Upside down to us, but an easy position for the Anole. I didn’t realize what a long tail this one had until I was developing these photos.
Agile bug catchers, I suspect he was waiting for lunch to fly by.
A Better View
Category Archives: Reptiles
Don’t Mind Me
Don’t mind me, I’m just passing by.
The wading birds rarely show any acknowledgement that an Alligator is in their midst. They just keep on doing what they were doing, in this case looking for breakfast.
Ahhhh, Nap TIme
Covered in wet duckweed this fellow crawled out of the water and was getting ready to cozy up for a nap in the sun.
Alligators Do Like to Pose
Everybody had a spot, at least for a minute. The younger Alligators shift around more than the big adults, maybe because they are used to getting pushed off the platform by their elders. Or a big turtle.
At the other end of the pond I found another pair posing, being watched by a third in the water.
This is the first group seen from the side, with a yet another Alligator climbing on the ramp for a spot in the sun. The duck weed was clinging to them all.
Alligator In The Soup
“Everyone has to eat.” Lots of folks I meet at the swamp say this as we watch nature’s stories unfold, but they don’t want to see the birds be lunch. Birds that fly low over the Alligators may get snatched, chicks sometimes fall out of the nest or get pushed out by a more aggressive bird, and then there are those that are in the water on purpose, including Ducks and Anhinga.
This Alligator had his sights on an Anhinga that was swimming looking for his own lunch. With the duckweed cover over the water they must search based on their prey’s movement –there can’t be much light getting through.
He started out with a dash, legs churning the water. Then he plunged, stirring up the duckweed, looking a bit like a pea soup explosion. There is no doubt these creatures can move with speed when they want.
After a lengthy time submerged he popped back up and floated in place. I did not see the Anhinga again, nor any chewing so I’m thinking the bird got away.
Then a turtle swam by with just his head sticking up and the Alligator followed him to the trunk of this tree. The turtle disappeared around the back of the tree, seemingly unaware of his follower or perhaps incapable of doing anything about it.
When I left the spot the Alligator had turned to have a view of the nearby tree with multiple Anhinga and Egret nests–just in case.
5/17/2017
Do Alligators Floss?
I’ll admit that this fellow startled me a little when I heard the splash.
Well, maybe more than a little when he stuck his head up and I heard chewing noises.
I never saw what he caught, if anything. He may just have been chewing on the greenery.
