N 25°56’36.64″ W 81°28’12.33″ Google Earth location
There was no question that this one was going to enter the lineup, and I purposefully stalled it to appear today, within two days of its 24th anniversary. This is on slide film so I only have the date developed, but I remember this trip fairly well and know I was further north on this date, because reasons – I just can’t recall if I made it down here the next day or the day after that, but no matter. The location also isn’t precise, because I’m not sure exactly how far along the path I was, but it’s still close enough to get you there, and there remains a reasonable chance that you could see the same thing when you go, because this is Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Everglades, Florida, and there are always alligators there. You cannot imagine the delight that I felt when I came across these guys, small enough to know that they hatched that season, perhaps only days previously, and right alongside the path as the verge dipped into the channel alongside. Which meant that I (and everyone else watching in fascination) were within easy reach of the mother alligator, who was almost certainly very close by yet remained completely unseen. This was not reassuring in itself, because the thicket of foliage could have concealed her not five meters away, and I shot all of my frames with the long lens (the Sigma 170-500mm, at that time) on a tripod from a respectable distance, ready to abandon it as a slight barrier if mama emerged looking for trouble. Meanwhile, the baby American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) watched us warily, clambering a little clumsily among the logs and tussocks, and wurfed like newborn puppies, a sound that I did not initially attribute to them but connected shortly thereafter, to my fascination – I did not possess any video capability at that time, or believe me you’d be hearing it for yourself right now.
I do not recall whether I had this as a specific stop along my way or simply happened across it while cutting through the Everglades on Tamiami Trail (Rt 41,) but I certainly did not anticipate this find. I’ve been back twice since and did not see any newborns, though I’ve always spotted adults and found young juveniles many kilometers further on – you’ll see alligators if you want to, without a lot of effort.
I think this trip was something like ten days long and covered numerous locations in Florida, and on returning I found that my chosen slide-processing lab was still trying to get established in its new location. I eventually dropped 24 rolls of slide film with a different lab, who returned the finished slides to me with a note that read, “These pics are gorgeous!” They managed to retain my business with that one…