Wildlife photography program in Santa Rosa Beach Jan. 3

December 10, 2017

Osprey with speckled trout catch of the day. Photo courtesy Walt Spence

The Walton County Coastal Library is hosting “Winter Community Programs” Wednesdays, Jan 3rd – Feb 28th 2018 at 10:00 am. Winter Community Programs are designed for our adult community and families having educational and entertaining value while learning about our community and neighbors.

January 3, 2018Wildlife Photographer – Walt Spence

Walt’s earlier photos have appeared in publications such as Southern Living and Florida Living, and mostly involved human subjects and situations. But Walt had always harbored a latent desire to pursue nature photography. The stimulus to do it seriously came in 2006 when he and his friend Doug Buck realized that no one had ever produced a truly comprehensive photo survey of the wildlife of the local bayou country. They embarked on a prolific multi-year effort to record the amazing diversity of species that lives there. The Boggy Bayou Birds project has since captured thousands of images, many from a canoe, and its focus has been on educating and entertaining the local public. Walt’s nature photos have received multiple awards in the Mattie Kelly Environmental Institute’s nature photo contest and are featured in the Institute’s annual calendar. He is Past President of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society, and is a founding member of the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance.

The events are sponsored by Friends of Coastal Library. For more information call Linda Thompson (850) 267-2809. The Coastal Library is located at 437 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach behind the South Walton Government/Education Complex on HWY 331 South. Free for the public with limited seating.