I’ve seen Spoonbills bite and chase smaller Alligators, but this one was a little large for that.
A normal day in the neighborhood.
Ignoring Each Other, Alligator And Spoonbill
Tag Archives: Alligator
Checking A Dike, Alligator
Taken the other day before we walked a marsh dike. This photograph is from the dirt road that crosses several dikes. From here I could look down the water between marshes.
It was pretty busy.
The dike is top of the image. Click on the image to enlarge and you can see around ten ‘big heads’ at the mouth of the canal.
Above was looking off to the side and we noticed three more joining the party.
There was nothing else happening here so we did walk the dike. It was hot so everyone was taking a swim.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
In The Sun, Alligator
At first I used the title ‘Sleeping In The Sun’.
It wasn’t right though. If you look close, he is watching me walk by.
On a dike, ACE Basin, South Carolina.
Note; the hard, rough looking dirt is actually mud pulled up from the marsh bottom. Recently this dike was built up somewhat by digging the bottom mud and dumping it on the dike trail. Makes it hard to walk but wind and rain smooth it out over time.
The Family
As we drove out into an open air part of the road we spotted birds high and circling in the air. This was a short dike maybe 1/4 mile (.4 k) long. A quick backup under the tress and we walked out to look around.
Without thought we always look around the water as we step out on a dike. The photograph above is what we spotted to our right.
Mom and some ‘kids’. A female with young is one of the times you stop and pay closer attention. Any animal with young should be considered.
She moved just a little closer to the bank, but not quite on the mud which was fine.
Below you can see just the head of a second baby on the right.
Glare on the water was terrible so these were all I shot. I think we counted 10 babies in all.
The female was watching, guarding, but not upset at all so we kept walking to find some other action out near this marsh.
Below is a quick shot of why we stopped in the first place.
Swallow-tailed Kite.
This bird is more difficult to photograph than a Peregrine Falcon (and they dive at over 225 miles an hour).
This is a native of South America, but will come to the Lowcountry to breed in the summer. Their diet is mainly Dragonflies, that they catch in flight, with their claws, and consume while flying to catch more. They even drink in flight by skimming over the water.
Any bird that can catch a dragonfly with their feet is fast and can twist and change direction immediately.
They usually fly high so you do the best you can. But it is work to get any photographs unless they are resting.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
Morning Visitor
As I battled with mosquitoes in the canal I kept an eye for things other than the juvenile Ibis I was watching.
Behind me the canal was empty, and then it wasn’t. They move with no sound, no ripples, just surface. Really impressive.
Moving Away
I took the shot like always, and they all stood up.
If they all jumped in the water at the same time every critter on the dike would exit, immediately. I left 😀😀 instead.
Local In The Grass, Alligator
Just a little different.
Marsh Morning, American Alligator
Another shot taken in the early light. Colors take on a different hue, textures are more pronounced.
It’s quiet and even a photograph of an Alligator moving by looks peaceful.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
