It’s actually very easy to get this close to an alligator…. (though a photo like this is best taken with a long lens!) After all, we birders frequent many of the same natural areas that ‘gators do.
When the weather is just right, alligators love sunning themselves along the edges of pathways and trails.
But sometimes they just decide to stop right in the middle and sit there, halfway between one body of water and another.
What‘s a birder (or other human on foot) to do?!
The two handy signs above are posted for visitors – just in case you encounter a ‘gator in your path, not an uncommon experience!!
Always very wise advice!! 👆🏼👆🏼🐊
Not all ‘gators are visible to humans strolling along the trails. They’re often well-camouflaged when dozing in the grass at the water’s edge.
Fortunately, signs like the ones above are posted strategically throughout many Florida wetlands, swamps and natural areas. It’s our job to heed them!
Birder's Journey 
Great advice! I need to always remind myself of these parameters.
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Yes! It’s so important to have these messages available to the public, as many visitors may not even be aware that they might encounter an alligator in their path.
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Yes I did. We had recently a person who had a garden near water, he was down low with the plants and a gator attacked him. That is unheard off! He was bit, his wife heard him and she helped fight him off. Mid size I believe. Never known an attack like that.
We have gators here that now stand their ground when on trails or the banks of water. No longer jumping away when we walk towards them. It has been common for a while for us to walk around them on tight trails. I’m now checking them more before doing that. 🥹
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Yikes!!! Scary stuff!
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I’m always laughing when we find a gator ‘halfway’. I think at times they just forget where they were going 😂.
I have seen the southern DNR’s getting together to educate people. I know we are having more incidents each year as tourism increases and we encroach on their space.
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So true, Ted! We are encroaching on their space more and more and more every year here in Florida. You may have heard of the recent tragic death of a woman who was killed by a gator after her canoe overturned – a very rare, but devastating incident.
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Fascinating creatures that inspire respect. No risk of encountering any here in Cyprus, but you never know 😅☺️
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They certainly do inspire respect from us, Anita, though sadly, there are those who tease and harass the gators. We have a very common phrase often seen on signs where the public is likely to be close to gators, for example, at fishing docks: “A fed gator is a dead gator.” When gators become accustomed to humans coming right up to them, and even tossing them food, they can become dangerously unafraid of our human presence and may need to be destroyed. ☹️
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I cannot understand people who think this apex predator survived 70 million years is something to approach. I really liked that sign that said “Go back the way you came in.” That would be me, going back a full speed. 😉
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I agree, Amy. It astonishes me that some people assume that an alligator lying in the sun, looking very placid, is harmless. They can lunge unexpectedly and move very fast on land if they have a mind to.
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So cool you can get close BJ we could not do that with our Crocs
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I assure you, AB, that I would not want to get anywhere near one of our crocodiles either! Somehow, they seem far more frightening than the alligators. My only experience here in Florida with crocs has been along the southern coastal areas and in the brackish water of the Everglades.
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Were I ever to encounter an alligator it would be with the greatest respect followed by a quick retreat 😏
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Sounds like a smart plan, Belinda! 😉
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This was a wonderful look at the FL alligators, BJ, and how the parks address humans in alligator country. Your photos were a delight, especially that first one of the head and arm.
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Thanks so much, Jet! I’ve acquired a whole new perspective on alligators since living in Florida for the past 12 years.
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They deserve our respect for sure – we always give them their distance when we are out birding and come upon one.
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Absolutely!!
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They are fascinating creatures. I wish everyone would heed the advice in the well-worded signs.
It was only reading one of your comments that made me aware that there are American crocodiles! So interesting. Somehow alligators get more of the limelight (not to mention cartoon characters!).
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Yes, heeding the many signs is so important! Very frequently, visitors to our area confuse alligators with crocodiles, though our crocodiles are not seen in freshwater. The American crocodiles are smaller and much less aggressive than Nile crocodiles.
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