Don't come any closer!

Ilene, thank you for your comments about Mama Gator and her baby. She was quite a captivating subject. I had not realized that alligators would be so protective of their youngsters before spending some time amongst them. Appreciatively, Whalegeek

Rosalie, your words are appreciated. I see you hail from Cape Coral, land of so many captivating images. Wish I had more time to spend photographing in your area! Whalegeek

Thank you ever so much, LudaNayvelt. Whalegeek

Thank you…you just made me smile. Whalegeek

Indeed, little one has its mother’s toothy smile. Thank you for your comment!

Well, I didn’t unspin the little fella’s DNA but, no doubt about it, that is certainly the little one’s mama! Thank you.

Thank you, Ellen, for your comment.

She was quite a cooperative reptile! I am happy you enjoyed taking a look at mama and her baby.

Your kind comments are truly appreciated, Leanne. Thank you for taking the time to have a look.

You know, bdazzled, I have to agree…for a toothy little critter, this young gator does have a winning smile! Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Wow! Thank you for the Feature honor. Your comments mean a great deal to me. Thanks.

Renee, many thanks to you for your supportive comments!

Lisawv, I must add that I had help in taking this photo—-my ever patient husband paddled our two-person kayak so that I could be in a great position to achieve this image. He’s very patient!

Tracy, I am delighted that you enjoyed this alligator mama and her--for the moment—charming little one. Thank you for stopping by.

Thank you, lorilee for your support and also the addition to your Favs. I appreciate it greatly.

Thank you, LudaNayvelt for your support and for stopping by. Mama alligator and her baby is a favorite image of mine. It brings back a moment in time that was special to me.

Carol, it’s so nice of you to comment. Thank you ever so much.

Thank you, Luann!

Victor, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and comment.

Additionally, thank you for sharing your kayak story with us. All credit goes to my husband for steering the two person kayak while I photographed mama and her baby. As with you, under no circumstances did we wish to get too close to mama and her babies. Later on, while kayaking further down the river we heard some alligator roars. Most impressive. That is a sound I’ll never forget!

This experience left me with such a longing to return to the Everglades for some leisurely exploring. It is such a treasure trove of wildlife and plant life.

Yes, Franklin, I could have stayed with this family even longer but she needed her space. Thank you for your kind comments!

Thank you, Karon!

David, thank you for stopping by to comment on mama and her baby. She actually had another baby on her back facing backwards. For all I know, there may have been more little ones hiding near mama. For instance, I took an image of another mama alligator in the Everglades. At first glance I noticed two babies on her back. Upon downloading the image, I saw there were seven babies ranged around their mother! They blended in so well with the swamp grasses that it took time to notice them.

You do great pencil drawings (your humpback mother and calf are my personal favorite, naturally!). I also like that you photograph your surroundings and the people in your life. Great job at telling a story!

Thank you, Karen! If I had my wish, I’d be out in a kayak much, much more in the Everglades. What a great way to get a close up view of so many things from plants to animals. One tip: if you haven’t ever been on a swamp walk in either the Everglades or adjacent Big Cypress National Preserve, try that, too for close up looks at the flora and fauna in the swamp. You’ll wade in the swamp—-it’s loads of fun and great for photos.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mwfoster, first of all I must extend my regrets that America’s National Parks group has been discontinued. What a shame…it was a favorite group of mine for the high caliber of art exhibited.

Thank you for your comments regarding mama alligator and her baby.

I also appreciate your vote of confidence in the image with the referral to the Smithsonian Magazine’s photo contest. It was ever so kind of you to take the time to do that.

Thank you for news about this fun challenge win, WaleskaL. Mama alligator would be proud.

Thank you, KatsEye! This was a special moment for me to see. I didn’t realize that alligator mothers were so protective of their young till when I visited the Everglades.

Tomas, thank you so much. You have some landscape images that inspire me, your Antelope Slot Canyon images being particularly compelling. So nice to find you on RB!

Thank you, AFogArty. I like your edgy portrait style. Your style of portraiture offers new perspectives; it’s interesting and different than more commonplace full frame face forward portraits.

Louise, thank you for your comment! Appreciate you stopping by for a look.

Oh, George, I wish you worked for National Geographic. Many, many thank yous!

Cheryl, thank you for commenting. Hey, I adore your geishas. You do some very fine work!

Thank you, dear Kasia. Very kind of you!

Gabbielizzie, thank you very much!

Thank you, Karl!

Thank you, Steve. This is one of my favorite all-time photos from a day that remains in my memory as one of my most cherished experiences.

Thank you, Alana!

WaleskaL, that’s wonderful news. Thank you for letting me know!

Thank you ever so much, Freelancer….I also appreciate the Fave!

How wonderful, Larry. Thank you ever so much for this honor. I know mama alligator would be pleased, too!

Oh, Franklin, thank you. I simply fell in love with Florida’s animals/birds/scenery, etc when there. You are so fortunate to live amongst these wonderful creatures. Must return before too long.

Jeff, thank you so much for commenting!

Tammy, thank you ever so much. I had a similar reaction when I encountered this mama. In my haste to photograph mama and baby, I neglected to check my camera’s settings, effectively ruining the images. Had to do it all over again and this was the result. Sometimes things work out okay after all. :-)))

Thank you, springbob. This is one of my favorite wildlife images.

Thank you very much, mcjance!

Thanks, Melanie! There’s so much out there in this big old vast world…I just can’t get enough of it. Your kind words mean very much to me. Thank you for being a sweetie! Gina

Thank you, Michael. I had another interesting encounter with a different mama gator. When I photographed this mother, I noticed two babies sitting on her back. When I looked at the photo after downloading the image, I was amazed to discover seven little well-camouflaged alligator babies ranged on and around their mama. I hadn’t seen that when I took her photo. Amazing creatures, aren’t they? Shortly after photographing this mother and baby, I heard an alligator roar from somewhere not too far away from where I kayaked. All this made me want to remain forever in the Everglades.

Hey, you are from Bolingbrook. Is that the Bolingbrook in Illinois? Take care and thank you for stopping by!

Thank you, Kelly! This is such an honor for one of my favorite images.

Thank you! You have one of the most wonderful avatars that I’ve seen on RB. It’s perfect in light of the fascinating insects in your portfolio.

Thank you, Ken! I’m tickled pink by this honor.

Martin, thank you for your continued support. This image means quite a bit to me. It reminds me of a perfect day spent in a kayak with my husband in a special place, the Everglades. Even more, I blew the first shots completely! Pulling my camera out from a dry bag, the settings got all jazzed up and I did not stop to check them till after I fired off a few images. Yikes! They were all off. Fortunately, mama gator allowed us to repeat some photos with proper settings. When she lifted up her head, we backed off immediately so as not to disturb her or her babies any more. Thanks so much for your kind words, Martin!

Thank you, Gator Man! From you, this means a great deal. Much appreciated!