrey Dahmer were a bird'.

And THAT is how this cute little songbird earned the nickname “butcherbird.”

I bet you won't look at birds the same way again...

📸 Gary Stolz / USFWS

10/05/2026

Our newest GWN merch is officially LIVE and available on the website including....sweatshirts!!! 👏

Shop the new swag:
https://www.georgiawildlifenetwork.com/https/wwwgeorgiawildlifenetworkcom/shop

Every purchase helps support Georgia Wildlife Network and the work we do connecting Georgia’s wildlife with the people who can help them. ❤️

GWN Shop GWN Shop Clear Filters Clear Filter I STOP FOR TURTLES MAGNET $7.00 CUTE BUT FERAL STICKER $5.00 I BRAKE FOR WILDLIFE STICKER $5.00 I STOP FOR TURTLES STICKER $5.00 CAUTION: BIRD WATCHING STICKER $5.00 No results found No results match your search. Try removing a few filters.

10/05/2026

Oh my gosh, Becky. Look at that buck.
It’s stuck in a net.
This is just so… OUT THERE. 🦌

I like wild calls and I cannot lie
You other rescuers can’t deny
When a deer walks up with netting on his face
And a mess wrapped around his waist
You get sprung, wanna pull up tough
"Help that deer!" like it's easy stuff
Deep in the netting they’re wearing
I’m hooked and I can’t stop caring
Oh buddy, I wanna get wit’cha
And take your picture

GWN tried to warn me
But that net you’ve got makes me so worr-ied.

Okay, now that we have your attention… 😅

STOP LEAVING NETS OUTSIDE.

This is the THIRD deer we currently have tangled in netting. I feel the way this young buck looks... confused, exhausted, judging humans, and I want a snack.

Garden netting, soccer nets, decorative netting, hammocks, swings, you name it. If a wild animal can get its head, leg, wing, or antler through it, something is eventually going to get stuck. And when they do, it can mean serious consequences for the animal. And hours of creative, strategic thinking for unpaid volunteers trying to “find a way” to safely help. And that's no easy task. Sometimes an impossible one.

If you’re wondering how many times we’re going to make a post about this…
The answer is… as long as it keeps happening.

So until then… we’re here all week. We’re just not answering the hotline. 😆

📸 by the finder, who we appreciate for reaching out for help