Right Eye Blind

[hopdaddy]

I thought I was being slick. I found this Gator . Slipped up on him . Snapped several photos ,and got dangerously close.........He never even knew I was there ! Well it wasn't till I got home and processed some of the photos ,that I realized his eye was missing on the side I was on . Good thing for me , or He might have ate a camera . The Two photos from Driftwood beach Are to show Sharon what she missed this past Sumner .


Right-Eye-Blind by Clyde Hopper, on Flickr



Driftwood Beach North by Clyde Hopper, on Flickr



Dirty-Nose2 by Clyde Hopper, on Flickrkr.com/photos/keakaphoto/9732858219/]

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Driftwood beach South by Clyde Hopper, on Flickr

 

[tamccain]

Where is this driftwood beach?

 

[TATTRAT]

I think that the driftwood shots are great, more so than the sandpiper or gator. The series reminds me of my time in Costa Rica, a country I really became enamoured with and can't wait to get back to/retire to.

The drift-trees would make some AWESOME lawn art!

 

[ceeboy14]

Last summer at Payne's Prairie Wildlife Refuge, Gainesville, FL, I saw a UF lad do the same thing, only his gator had both eyes and it came awake and alert and made a grab for the boy all in about the time it takes to blink. Had two of his friends not grabbed him with a huge jerk, he'd likely have been that gator's lunch. The lad had three bad experiences that day: he was almost eaten by a gator, he messed his pants and he got arrested. The irony of the story is that the University of Florida's (UF) mascot is a gator. You gotta love mother nature when she decides on grand humor. A full grown gator like yours can run at about 7mph. Smaller gators can hit up to 25mph for a short run. I've seen gators lunge nearly their full body length in less than a second. Don't mean to harp, but you're a lucky man. Say an extra prayer tonight.

 

[DarkShadow]

Really nice shots.

 

[Derrel]

I thought maybe the post was about Trey Ratcliff...Trey Ratcliff - Google Search

 

[grafxman]

Very nice photos. If you spend much time at all in the wilds of Florida or even in many suburban areas you will encounter gators. I have many photos of them myself including one that went for me in Flamingo Florida. The weird thing is, I and hundreds of other people walk right past them within just a few feet in Shark Valley in the Everglades and they just lay there. They watch you or else just sleep in the sun. Ultimately they are unpredictable. I give them a wide berth if they are some distance from water. Often they'll just slide into the water if there's some nearby. If they're not close to water then I think they are somewhat inclined to go for you. It's best to keep well away from them.

 

[sm4him]

I want to go back there SOOOO much!! We actually did go, briefly, to one of the Driftwood beaches. I think it was North, but now I don't remember; wish I'd taken better notes (which is to say, I wish I had taken notes at all).
Whichever one we went to, we were only there about an hour, and I spent about 55 minutes of that chasing a juvenile egret who didn't really have the sense to fly away from me. There weren't any sandpipers there at all, at the time--just the egret, its momma, several gulls and a vulture.
It wasn't until later that I realized I should have taken some landscape shots of the driftwood. But, it was also really cloudy and looked like the floodgates were about to open, so I was trying to get the egret shots while I could.


Next time, I intend to spend a lot more time on Jekyll.

Love the sandpiper shot. The driftwood shots just make me wish I was back there.

The gator shot, makes me kinda glad I'm here instead, where we only encounter snakes. :lmao:
Man, you've some steel nerves. I'm with ceeboy, you are LUCKY that big boy was half-blind. PLEASE don't go sneaking up on any more gators!! I'd miss your pictures.

 

[hopdaddy]

Nice shots, looking forward to seeing more.

Thanks for commenting .

Where is this driftwood beach?

This ,Driftwood beach is on Jekyll Island ,Ga. One of those places overlooked by most that don't know it's there . You can easily find yourself completely alone any given day......No one there at high tide.....lol

I think that the driftwood shots are great, more so than the sandpiper or gator. The series reminds me of my time in Costa Rica, a country I really became enamoured with and can't wait to get back to/retire to.

The drift-trees would make some AWESOME lawn art!

The driftwood trees make for some nice props ,for the models ,too. I've not made it to Costa Rica ,yet! But will . Went to Belize and Roatan last year ...Good times !

