From Out Of The Swamp
Yesterday afternoon I saw this very large alligator lumbering up from out of the swamp…he was so long that I couldn’t fit all of him into the frame! There is a paved path along one side and he marched himself right across it and into the brush that borders a marsh pond. This gator moved in a very slow and purposeful way and I suspect from looking at it’s size that he was likely a fairly old guy. Also, if you look closely you can see that he is still covered with duckweed and other muck he picked up in the swamp.
Stunning shots on your site Phil – I hope my photography will be as good as this some day!
Wow! I really apprecite your kind words and thanks much for your visit!
That’s a fairly huge gator, quite scary too.
He is quite large for sure, but he is just a big baby!
Phil, I have to tell you that my Grandad who’s well into his eighties and a true Yorkshireman through & through has just completed a computer course. He’s a long way for being proficient but is a big fan of your “amazing” pictures!
Well tell your Grandad for me that I truly appreciate his interest and I’m very happy that he enjoys my photos!
I’m guessing he may particularly like the alligators?! For some reason they seem to have almost universal appeal which I continue to be happy about.
As he’s never left this country apart from during the war (and then all he saw was the ship) he is fascinated by them but like me he is awed by the birds in flight and particularly birds of prey. For every picture he just says “that’s amazing that”.
That is truly great for me to hear! So glad he enjoys the BIF! (birds in flight) The raptors are among my favorites, only wish I had more frequent photo ops on those. Just missed two bald eagles chasing one another around this morning. All I ended up with was more wood ducks.
Impressive jowls!
He’s got more double chins then me.
Then you clearly need to update your profile pic!!!
Oooo…don’t know if that’s a good idea.
Another great picture of these amazing creatures Phil. I guess you have to keep your wits about you shooting in the swamp as you do. How close have you come to encounter you would rather not have had?
Thanks I’m glad you like this gator pic!
To this day I don’t know if the gator would have merely pushed past us and moved along, or if it would have percieved a threat and grabbed one of us by the ankle. Yikes!
Last year in this exact same area both my wife and I were standing at the edge of the swamp looking out toward it when suddenly I had an odd feeling I should look behind me. An alligator much as you see here, had come up from out of the marsh pond and was walking right at our backs only feet away. Despite the fact that it had to bust through some rather dense brush, it never made a sound. Naturally, I shouted an expletive, and we jumped away. Had I not turned around I don’t know what would have happened. I can only imagine feeling something on my lower legs shoving me aside and looking down and seeing that animal!
Scary stuff but glad you lived to tell the tale and continue to brave the swamp to bring us these pictures.
Well I try to get out there and do my best to hopefully get nice pictures of the wildlife.
You would think they might appreciate all I do for them, but noooo
Your presence of mind to shoot with right settings at this close range of this scary animal – appreciated !
Great shot !
utham
Thanks very much for looking and I appreciate your kind comments!
He looks happy, though his step is somewhat slow
. Another gem Phil!!!
I’m guessin’ he is happy enough, kind of hard to tell with this one though.
Thanks much!
What a big boy he is! He does seem like he has some years on him! Fantastic photo!
Yeah Molly, he was good sized and I think an older gent as well.
Thanks a bunch!
This is super scary!! I think I’ll panic if I saw an alligator walking around…
Oh he’s just pretty much like a big ole teddy bear!
But it is amazing to see one walking around, it’s the closes thing we have to a living dinosaur.
Well, this one’s teeth are a biiiiit bigger than a teddy bear’s
I like seeing alligators on tv and pictures, but in real life I just hope to keep a nice distance..
You should come here for a visit! The alligators would love to have you, uh, I mean see you.
Nah, I’d make a nice leather bag out of those alligators if they came too close!
Awww…you can’t mean that about our old pal happy Mr. Gator?!
Looks like he may have a case of goiter, too.
You’re in Florida, too, right? I never see as many gators as you seem to!
He’s got a case of something alright, but he’s on his own with it.
I’m in the coastal SC area.
Ok…I guess I didn’t realize there were that many gator sightings up by ya’ll.
Yeah we have ‘em on golf courses and in neighborhood developments occasionally. People usually end up feeding or harassing those which is not a good idea at all.
Looks like he just had a meal. Maybe, it’s a potty break.
From the looks of what I see laying around on the ground in the area I think you are right about that potty break.
These guys still creep me out. How do you not run out of there screaming out of fear?
If a spider gets on me you will see plenty of screaming and running around.
LOL ! Now I know your secret. Better watch out. Snakes are mine. They scare the dickens out of me.
You have the nicest neighbors!! They seem to drop by at the oddest times. Be careful…they have sharp teeth. But I heard they have loving hearts…not sure who told me that, but I always think the best of those who have long tails…
Hey long tails can come in handy for all sorts of things, as I suspect so can sharp teeth!
But sure we have some wonderful neighbors…as long as they are in a good mood.
You always make my day!!!
Fantastic shot. No one I’d like to see in my garden.
Yeah but if you had this guy I bet you would never have to worry about rabbits eating everything in your garden!
Glad you like the pic.
Oh boy!
Where did you get all these fascinating shots?!
The Everglades?
I’m in the coastal South Carolina area, and I am lucky to be able to get all these photos close to home.
Thanks very much for your visit and I’m glad you like the pics!
Vous êtes un grand photographe-animalier, merci !
Amicalement, Jean-Paul
https://www.facebook.com/jpcerny1?ref=hl
Merci beaucoup Jean-Paul!
Fantastic pic, Phil. His attempt at camouflage doesn’t really work, does it?
If he thinks he is being sneaky it’s not working all that well.
Glad you liked this pic!
Desde luego se ve que se lo toma con filosofía jajajajaja, pero mejor porque aunque sea lento yo lo veo y me muero!!, sigo pensando que tienes mucho valor, abrazos
Él es más rápido de lo que parece. Me gusta estar fuera de su camino.
Gracias por mirar mis fotos!
Now that’s a BIG BABY! Let this guy cross, heh heh… Such a great shot.
He was a big baby, and I’m letting him do anything he wants to do!
Thanks for checking out the pic!
Yes I noticed he was looking a little green. He is a big guy. How old do they usually get to be?
He’s good size for sure!
We were trying to figure out this guy’s age but it’s tough. So we are going with really old. heh heh
In captivity I believe they can live 60 or more years. But this boy is wild so his life is much harder and it’s likely he will not get to that age.
WOW…what a beaut! or should I say brute? wonderful capture as always…he’s been in the marsh too long…look at all that green algea on top of him…
Thanks for checking out this pic!
He has been in the swamp for a long time, Probably years! And he sure does have a lot of duckweed and pond algea all over him!
Great shot, but I wouldn’t want to encounter one of those. When I was in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center on business, I saw a baby. That was enough for me.
Oh the babies are soooo cute!
Thanks for looking!
Excellent!
dziękuję
Twój polski jest owocem pracy google translatora, czy mówisz tym językiem?
Yes, google translatora.
Anyway I like it.
I do the same sometimes with other langauges then English 