ALLIGATOR BEHAVIOR page 5k: BABY ALLIGATORS --part 11 Alligator nests and babies
This page was born 09/15/2023.  Rickubis designed it.   Last update: 02/21/2024
Images and contents on this page copyright ©2023-2024 Richard M. Dashnau    

  Most of these were posted on the RICKUBISCAM page first, then moved here.  Unlike most of my other pages, the entries on this page
will be shown in chronological order from top to bottom (since this makes following the progression of events easier), so scroll to the
bottom to see the latest posts. This may require a lot of scrolling, depending on how often I've recorded events--but I hope that you'll
enjoy the journey.

06/11/2023 Brazos Bend State Park. Around 9am, I could see two alligator nests on the Spillway Trail.  The first one I saw was described to me last week,
by some visitors who said they saw an alligator working on it! When I got there, there was no gator, and the nest looked incomplete...or plundered. But today, the nest looked
intact. Even more interesting--two alligators were near it!  The first image is a panorama shot that shows how close that nest was to the Spillway Bridge. It's about 50 steps from
the East end of the bridge.
  

When I returned about 30 minutes later, I couldn't see the alligators. But I was sure curious about the pair of gators watching the nest. I had to get back to the Nature Center
to lead a hike, so I didn't look further.
 

On  08/06/2023, at Brazos Bend State Park I climbed the 40 Acre Lake Observation Tower to get a few images to show the
 condition of 40-Acre Lake and Pilant Lake. Pilant Lake looks better than it did this time last year, while 40-Acre Lake also looks better than
last year--but not by much. The first picture shows the barrier that marks the closed part of 40-Acre Lake Trail.  The nest is not visible in the wide
shot, but it was just around the bend.
 
 

The alligator nest about 50 yards East of the Spillway Bridge was still there, and I found the mother gator in the water near it.  
   

I saw the second nest about 10 minutes later. It was just a bit East of bird box #18 (to the right as you look at the nest).  This nest also had an alligator near it, directly in front.
It was not visible when I returned a little later.  Water levels near Pilant Lake look ok now, but  it will take about 60 days for eggs in those nests to hatch. I hope the water is still
there by the end of August--when the eggs usually hatch.
  

Brazos Bend State Park 08/20/2023. I spent 90 minutes with some visitors watching some gator drama near the 40 Acre Lake Observation Tower
(details to come later). A few visitors that had walked down the Spillway Trail from Elm Lake mentioned that they'd seen baby alligators along the way. I tried to figure
 out where they'd seen them-since I knew about 2 nests there. They all said the the babies seemed to be much further East than the nests were. One family said that
 they'd seen an alligator cross from the South side of the trail then get chased back across by the mom gator that was there. One group said that another Volunteer
 had shown them the babies.
When I went to find the babies, I inspected the nests, and it seemed that both had been excavated. But I couldn't hear or see any babies. I walked past both nests, past
bird box 24, and when I didn't find them, I turned and walked West. The images below show the nest just East of the Spillway Bridge July 23, 30  and today, August 20.
  

The images below show the nest just East of the Bird box #18 July 23, 30  August 13, and today, August 20.  Both sets of images show how nests have changed.
  
A family of visitors came by, and we talked about the baby gators. I still didn't find them, and the family continued to the tower. I had turned East again, and was walking
very slowly when that same family came back. I'd hoped to show them the babies. The family passed me, and then called out to me. When I looked up, an small alligator
(about 4 feet long) was at the South edge of the trail about 75 yards East.  I hurried to catch up to the family, and we walked a little closer to the alligator. I kept us back a bit
 so we would be able to see the alligator cross. When it crossed into the plants on the North side, I suggested we pause, and I told them what I'd heard about the mom
gator being in the water somewhere in the area.  I'd just finished telling them that story when there was commotion in the vegetation and the small gator reappeared, then
 hurried back across the trail.  It rested for a few minutes, then went back into Pilant Slough.
   

We walked very slowly towards the area the gator had come out of...and I found mom gator down in the water.  We moved closer (but still up on the trail) until we got to a
 place that allowed a clear view of the water. The baby gators were there, and mom gator's head was also visible. All was calm--the babies weren't stressed, and mom gator
 was also relaxed--so we could talk a bit. I took a few pictures, then headed back so I could be at the Nature Center by noon.
   

