Up From The Marsh
Early this morning we noticed Mr. Alligator sneaking his way through the reeds in the salt marsh. He didn’t appear to be hunting for food so we suspected he had likely been out there all night and was ready to get out of the salt water and back to his pond.
This would require slogging across the mud at low tide, then climbing up the bank to make his way over to the pond. So that’s exactly what our gator friend did… and after all the hard work of crunching up through the dried reeds, he rested his chin for a bit before taking a slow stroll to the pond where a nap in the sun was most probably his plan.
Phil Lanoue Photography 
Come sempre foto bellissime
Ciao 🙂
Grazie Apprezzo le gentili parole 🙂
What an impressive creature…
Yes they really are especially when you see one walking around, it’s like a living dinosaur.
Great photos, he/she looks happy, – smiling to you?
I hope he is happy to see me Hans! 😯
If the ground would be another, then I would have had the same plan! 😛 Stunning pictures, dear Phil! ▲
Well thank you so much! And Mr. A thanks you as well! 🙂
Another great sequence. Though it’s hard me to imagine these big guys sneaking anywhere.
Thanks glad you liked these. About two years ago my wife and I were standing at the edge of the swamp peering toward the water when I suddenly had the feeling I should look behind me. A large alligator had climbed up the bank out of the marsh and was walking right toward us only feet away. You would think it would make a heck of a racket busting up out of the brush, but it never made a sound.
This is quite the lifestyle these folks are living, Phil. Some people pay a fortune for one of these mudbaths. It does have to be quite an effort to carry that bulky torso around on those dainty little tootsies.
Yes this big guys are not so much made for walking as they are sneaking up on prey from under the water in stealth mode. But…I have seen them run, and I mean run. So ya never know.
With his build, it would be much easier to be in the water where he gets help supporting his weight! He looks happy enough, though, in your photos. 🙂
Oh yes the water is their comfort zone for sure, which is another reason they look like dinosaurs when they do decide to get up and start walking around. 😯 🙂
I too thought he must be one strong alligator mucking through that mud. So they live in ponds? I would not like owning a pond there.
I think slogging through mud takes quite a lot of effort for the big boy, and they would prefer to swim I’m sure. But if one wants to branch out and start a new adventure then it requires a walk.
Oh, and they pretty much live wherever they want. 🙂
Wondering if you’ve seen this post about other ‘gators? http://wp.me/p1EoWd-2q9
I’m not really supportive of those activities as shown in that post.
Sort of like a alligator rodeo. I can certainly see and agree with your point of view.
Fantastic photos, Phil. It looks like quite an effort for him to get to his favourite spot in the sun, but once there, he sure has a winning smile on his face. 🙂
He was thrilled (well as best as I could tell) once he got back into his pond where a nice swim followed by a nap would the order of the day.
Thanks very much Sylvia!
In der NÄHE möchte ich nicht gerade sein….hihihi…schönen SonnTAG gewünscht ANDREA:))
Vielen Dank für das Betrachten dieser Fotos Andrea 🙂
Bitte gerne doch…schönen ABEND gewünscht…ANDREA:))
I am in love with those little stumpy legs, he’s built like a dachsund really except bigger isn’t he? Looking at him on your photos you can’t imagine that they can move quickly enough to chomp anything in those rather large jaws.
That shot of the little foot stepping out (third from the last) is great, as are all the smiley ones. Although there is a glint in the eyes that says something else.
I never thought of the dachshund comparison before but I like it, that’s pretty funny. They do have sort of stubby little legs but on the other hand I have seen them run, and I mean run. So there is that to consider.
He does get that smiley look at the end but yes there is always that glint in the eye that does indeed cause you to believe they have, well, thoughts. 🙂
Great shots Phil, excellent nature photography.
Thanks Jan, I appreciate you checking these out.
Wow!! great pictures Mr. Lanoue, thanks for sharing!!
lynn
Thank you very much Lynn, I appreciate that greatly!
Looks like it takes some effort and energy for him to get there. He looks content though, and ready to relax. He always makes me smile – because he is smiling!
Oh sure you have to live that cute little smile! Wait! Did I just say “cute little smile”?! 😀
Thank you much for looking and commenting!
yes he is smiling… 🙂
He likes me. 🙂
It’s such a great weight for those legs to carry – no wonder he needed a nap!
he’s probably sleeping someone off.