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Hazel and I decided to finish out our 4th of July Weekend at one of our favorite destinations - Belville River Walk. We were rewarded with the sight of the baby that's been here for the last few years in the fountain pond sunning on the grate. This 3.5 to 4 footer is very cautious and as soon as it noticed I was focused on it, into the safety of the water it slipped. All good wild Alligator behavior, as it means it has retained its natural fears of humans and is not being fed - especially considering its long term residency here..
Belle quickly rose to a high walk and then slowly submerged into the murk all the while keeping a wary eye on me and my Black Dog. As I was trying to get to the pond's edge Hazel was pulling hard in the opposite direction. I'm sure it was quite comedic to view but my girl smelled Gator and was having none of it. I did manage to get a few shots in without being jerked towards the truck.
Prepare to submerge...
Safe!!
Later lil’ Belle Gator...  Hazel and I noticed the heavy fog at sunrise this morning as I was sipping on my morning Chai, so we hit the road for Lilliput in my PJ 's no less... I did brush my teeth but that was it! Not only were we rewarded by the Mystic but I spotted a little Gator Up head!! I greeted the baby and it lazily continued on its swim Upriver in the early light. Maybe 3.5 to 4 footer... Be still my heart!  Easter Sunday Hazel and I made the trek to the Juniper Creek Game lands in the hopes of seeing the deep blue wild roadside False Indigo (I think) blooming. My Baptisia are similar and they are shining now. Anyway, the wildflowers are just starting so after crawling down Egypt Rd looking for orchids, I received a text from a concerned neighborhood Gator Watch citizen that 2 alligators were either fighting or mating in his backyard pond. Knowing this could be my baby Cyclops, I immediately aborted my quest and was homeward bound. Cyclops lost about 6 inches of her beautiful banded tail in an altercation with a similar sized female a few years ago. My friend reported that the 2 gators in question seemed to be equally matched. My heart and mind raced the entire ride home. I walked to my friend 's backyard and spied the 2 subjects still in combat. Finally, one Gator emerged on the far shore and the other remained submerged for an extended amount of time. As I made my way to the other bank, my heart sinking, I was hoping against hope that the victor was indeed my Baby Cyclops. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see any Alligator injured but my Baby and I go back 9 yrs now to just before Hurricane Michael hit. We have quite the history ...  My heart literally caught in my throat and then finally settled itself as I spied that old familiar pattern of dots and stripes on her severely chopped off tail. I could recognize that appendage in any lineup, even in my sleep. I was rejoiced! My Baby Gator seemed none the worse for wear for her altercation. Staying low and constantly repeating my particular manta for her to reassure her it was just me, I finally settled in the mud at the pond edge to get some real shots. As if it weren't bad enough that she was pressured out of her overwintering pond by heavy equipment clearing 2 side by side lots, her new home has been invaded by an interloping Alligator. She calmly tolerated my presence all the while watching the waters ahead.  The next thing I knew, she rose and entered the water with intention and then stopped ... She never turns her back on me unless she's swimming away so this behavior momentarily confused me.  It was that second, I realized her intentions. She raised her head and arched her tail out of the water in a classic bellowing stance more common to males of the species. Bellows serve 2 distinct purposes - to alert the opposite sex to breeding opportunities and to threaten the same sex to beware of their size and status in that particular territory.  My Baby bellowing / Females are not nearly as loud or dramatic as males in their posturing but the water did dance a bit along her back. I think she got her point across to her competitor though. If you're lucky enough to be in the presence of a large male bellowing you can literally feel the vibration in the air. The most spectacular aspect to me, however, is the water dancing on top of his back like a mini-Bellagio fountain accompanying his music! I pulled up to pick up some supper @ an old familiar Gator Haunt that has been vacant since last summer. I don't even get out to look anymore because it took a year for Scrappy to move in after my Fatback Gator lost his life. I have it on good authority that my precious hissy tripod got so stressed during his capture that it caused his demise. And maybe that was a blessing in disguise for my old boy as relocation probably wouldn't have worked well for Fatback with his disability. Having to learn a new territory and avoiding larger resident gators would have definitely been challenging for him. Relocation is not a great vacation for Nuisance Alligators. It wasn't long after Scrappy moved in that he was also taken away. These previous 2 tenants were removed by NCWRC as Nuisance Alligators because guess why?? People were feeding them. That old adage of “A fed Gator is a Dead Gator” holds so true. I will keep repeating my Mantra DON'T FEED ALLIGATORS as long as I live and breathe. It habituates them to humans and causes them to lose their natural fears and then they associate humans with food. Not a good combination for anyone involved. Ok. Rant over for now and back to my story...  I actually thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when my brain registered a familiar arrow shaped head above the water's surface just beyond the bulkhead. Laughing, I hopped out of the truck, camera ready, already talking to my new friend. It had a surreal appearance with its dark hide contrasting to the baked on yellow pollen. It neither retreated nor approached as I walked up. A non-habitated Alligator would have quickly submerged and beat a hasty retreat with its legs tucked by its side and powerful tail sinuously propelling it forward only to resurface a considerable distance away to swing around and keep a wary side eye on me. No such case here so this one I am confident will be removed as well. In the meantime, I will visit and photograph this beautiful specimen and teach the workers in the establishment the hows of cohabitation with this remarkable creature. I will ask them to advocate for this modern day Dinosaur and repeat my Mantra in the hopes that even one will listen… 
I have dubbed this critter Bumble because of the checkered black and yellow that reminded me of a bumble bee. Hours of basking in the warm spring sun has seemingly fire kilned the lighter hues into the normally dark hide that even water hasn't been able to wash off. Sound familiar? Just like on my truck, this ubiquitous sulfur colored dust will need a good scrubbing or torrential downpour to remove!  New Alligator Overload... 
Bumble has the most beautiful soft amber eyes. As you already know I am totally obsessed with Alligator eyes...  Till Later My Bumble Gator - I can only hope against hope that the ignorance of my species doesn't endanger your survival in your newly chosen habitat.  |
