Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

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Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
9,675
Location
Dallas, TX
We are down here at the beach for Christmas and New Years. It's pretty awesome and the weather is just fantastic. But yesterday I took off and drove over to the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. For the birds, it isn't that far, but I had to drive around and over the bridge of the Intercoastal Waterway.

I mainly expected to see just a bunch of birds. I don't really get into bird watching the way some people do. They are really hard to photograph in the wild. But what I didn't expect to see were alligators! Holy cow! Big fat ones, little skinny ones, out catching some afternoon sun. The trail is an "auto route" and for good reason. You wouldn't want to walk the path at all.

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This guy was eyeing me real careful and finally when he had enough, he turned his back to me. I'd bet he's never had a gun pointed at him, yet he was wary of the camera lens. Interesting.

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All very interesting. I've been to Florida, but I don't believe I've ever seen an alligator in the wild. Mosquitos the size of alligators, but not the reptile itself.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Messages
7,182
Location
On the beach and in the hills
Gators are one of the really successful comeback stories. They are slowly extending back into their historical range.

In the mid 70's I was in the Florida panhandle. Gators were still protected and had reached the nuisance level. When hunting was again allowed the environmentalists said it would be the end of gators. But apparently no one told the gators.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
2,271
Location
Orange County, CA
Back when my son graduated from Parris Island about 15 years ago, my wife and I were taking a break from the "festivities" and went for a walk in a nearby wildlife preserve. Walking on a levee I almost didn't notice that right beside a large log three feet from the middle of the trail there was a gator about ten feet long having a siesta. Going around him would have entailed walking very near the water in the canal on the other side of the levee. We turned around and went another way. I now understand why even the unhappiest "boots" don't desert....
 
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