Another Alligator not far from the one in yesterday’s post was doing a similar maneuver…
…heaving out of the water.
And a more dramatic splash!
Perry Pond, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 19, 2024
I don’t know what the prey was but I repeatedly saw this Alligator heaving himself up out of the water.
Then splashing down.
Then there was chewing.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 19, 2024
There are Wood Ducks around, but they are almost always heading away from me.
Alligators don’t seem to bother them much.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
November 16, 2023
Ashley River Park, Summerville, SC
August 1, 2023
With an audience of an Alligator and me, this Anhinga seemed to have something to say.
Magnolia Plantation & Garden, Charleston, SC
June 16, 2023
It had been a slow morning for photographing wildlife so I stopped for this young Alligator. I didn’t see the dragonfly until I was looking at the images on my computer.
After the first image I moved along for a different angle of the Alligator, still not seeing the dragonfly. He was following a tight flight path, with just two seconds between the next and final images.
The Alligator is probably 2 to 3 years old, based on his size and camouflage coloration.
Magnolia Plantation & Garden, Charleston, SC
June 16, 2023
The rising sun hadn’t cleared the trees at the far end of Ravenswood Pond, making some long shadows. The closer Black-crowned Night-heron had no interest in turning towards the sun.
An Alligator didn’t seem to mind facing the sun.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 20, 2023
A trio of Roseate Spoonbills was feeding in shallow water, weaving around a few Alligators.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 2, 2023
If any of you follow my husband, Ted Jennings/TPJ Photo, you might have seen his post He Couldn’t Wait, Alligator, a series of an Alligator walking across a walkway.
I had passed by before the Alligator came out of the pond on the right, and turned just to see him disappearing into the pond on the left. This was what I saw:
These wading birds were feeding in a newly lowered pond. This results in the fish becoming concentrated in a smaller and smaller amount of water and easy feeding for a wading bird. It’s fascinating to watch the feeding but can be difficult to get images of individual birds.
Eventually some of the birds got sated and flew off. A few more moved to the outer edge of the feeding, allowing for some isolated images.
There was a little breeze so the reflections weren’t perfect.
The Alligators didn’t appear to be hungry as at least a dozen of them were just floating around in between the birds.
If I couldn’t have dead calm for reflections I’d have been happier with a stiff breeze as the gnats were out in force that morning.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 2, 2023