Last summer at Payne's Prairie Wildlife Refuge, Gainesville, FL, I saw a UF lad do the same thing, only his gator had both eyes and it came awake and alert and made a grab for the boy all in about the time it takes to blink. Had two of his friends not grabbed him with a huge jerk, he'd likely have been that gator's lunch. The lad had three bad experiences that day: he was almost eaten by a gator, he messed his pants and he got arrested. The irony of the story is that the University of Florida's (UF) mascot is a gator. You gotta love mother nature when she decides on grand humor. A full grown gator like yours can run at about 7mph. Smaller gators can hit up to 25mph for a short run. I've seen gators lunge nearly their full body length in less than a second. Don't mean to harp, but you're a lucky man. Say an extra prayer tonight.

LOL...If He had been a Nole ,He would had expected the Gator to at the least ,to have taken an defensive position . Just Kidding with you......I did get too close ,but had a way out and gave him a way out too.

Really nice shots.

Thank you too DarkShadow !

I thought maybe the post was about Trey Ratcliff...Trey Ratcliff - Google Search

Derrel ,I wish I could shoot with my left eye ,Those who can do a far better job Stabilizing the camera .

Very nice photos. If you spend much time at all in the wilds of Florida or even in many suburban areas you will encounter gators. I have many photos of them myself including one that went for me in Flamingo Florida. The weird thing is, I and hundreds of other people walk right past them within just a few feet in Shark Valley in the Everglades and they just lay there. They watch you or else just sleep in the sun. Ultimately they are unpredictable. I give them a wide berth if they are some distance from water. Often they'll just slide into the water if there's some nearby. If they're not close to water then I think they are somewhat inclined to go for you. It's best to keep well away from them.

WOW ,Funny you mention Shark Valley . That is the exact place my photographic Journey Started ! In the 5th grade on a field trip ,Armed with a Argus III 35mm . I grew up in Opa-locka ,and Lived on Biscane Canal .Trust me ,I've seen some gators.....lol

I want to go back there SOOOO much!! We actually did go, briefly, to one of the Driftwood beaches. I think it was North, but now I don't remember; wish I'd taken better notes (which is to say, I wish I had taken notes at all).
Whichever one we went to, we were only there about an hour, and I spent about 55 minutes of that chasing a juvenile egret who didn't really have the sense to fly away from me. There weren't any sandpipers there at all, at the time--just the egret, its momma, several gulls and a vulture.
It wasn't until later that I realized I should have taken some landscape shots of the driftwood. But, it was also really cloudy and looked like the floodgates were about to open, so I was trying to get the egret shots while I could.


Next time, I intend to spend a lot more time on Jekyll.

Love the sandpiper shot. The driftwood shots just make me wish I was back there.

The gator shot, makes me kinda glad I'm here instead, where we only encounter snakes. :lmao:
Man, you've some steel nerves. I'm with ceeboy, you are LUCKY that big boy was half-blind. PLEASE don't go sneaking up on any more gators!! I'd miss your pictures.

BUT ,but , but .....Did you see the ruins ,or the old grave yard ,or the old houses owned by the Elite of yester year ???? There is so much there to photograph !

 

[ceeboy14]

I am amazed if you were on Jekyll Island, the mosquitoes didn't eat you alive, just for an appetizer.

 

[grafxman]

Jekyll Island just made my list of places to go photograph.

 

[ronlane]

Nice photos Hopdaddy. I was in Orlando about 13 years ago at the Disney resort golf course and was taking a photo of a baby gator in the pond by the tee box with my p&s film camera. Thought it was cool and went on. Got the film back to realize that momma was between him and I just under the water surface and she was very big.

Kinda scared me when I saw how close I actually was.

 

[hopdaddy]

I am amazed if you were on Jekyll Island, the mosquitoes didn't eat you alive, just for an appetizer.

Skeeters Aren't bad On the beach ,But step in the green /Swamps and you may want to fire-up your Thermocell .

Jekyll Island just made my list of places to go photograph.

From one of the "Georgia Nature Photographers". David Fisher .

Nice photos Hopdaddy. I was in Orlando about 13 years ago at the Disney resort golf course and was taking a photo of a baby gator in the pond by the tee box with my p&s film camera. Thought it was cool and went on. Got the film back to realize that momma was between him and I just under the water surface and she was very big.

Kinda scared me when I saw how close I actually was.

Wow That could Have ended Badly , But happens more than we will ever know.

 

[DarkShadow]

It is amazing such a large predator like crocks and gator can look like a little twig floating in the water or not even noticed and then spring up and take it's victim in a blink of an eye. Nature is just amazing.

 

[ceeboy14]

Skeeters got me between the beach and the old plantation...just swarmed in for the kill. Vicious buggers they were.