Spring Is In The Air

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'm Always on the Lookout for My Gators. Sometimes
​they appear in the Skies rather than the Waters ...
​Oh Happy Day!

Author

My name is Kathy Sykes and I'm a wildlife photographer who spends her time stalking the American Alligator in my beloved Brunswick County. You may see me out and about in my “Gator Up” truck with my shotgun rider Hazel Mae searching for sunrises, gators and all things swampy. Come ride with me and share in the adventures of profiling and protecting this amazing creature and its habitats.
You can connect with Kathy on Facebook.