This past weekend was amazing! If you're friends with me on Facebook you saw the giant alligator that scared me and my friend to death last Friday. He was a good 15 feet, if not longer. The wind was pushing our kayaks closer and closer. Finally, I anchored myself against a tree that was probably 25 feet away to get pics with my phone. When the gator lifted his head, my heart leapt out of my chest and splashed into the water. Haha, I exaggerate, but I was pretty scared. Then he slithered into the water while we paddled as fast as our arms could manage. My friend Cathy kept looking backwards. I kept yelling at her to keep paddling! Later, while putting her kayak onto the roof of the SUV we were attacked by a swarm of ladybugs! Let me tell you those things sting!
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| Sorry for the poor quality, but you at least get the idea of size. |
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| Even the ducks were in on the action. |
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| They always took their catch to the banks and ate there. |
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| This snowy egret was the most successful fishing. After a while he stood there for a long time with his mouth open like this. I don't know if he got stuck by a fin, bone, or what. |
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| Double D took this one of me shooting the snowy egret. My legs are wrapped around my tripod for extra stability. |
Wishing each of you a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!! See you next week.
Sharing with the generous Anni at
45 comments:
your egret shots are awesome! i like the muscovy fish-eaters, too! the alligator you can keep for yourself. :)
Great birdies, Gail - and even greater to see the "hunter" at work!
;-)
Uwe.
good shootin'
nice to have someone there getting you in the action :) ...I'm a bit jealous
Wow! That must have been something else to run into that alligator! Loved your shots of the egret and duck enjoying dinner!
I am going to have to find you on FB. Nobody I know ever posts anything that exciting!!!
Wonderful bird pictures as always... you are so talented.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your sweet hubby. (We are shortly on our way to alligator country too and getting excited for it, tho i don't want to see one quite that up close!)
Oh Gail, I think my heart would have jumped into the water too! That's what happens to me when I see a snake - I think my heart stops beating and I become frozen...seriously!
Anywho, your pictures are excellent! I can't believe how many photos you were able to capture with fish or food in the mouths of those enjoying their "lunch." Like I've said before, you're amazing!
Have a joyous Thanksgiving, dear friend! Hugs!
Love your egret shots! The alligator kind of scares me though. :)
I would have been scared silly so close to the gator.. Love the egret shots, they are awesome.. Have a happy week!
Such amazing shots! I love the second one - but all are gorgeous!
Oh my, an encounter with alligators not my idea of fun! What incredible photos!
Wow, you got great photos there Gail, the alligator, though too close for comfort, was really something.
Let's be friends on Facebook, I want to get first glimpse of your gigantic alligators, etc. Your egret photos are wonderful.
Aha! There you are with your L-glass. And it pays off very well, I'd say.
These are fantastic! Beautiful shots!
Great shots,as usual. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Yikes on the gator! Ladybugs do sting! Love your pictures.
stop it now....just stop it or teach me how to do this ;)
You are brave to be in the same water with gators! Your shots are awesome. Have a great Thanksgiving. I'll be dog sitting!
I love getting a glimpse of you in action! Awesome shots, and oh, you are way braver than I am to stop and take that photo of the gator. Yikes!
Wow Gail, what an adventure with the alligator, I would certainly be scared.
The egret I find really quite wonderful.
You photos are excelent.
A gator would also scare me off. You still managed to get some excellent photos.
Whoa- anywhere near a gater is too near for me! Lovely spot for a photo session and wasn't it nice of the egret to sit still for you!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
YIKES they don't have them here on the farm:) You are one brave(crazy?:)) girl.Oh Gail your photography is so beautiful. Hug B
I read this post yesterday while I was at I'd Rather B Birdin' admin in blogger and forgot to leave a comment.
Now, this morning, I'm in Hootin' Anni's admin and wanted to make sure I stopped by.
Wow, that alligator would have scared me to the point I would probably have flooded out my kayak and would be left there to sink. Y'know? Peeing my pants and all?!!
Loved the egrets AND the photo Double D took of you.
Thanks, Gail, for linking up at I'd Rather B Birdin' this week. Hope you have a terrific holiday.
gorgeous birds. i love seeing folks with those cameras ... it is like the bird paparazzi wanting to see it all. ( :
Awesome photos of the egret! I'm glad we don't have alligators.
AWESOME shots! I would have been so scared of that alligator too. His frightening and beautiful image is captured now forever! :-) Great ones of the birds all feeding. And I love seeing you taking that last photo. I can't even sit on the ground anymore. It's sad. :-)
Wonderful photos, you and DD make a great team. alive his shot of you on the bank.
I almost never forget to tune in on your posts and this one tops most of them. Awesome! Carry on......
Fantastic captures! Such details!
Nice shot of the swamp lizard! Yep, I think I know that pose your Snowy is exhibiting, fish bone in the throat. Dad always insisted we put a slice of white bread on our plate of fish. Apparently you're supposed to wad it up and swallow it to "unstick" a bone. Don't know if it works, thankfully never had to try.
Superb photographs, Gail!
Hope y'all have a great Thanksgiving!
Awesome shots.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Gail.
Gail, these are fabulous!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope it's a great one.
I am running out of adjectives! These are amazing...even the fish are in perfect focus! Happy thanksgiving, I am thankful I can see the southern beauty through your eyes!
simply GORGEOUS!!
happy thanksgiving! xo
Great photos. I've done lots of kayaking around alligators, but have never seen a 15 foot one up close. That's a big gator.
What gorgeous bird shots! And that's a huge alligator!
Wow, such a scary adventure, Gail. I don't like alligators. They look so sneaky. Your series is superb like always. The Egret pictures are definitely my favorites. Have a good weekend. Greetings from the Netherlands, Joke
Well hi buddy, fun to see you at work! As always fantastic detail in your images.
Ieuwwwwwwww .............. I must not think to be close to an alligator arghhh ... I can vividly imagine that you were afraid !!!! And yes, I know that ladybugs can bite and not just a little bit! AUW!
Pictures of the vistetrneden heron and duck are truly visionary sich! My compliments.
Oh my gosh, they just stood there and fished right in front of you! How exciting!
The alligator probably would have jumped off the log before you got to him, but best not to push your luck...
Those are wonderful bird photos!
Wow the alligator would have scared me spitless.
Totally amazing photos of the birds with their catch. Loved them all and it was neat to see you as well behind that camera.
Ohhhhh my goodness GAIL!!!
First!! The shots of the Egret eating the fish and the ducks with fish are beyond Splender!!! Love, Love the Egret!
Now - that made my heart jump and have some deja vu - your gator!!! We use to paddle with beer, after paddling up on one of these - ours was a 14 footer - the length of Karen's kayak - we quit drinking and paddling at the same time!! This has to be one of the scariest things - at least in my life!!! You're just waiting for him to slide up beside you!! And one swoosh of his tail!!I'll paddle with manatees, porpoise and whales any day---- You are one brave lady!!!
A gator would have scared me too even IF I was not in a kayak in the same water...yikes, Gail!
Nothing more to add to earlier comments about the egrets and duck fishing and enjoying dinner, except stupendously amazing closeups, even if I felt a bit sorry for dinner.
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