Saw this little pine snake on the porch as I was leaving my cats yesterday evening. It's harmless to people and cats. It is mildly venomous, but back-fanged, so hard to get bit, and about as bad as a bee sting.
#nature #SC_wildlife
Bull (male) alligator, from a distance of about 4 feet. This bad boy is about 9 or 10 feet (roughly 3 to 3⅓ meters) long, big enough to be a serious problem if he gets mad. A 20 ounce soda bottle next to his head offers a sense of scale. Photo taken at Remount Business Park, in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday, 2 April 2026. A 'gator knocked upon my door And said "May I come in? "I've thought of joining you for lunch, "Although you're rather thin. "I really like your dog," he said, "He's just the perfect size, "With a licorice candy nose," he said, "And little grapes for eyes."
Female (cow) alligator, one of two in a local retention pond. Apparently, she finds me boring, so she's floating among the pond scum, a few feet to the left of a male (bull), in front of a drain pipe. She's about 7 feet (2.3 meters) long. Photo taken at Remount Business Park, in North Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday, 2 April 2026.
Here, a 10 foot (3.3 meter) male (bull) alligator, one of two, is nosed up to the bank of a retention pond, inspecting me, as I watch from several feet away. The 7 foot (2.3 meters) female, curious, is behind him (near top of photo), swimming over to see what's going on. She soon got bored and swam a few feet to the left.
Male (bull) and female (cow) alligators in a local retention pond today, Thursday, 2 April 2026. The bull, about 10 feet (3.3 meters) long or so, is nosed up to the bank, inspecting me and deciding what to do about my presence in "his" turf. The cow, about 7 feet (2.3 meters) long, got curious and swam over from the other side of the pond to see what was going on. She's behind him, at top left. Having them in the same photo allows you to see the size difference between them. They'll mate soon and make baby 'gators. Breeding season runs from April to August. Photo taken at Remount Business Park, in North Charleston, South Carolina.
With the onset of breeding season, there is now a pair of alligators, male & female, in a local retention pond. The female (cow) arrived about a month ago, while the male (bull) has only been there a week or so.
#nature #SC_wildlife #photography
Enjoy this lizard I saw on my tent a couple days ago, eating its own freshly molted skin for the protein.
#nature #SC_wildlife
A green anole lizard is seen through the mesh on my tent as it eats the last of its own freshly molted skin, recycling protein for the lizard that would otherwise go to waste. North Charleston, South Carolina 30 March 2026
Green anole on my tent yesterday, eating its own skin after molting. Enjoy! 😊
#SC_wildlife #nature #photography
Random wildlife image for today:
White tail deer grazing.
There's a residential neighborhood 20 feet behind the camera, an office park 150 yards to the left and a railroad switch yard 500 feet ahead.
#SC_Wildlife #photography #UrbanWildlife
Young, 6 foot long, bull alligator, likely in his first or second breeding season, challenging and warning me to get out of his turf. His efforts fell flat when he realized I'm a good deal more massive than he is, about twice his weight, so he'd probably lose if he pursued his challenge. 😂 Step 1: the approach In this photo, the little alligator has just left the water and is approaching me. He stopped at what he felt was a safe distance as I sat on the pond bank and watched with amusement.
Step 2: the challenge Here, a young bull alligator has opened his mouth at me as a warning to leave his territory. He's not big enough to win the fight, which he quickly realizes, so on to step 3. See pic 1 for the beginning of this story.
Step 3: the retreat The little bull alligator, having made his point and realizing I'm too big for him to win in a fight, has decided discretion is the better part of valor and is turning to go back into the water as I watch, amused, from the pond bank. American alligators get very territorial during breeding season, which runs from April to August, and will challenge all intruders, regardless of species. Those who fail to heed the warnings risk attack. A 10+ foot long bull alligator in this same pond tried to warn me off, once, and attacked when I ignored him. He ran up the steep (30°) pond bank at me as I sat at the top, about 20 feet from the water. Luckily, I had a pole for my defense. I tried to poke him in the mouth, but got his right eye instead, which brought the attack to an abrupt and painful halt. He spent the next 2 hours circling around, trying to figure out how to get at me without getting jabbed again. I got bored and went home.
