Wrong gear, caught by surprise, but it is interesting.
The Bald Eagle came in low and fast.
No doubt it was intentional. No idea why.
Once again, you never know what you will see out there.
Bombing An Alligator, Eagle
Category Archives: Alligator
Swamp In Early Light (2)
Once again, just the right amount of light…
Alligator, Charleston, South Carolina.
A Big Head Popped Up, Alligator
This was taken in the marsh of ‘The Big Guys’. Small gators need not, and should not, be here.
Anyway, it occurred to me looking through the days images that there was only a single large local. This one. Also he was only visible for a few minutes.
Unusual for here.
ACE Basin.
Creeping In, Alligator
Creep is a good description too.
This swampy spot can be alive with them, especially young ones. Females nest in the reeds and cattails here.
I stopped by here and before I was ready the mud bank, entire mud bank, moved. No count, too fast. I think several new hatchings happened nearby.
Their older siblings were out in force too.
Walking Through A Trunk, Marsh Scene
On this walk I had a second camera with a short lens with me. Even before leaving the house I knew the day was going to be magnificent. It was. Clear sky, mild(ish) temperature, slight breeze meaning few bugs.
I stopped to get a few wide shots on this dike. Huge marshes are on both sides with several wooden trunks to move the flow of water between them.
Below the water feeds into a canal that pushed water forward and back to open wetlands. Of course a few floating heads can be seen if you view the image large. Saying they are everywhere here is no exaggeration.
The left side of this dike, below, is also wide open marsh lands. The trunk gates you see move the water through the dike. Flow direction is ultimately controlled by the ocean tides miles away. We are very, very, flat so water moves a long way.
Just an FYI; gates on these trunks are not lifted up to let water move. The solid wood gate is actually push out and away from an opening. It is pushed just enough to let the top of the water follow the natural direction. Fresh water is lighter than salt, and floats atop the brackish tidal water.
Only the top fresh water is allowed to move around the marshes. Hundreds of trunks, with the fresh water move through dikes between marsh after marsh.
When rice was the main plantation cash crop enslaved people from Barbados, and later West Africa, taught planters how to control fresh water with trunks. We still use wood, build them the same, and many are still in the same location 300+ years later.
Bear Island, South Carolina.
Canals And Channels Are Never Really Empty
Cuts, channels, and canals connect all the large swamps and marshes out here allowing control of the water. Walking along here is peaceful and calm.
However, there is always a wildlife shot if you look around.
When I shoot with a wide lens, maybe for landscapes, examining the image later on (above, a cropped shot) something can usually be found.
These guys really don’t try to hide much anyway.
Morning Marsh Scene
A scene not to be passed up.
The fall changes are starting here. Not the vivid northern leaves, but the softer browns and golden colors of tall grass and reeds.
Keeping Us Company, Alligator
When out in the WMA’s we pick an area and walk the dikes or trails there.
It’s not uncommon to have an Alligator swim over and around just to see what we are doing. Curious critters in general and neither of us can get too close for comfort with the other.
One marsh in particular is home to the ‘big guys’. Makes sense really. Why would smaller gators hang here.
The marsh is miles long with plenty of crabs and fish. It’s probably as good as it gets if you’re an Alligator.