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On average I'm seeing my Popeye Gator about once a week. It's not for a lack of trying though. This was actually the day after I captured all the Bellowing try outs. Sometimes the light just doesn't want to cooperate. The deep shadows of night from the cypress lined shoreline persisted long after the sunrise .That's OK. I was just happy to see my Boy! Whenever I can detect that massive jaw line underneath the water's surface I can't help but to think of an iceberg. What you see on the surface doesn't even begin to compare to what's submerged...
My heart almost stopped when he swam closer to crawl out of the water onto a narrow stretch of dry ground. I can't even begin to describe the excitement of witnessing my Dragon King come out of his safe space just like his kind has done for millennia. It's like I'm watching a movie in slow-mo , transfixed but full of that Fight or Flight mode fueled by an ever present adrenaline rush that floods my system every single time I spot him . To hear the soft swishing of the water as his bulk glided up, branches snapping sharply as his weight crushed forward like an icebreaker. It's like I'm a junkie forever searching for that one and only fix that can calm me down and wear me out when I'm scouting for his presence. What an addiction…
You can easily see the bluish scarring on this Ole Gator's right eye that earned him his namesake of Popeye. He keeps the eye closed more often than not, giving him a signature squint of that cartoon character from days gone by…  If you look closely you can see the nictitating membrane almost closed across the surface of that ancient eye . It serves as a third eyelid that protects the eye as it slides sideways when the Gator is underwater or striking @ prey or blinking. Unlike our eyelids that shutter on the vertical (Alligators have those too) this specialized lid engages horizontally. What an evolutionary marvel this guy is...  Alas our visit came to an abrupt halt as something caught his attention from across the pond. I had to say Goodbye far too soon to suit me. Was it a competing male or a female waiting for him or even the promise of prey? I will never know. As he turned to go I heard and saw an explosion of air bubbles as he prepared to submerge like a submarine in pursuit of his intended target. I watched him disappear underneath the surface of that black water with barely a ripple. Till Later My Gator...
I can't thank my long suffering Shotgun Rider enough for quietly enduring my Gator visits for so many mornings. She knows she can't get out here so she resigns herself to a nap in the backseat until I either tire of waiting for some action to occur or my subject stands me up. Either way, she gets to ride and then is rewarded with a walk in a safer spot away from home. Love my Hazel Mae!
Popeye singing the Song of his People / How Lucky am I??? Bellowing is done by both male and female Alligators although the smaller females' vocalizations aren't nearly as impressive or resonant as their male counterparts. It is a deep resounding vibration that causes the water to “dance” on the Gator's back, if it happens to be submerged on the exhalation. It is a wonder to behold Ya'll! And you can actually feel it if you're close enough! Bellows signal territorial rights - warning others of the dangers that exist with trespassing and also as a signal to the opposite sex for breeding opportunities. Although I think it's a bit early, but what do I know? I like to think that he was practicing his Voice Scales just for me!! Have a listen to the King of the Swamp crooning his special Love Song!! Oh my Popeye- How I do Love Thee! No Sunday drive with my Shotgun Rider in tow is complete without a visit to check on my Popeye Gator. Even though I didn't spot him as I drove past his haunt to park, I knew he was there as Hazel lifted her muzzle in a sweeping test of the wind. I asked her if she smelled Gator and she locked eyeballs with me for only a second as she retreated to the backseat of the truck opposite the water. I can always count on my girl's nose to know... I always seem to forget the impact of the sheer bulk of this guy. My breath catches in my throat every single time I see him... Oh how I dread when my boy finally succumbs to this decreasing light and temperature to retreat into brumation for the upcoming winter months. Just being able to gaze upon the craggy countenance of this Dragon King fills me with awe and hope. He and his kind have survived so many pitfalls over time immemorial - over 250 million years. It's actually unfathomable that a creature who emerged alive after an Ice Age that decimated the Dinosaurs is lying in wait in basically the same form right here before my very eyes today. I somehow gain strength by his very presence and I feel a bit lost when he isn't there for me to look upon. We've been through a lot, this Gator and I, over the past almost 2 decades I have been graced by his visitations. He is an ancient Warrior and he knows many of my secrets. He listened silently to so many conversations I had daily with my Dad on my way home from work from Wilmington. He aided in my decompression from a fast paced OR environment before I got home to my responsibilities at home. I always gravitate to this very spot when life gets to be too much. He isn't just any Gator. He's my Popeye Gator, my Big Boy, my Dragon King and Old Warrior but he knows nothing of this. All he knows is survival and true instincts that have served him well over his lifetime. My only hope is that once he does disappear from my view down into mud that he will again emerge this spring full of Vigor and Glory, dispelling my fears of his mortality. I know that one day I will have to face that inevitability but until then I will stand on this threshold fervently hoping to see him one more time. Thank you for listening...
Till Later My Popeye Gator...
Boy, have I got a tale to tell you today. This past week while I was walking Emmylou (# 4 in the usual order) my subconscious mind registered the dark elongated shape of nothing other than a 6.5 foot Gator resting in between 2 houses. Startled, I immediately reined a violently protesting Miss Ems in to get her back home. Please know that we were never in any danger as this Alligator was facing away from us and we were actually across the street on the city Right of Way. The Gator was bordered by solid fencing on 2 sides heading away from the pond. My heart racing in anticipation of a photo shoot, I wrestled with my little Striped Hyena all the way back home to the garage. Grabbing my keys and jumping into the truck, I immediately headed back only to find the Alligator had spotted us and moved on. In the meantime, a home owner drove up and I begged permission to check his and the neighbor's backyard for a decent sized Gator...
I cautiously made a pass in the backyard, quickly scanning the grass not spotting my quarry anywhere along the fence lines. When I turned to make my way back I saw why. She was lying on a back porch pad entangled in a string of lights that had been hung over the back door. In her struggles to escape the wire she had pulled most of it down around her. She saw me and slapped that powerful tail of hers against the house with a resounding thunderclap. I have to admit I jumped backwards quite a ways as she propelled herself forwards (away from me) out of the wire and immediately rested in a defensive position. My heart racing with excitement, I watched her for a few minutes when the next door neighbor peeped around the corner of the house to check on me. I assured him I was OK and I was just going to watch her. Sure enough, after about 20 minutes she got up.
I put a call in to our local NCWRC officer to alert him of the situation. After some back and forth questioning, he asked me if this was an emergency at this time, to which I reported no. I figured she would make her way back into the pond after encountering multiple dangers in her new environment including light strings and a crazy grey haired old woman staying behind her. I gave him the location and resumed my observations ready to alert anyone if they happened by for the safety of everyone involved. She would get up and move a few yards and collapse to rest warily eyeing me in the interim. Oh No she didn't... Oh yes she did! I knew she would go for the cool shadows and cover of the truck... Again, she rested for a time then moved on just as expected... Lesson #1: If you spot an Alligator out and about don't panic. Chances are they are just looking for a new habitat or if in the spring, a mate. Keep your distance and wait. From the time I saw this Gator out of her element (the water) to the time she splashed down back into the pond was about 2.5 hours. I stayed the course because I knew if she continued on her original course she would trap herself or wind up on someone else's back porch seeking the coolness of the cement. It was blazingly hot that day. Lesson #2: Alligators don't generally want to be around us humans. If not habituated by feeding they will leave if we are present. Lesson # 3: NEVER EVER FEED ALLIGATORS!! It causes them to lose their innate fear and to associate an easy meal with people endangering both us and the Gator. A FED GATOR IS A DEAD GATOR! Just don't do it!!
All‘s well that ends well. What a Day!! Whatta day Ya'll...  |
