It's 105f today and 108f tomorrow so

[flamin lib]

I'm not out making many pictures. It's too hot to even chase down a grasshopper to refrigerate and shoot indoors so I'm going through the archives in prep for updating the website.

Ran across this and it occured to me that the contest theme of Closeup can be interpreted differently for different subjects.




'Bout as close as I want to get in the wild . . .

[ploppy]

1. Where are you?

[flamin lib]

2. Little town called Pelican Bay

just north of Ft Worth here in TX.

Believe it or not we actually do have White Pelicans as a permanent flock. Got blown up here during a hurricane in the '70s. Been here, 500 miles from their natural habitat, ever since.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Um.............that's plenty close enough for me, TYVM my dear flamin lib!

I don't think even the water barrier would slow down this creature very much.



Great shot, though!

[flamin lib]

5. The American Alligator is actually pretty docile.

This one is about 10' long and probably 200 pounds. My kayak is 12' and with me in it about matches that weight. I wasn't in the yak for this shot but I've been up close and personal with a 15 footer paddling a 16' canoe. My head knew I wasn't in danger but it couldn't convince my sphincter of that factoid. When I got back to camp I had to rock back and forth to break the suction before I could get free of the canoe.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. You had to do WHAT??? That is effing hilarious!

Glad to hear you weren't in any danger.

[mnhtnbb]

12. You've seen the video of the guy paddling along a river in the South when a gator flipped

him in his kayak? Came up, breathing hard, and paddled like #%&* to get out of there!

[flamin lib]

13. That seems like a reasonable reaction.

Although they are pretty docile they are also fiercely defensive of nest and offspring. If there was a nest nearby that might explain the kayak attack.

As a kid a friend and I went frogging, wading in the creek with a headlight capturing bull frogs to eat, ummmm fried frog's legs, and ran across a baby gator about a foot long and thought it might make a pet so put it in the bag with the frogs. It made this croaking noise and out in the dark I heard a big splash and something that sounded like an angry bull. I dropped everything, frogs and all and by the time I got to shore my shorts were dry 'cause I was walkin' on water. Even if the momma gator came after me I wasn't worried as she'd slip on that brown trail I was leavin' . . .

[mnhtnbb]

14. The things kids get into...

[magicarpet]

4. Really,.. don't let that dinosaur munch on your shutter button finger.

He will rip it right off then swim off into parts unknown. Your portfolio will come to a skidding halt unless you use your big toe.

[flamin lib]

8. Were he hungry and of a mind to partake

I doubt my shutter finger would be my biggest concern . . .

See the reply above.

[Jirel]

7. LOL, very much so!

Looks like you're a fellow Texan. Hi!

I completely sympathize with not wanting to go out and photograph anything, this week. I have a whole conservancy at my disposal, and I have no desire to take pics in this heat, just help get critters fed and cleaned.

[flamin lib]

9. Conservancy? How cool is that.

I live in a tree house located in a virtual wildlife preserve. Possum in the back yard, deer in the front.

I'm told there are a lot of 'gators here in Eagle Mt Lake but haven't had the chance to find them yet. It's been either too windy to kayak or too hot to do anything at all.

[erronis]

10. Cool conversation, y'all. (From a yank in northern VT.) Temps are in the high 80s, tho.

And we have to worry about garter snakes....

[flamin lib]

11. I haven't seen a garter snake in years.

The most spotted around here are Texas Rat Snakes (harmless but very ill tempered and bitey) and Coach whips (much longer than the TRS but quite tame and docile).

[AmyStrange]

15. SNOW

-


========

[flamin lib]

16. What? Ya mean water has another state besides steam? nt

[AmyStrange]

17. Who'd a thunk it, huh?