Swimming In

As the weather has warmed up here the past week, the alligators have really started to wake up. And this morning we had several swimming around out in the marsh pond including this guy that came up to say hello to me. Feeding season has begun which means mating season will soon be upon us. But first the gators will start to look for food, then they will start to stake out their territory, and sometime after that they will begin to search out perspective mates. After mating season has concluded they will spend the rest of the summer and into the fall concentrating mainly on eating. It’s shaping up to be another interesting alligator season!

38 thoughts on “Swimming In”

adinparadise on April 11, 2013 at 2:32 pm said:

I was reading that alligators hibernate in a sort of dug out mud cave for the winter. Have you ever seen one of these, Phil? Your close-ups are amazing. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on April 11, 2013 at 3:06 pm said:
  
  The alligators here in winter don’t hibernate in the strict sense, they slow down their metabolism so that moving around is possible but eating is not. They can indeed stash themselves away in mud holes even in warmer months but they have these holes in out of the way locations and often under water. I would probably only find one by accident and I try to avoid coming upon gators by accident. 🙂
  Glad you like these photos Sylvia!
  
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meyer23 on April 11, 2013 at 2:56 pm said:

Fantastic pics. The third and the last are my absolute favorites.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 11, 2013 at 3:07 pm said:
  
  Thanks! Those two are my favorites as well. 🙂
  
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HansHB on April 11, 2013 at 3:16 pm said:

Great photos of this alligator!
Well done!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 11, 2013 at 3:45 pm said:
  
  Thank you Hans, I appreciate your kind words!
  
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Chillbrook on April 11, 2013 at 3:32 pm said:

Brilliant close ups Phil. Awesome creatures! I’m so glad you’re there to bring us these wonderful pictures!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 11, 2013 at 3:47 pm said:
  
  Thanks a million for the kind words Adrian! But now I’m at that time of year when activity starts picking up which is the good news, but I can’t always be there which is the bad news. So now I’m constantly fretting about what’s possibly taking place when I’m not there that I am missing. Yikes!
  
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Maggie Davey on April 11, 2013 at 4:15 pm said:

Is it my imagination, or are they already getting a rather determined look in their eyes?

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- Phil Lanoue on April 11, 2013 at 4:44 pm said:
  
  Good eye Maggie you are 100% correct! They do indeed have a different more determined look now then in the recent previous months. They are now actively searching for food and it’s time to get serious. Oh there will still be plenty of time for lounging around in the sun all during the summer, but right now they want to bulk up from the lean winter.
  
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janmasyn on April 11, 2013 at 5:39 pm said:

Excellent close ups of this amazing creatures Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:53 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jan, they are amazing creatures for sure.
  
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Gunta on April 11, 2013 at 5:51 pm said:

I just hope they’re not looking at you for lunch with that determined look…

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:54 pm said:
  
  I’m not sure what it had in mind but it made a bee line for me like a golden retriever bringing back a thrown tennis ball.
  
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  - Gunta on April 12, 2013 at 4:55 pm said:
    
    Now THAT sounds scary.
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 5:02 pm said:
      
      Well after coming up and taking a real hard look at me, it turned and went back out deeper into the pond.
      Maybe he remembers me from last year and liked the photos I took of him. That’s my hope anyway. 🙂
      
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lylekrahn on April 11, 2013 at 7:17 pm said:

Great shots! Can I put in an order for a shot of alligators fighting over territory?

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:52 pm said:
  
  Thanks! I have made a note of your request and will process it as quickly as possible.
  For now, feel free to check out these posts from last summer which may offer some relief until the latest altercation erupts.
  https://phillanoue.com/2012/08/15/cant-we-all-just-get-along-apparently-not/
  
  https://phillanoue.com/2012/07/03/you-had-to-figure-this-wasnt-going-to-end-well/
  
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  - lylekrahn on April 12, 2013 at 5:34 pm said:
    
    OK that’s great temporary relief.
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 5:41 pm said:
      
      Well I’m glad I could offer some help anyway. 🙂
      
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on April 11, 2013 at 7:25 pm said:

Interesting, loved the information and the photos are great.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:54 pm said:
  
  Thanks much Charlie, glad you enjoyed the pics and info!
  
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shoreacres on April 11, 2013 at 8:54 pm said:

I just love these – partly for the encouragement they offer. I took some photos of big alligators when I found the babies, too, and one of my pics shows the water over its snout just like it is here. The water’s beautiful – it looks like there’s a swell but not much wind. The smoothness of the water really shows off that irregular surface. (Or maybe they’re the ones creating those ripples as they swim.)

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:56 pm said:
  
  There was a just a but of a breeze casing some ripples in the pond. That along with the gator’s movement created the ‘wave’ look to the water. That was probably what I liked most about these photos.
  Thanks for looking!
  
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mariayarri on April 12, 2013 at 3:19 am said:

I´m look forward to follow the gator season by your camera lens ! Great clos up shots. // Maria

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:57 pm said:
  
  I’m hoping for an active alligator season and plan to document and post as much of it as I can.
  Thanks Maria!
  
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Andrew on April 12, 2013 at 9:06 am said:

Hmmmm. I think that’s as close as I would want to get. It looks kind of hungry!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:58 pm said:
  
  It was hungry for sure, right now they all are.
  Just this week they started roaming about into wider territory hoping to bulk up a bit after the lean winter.
  
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Rexlin Victor on April 12, 2013 at 10:02 am said:

Amazing shot!!! Excellent close up shots!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks I’m very glad you liked these shots!
  
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davidharris518 on April 12, 2013 at 10:16 am said:

Great shots – particularly that last one. Way to go!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 4:59 pm said:
  
  So happy you enjoyed these and I appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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Amy on April 12, 2013 at 2:02 pm said:

Great capture, Phil. Thank you for the background information. I’m getting to know a little bit about gators.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 12, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  I’m glad you have been enjoying the alligator photos and info Amy. I’ll try to keep everyone here updated all through the summer. 🙂
  
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Bella Remy Photography on April 12, 2013 at 8:20 pm said:

Hey…what you doing? Got my portrait yet? Let me get closer to make sure you’ve got it.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:53 am said:
  
  Ha, that sounds about right. 😀
  
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Molly Argo on April 12, 2013 at 10:04 pm said:

Your excitement shows!! This Big Boy will have no trouble finding a ‘pretty little girl’!! I also look forward to mating season. I will be following you closely to see what you come up with.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 13, 2013 at 11:54 am said:
  
  Thanks Molly, I was out this morning (I actually was out too early, they are late sleepers) and they are starting to get quite active. I heard one big guy bellowing but couldn’t see him.
  
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