Step 4: "OK, I'm done." The young bull alligator, having made his challenge and gotten his point across, is going back into the water after realizing he's outclassed. This was only his first or second breeding season. He needs to grow a bit more before he can successfully mount a challenge and defend his territory. Give him another couple years. Bull allogators are very territorial during breeding season and challenge all intruders, no matter the species. When an intruder is seen, the 'gator will first nose up to the bank and eyeball the interloper, gauging how big the person or animal is in relation to them. This is the first warning sign. If the intruder remains, the 'gator will then turn sideways, parallel to the bank, and inflate to make themselves appear bigger. This is the second warning sign and the first formal challenge. "You. Leave. Now. My turf. Leave, or else." If that doesn't work, he'll turn around and nose up to the bank again. Attack is imminent. Last warning. If that doesn't work, the bull 'gator will charge out of the water at the intruder, intending to do serious bodily damage and possibly kill. For this reason, I recommend staying 20 to 30 feet from the edge of any body of water where alligators are known or suspected to be, and carry a pole with you about 1¼ to 1½ inches in diameter and 8 feet long or more, sharpened to a blunt point. The idea is to deter, not harm. No, they can't outrun a horse or a human, but they can move very quickly in short bursts, so keep your distance. They reign supreme in water, but are much easier to avoid and escape from on land.
More random wildlife photos.
Here's a 6 foot bull (male) alligator at a local retention pond challenging and warning me to leave his turf. The effort fell flat and he deflated when he realized I'm about twice his weight and I hold the advantage on dry land. 😂
#SC_Wildlife #photography
Random wildlife photos. Good Sunday morning, y'all. All pics mine. Enjoy! 😊
#SC_Wildlife #nature #photography
This pelican landed on a local retention pond here in North Charleston, South Carolina, loooking for a snack this afternoon, much to the annoyance of an anhinga sunning himself in a nearby tree.
#BirdsOfBlueSky #nature #SC_Wildlife
This possum had been hiding in my cats' room, in their bed box, for several days. I found it about an hour ago after one of them hissed at the box. I grabbed his tail, put it outside, and it ran under the house. It'll return, so I set my trap in the kitchen to catch and relocate it. #SC_wildlife
Busy day for birds yesterday. 😍🥰
1) Stray rooster in my cats' back yard. Not sure where it came from; nearest chickens I know of are a mile away.
2) Bluebirds at the daffy ex-neighbor's feeder
3) Male painted bunting
North Charleston, South Carolina
#birb #BirdsOfBlueSky #nature #SC_Wildlife
Timeline cleanser. Enjoy. 😊
I caught this scene 🥰❤️ 14 Sept 2024 on a trail cam in the woods behind my tent, which sits between 3 sets of train tracks and barely 100 yards from an asphalt plant and busy freeway.
#nature #SC_wildlife
Great shot! 😃👍
Here's a couple snowies ...
1) ... with tri-colored heron
4) ... with lesser blue heron
... and a couple other species:
2) Juvenile lesser blue heron
3) Yellow crowned night heron
Enjoy! 😊
(All pics mine.)
#nature #SC_wildlife #photography
Good evening, y'all. Living in the woods, as I do, you get to see all kinds of neat, cool, and magical things that the average person might miss. I just got home about 15 minutes ago and found this cicada molting on my tent. 😃👍
#insects #SC_wildlife #nature
Alligators are somewhat tamer, but still dangerous. However, they don't worry me too much. Respect them and you'll be OK.
1) a 7 ft. beggar, angry at not being fed
2) getting sun
3) threat (I'm bigger, so ...)
4) up close & personal with a 7 ft.
All pics mine. Charleston, S.C.
#SC_wildlife
So, this happened about 10 minutes ago, while checking on my cats. The flash scared it off. Turned out to be missing half its tail.
#SC_Wildlife #photography
Gulf fritellary butterfly drinking breakfast beside a railroad track this morning.
#photography #BlueSkyButterflies
#insects #SC_Wildlife
Halloween 2018, North Charleston, South Carolina:
This little guy was after some kittens I'd been feeding behind a local Hardee's restaurant, so I tried distraction. That didn't work, so I switched to dissuasion. The kittens were saved and the fox was not harmed in any way.
#SC_wildlife #nature
How many deer do you see? 🥰
#nature #SC_Wildlife
Some of my local flying fauna:
1) Snowy egret and lesser blue heron
2) Red shouldered hawk
3) Tri-colored heron
4) Yellow crowned night heron
All pics mine, all taken at a local retention pond. Enjoy! 😊
#birds #SC_Wildlife #nature
North Charleston, South Carolina
There's a whole neighborhood about 20 feet behind the camera, an office park 75 yards to the left, a railroad switch yard 100 yards ahead, my cats' home and a marsh about 50 yards to the right. Coyotes also utilize this trail.
#nature #SC_wildlife
Good day, BlueSky peeps! It's time for everyone's FAVORITE game: Spot the Critter! 😁
The photo below shows a flock of dragonflies. How many can you find? Can you spot them all? 😉
Answer will follow in a bit. Have fun!
#nature #dragonflies #SC_Wildlife