At Brazos Bend State Park 08/27/2023, 09/03/2023, 09/10/2023. I was able to find a pod of baby alligators along the Spillway Trail. I can't say for
sure that I'd found the same pod each time, although it's possible that I did. During that time, I could see the water level in that area was lower each week.
(details to come later). So the following images show the baby alligators (and sometimes their mother) as I found them. I shot some very short video clips that I may add
later. Note that the closeup images of the gators are telephoto shots, taken from at least 15 yards away. The wide shots (showing the general area) show how far away I
was.
On 08/27/2023, the pod was under this fallen tree that was near Bird Box #18. This was about 70 yards West from where I'd found a pod the week before, but only about 20
yards in front of where one of the alligator nests had been this summer.  I could not find a large alligator nearby that might have been their mother. But she could have
been submerged right there, of hidden by plant cover.
  

  

On 09/03/2023, the pod was still under this fallen tree that was near Bird Box #18.  Compare with the images from a week before (just above) and it's easy to see how much
the water had receded.  This time, I found the mother alligator in the water on the other side of the fallen tree.
   

   

   

On 09/10/2023, the pod (if it was the same pod) had moved about 100 yards further West--closer to the Spillway Bridge.  This new spot was just in front of where the other
alligator nest in the area had been. There was a fallen tree there, also--but  it wasn't the same size as the one near Bird Box #18. I found the mother alligator in the water
on the other side of the fallen tree from the babies.  
   

   

   

This time, she was doing the "seining" behavior  (which I show in more detail on this page.), but didn't seem to have much luck. When she started this, I noticed that the
baby alligators were outside of her "current-generating" area.  The images below are frames from video filmed at the time. The video showing this behavior on this day
 is here (uploaded 9/29/2023).  A Green Heron (Butorides virescens) appeared  to take hunt for prey that might have been flushed out by the alligator (last 3 images below).  
  

  



At Brazos Bend State Park 09/17/2023, 09/24/2023, 10/01/2023. I continued watching the pod of baby alligators along the Spillway Trail. I can't say for
sure that I'd found the same pod each time, although it probably was the same one. During that time, I could see the water level in that area was lower each week.
The following images show the baby alligators (and sometimes their mother) as I found them. I also shot some very short video clips which are linked below.
Note that the closeup images of the gators are telephoto shots, taken from at least 15 yards away. The wide shots (showing the general area) show how far away I
was, and also the general appearance of the area.
On 09/17/2023, the pod  was still near the nest by the Spillway Bridge.  I could only spend an hour near them, but I did find the babies, and could see the adult alligator in
 the water near the tree. These images clearly show great differences in size among the baby alligators. Photos don't show it very well, but there were many babies
moving among the plants. I filmed some video to show this, which I may upload later.
   

  

On 09/24/2023, the pod was still near the nest by the Spillway Bridge.  I was there for at least 3 hours. There was even less water. I'm showing a lot of images from that day
 (some are from video I filmed, which is here.), but I believe that together they add context to the activities that day. When I first approached the spot, a lot of larger gator
offspring were on the mud bank. I was surprised when they all slid into the water--since I was still at least 25 yards away, as usual.
   

The mom gator appeared, and baby gators began climbing out of the water. But, these were hatchlings, probably from last August, and obviously smaller than the ones I'd
seen before. The longer shots show how low the water was, and can be compared with pictures taken at earlier dates.
   

Mother alligator moved West, and eventually walked up to the trail. Some of the babies seemed to be aware of this, since they chirped, and moved to where she'd gone. 
   

Some of the images below show the big difference in size between the young alligators.  I think the last image may show baby gators from different hatchings over 3 years.
   

I assume the adult alligator is female-and their mother--because she is staying around the young alligators. It seems that one or both  of her eyes are damaged. She might
be blind. 
   

Mother gator returned to the puddle. I hadn't noticed at the time, but from the pictures it seems that the larger offspring moved further way. The remaining hatchlings
didn't seem to care when the mother moved by.
   

   

The mom gator began agitating the water, and seemed to be digging with her rear feet. This was not the same as "seining" foraging behavior.  She was not moving
her forelegs, or trying to grasp at prey with her jaws.  She scraped with her back feet, and sometimes pushed water with her tail (sort-of swimming in place).  If you missed
 the link above, the video of this is here. I think this was an effort to make the puddle deeper.  It can be compared with this video of her doing seining behavior a few weeks
 ago.  Of course, this is only a guess, but an informed one. The alligators NEVER tell me what they're doing, or why they do it.
 

On 10/01/2023, the pod was still near the nest by the Spillway Bridge.  I was there for at least 3 hours. There was less water than the week before.  I'm showing a lot of
images from that day (there's also some video I filmed, which is here.), but I together they add perspective to activities that day. When I first approached the spot, many
 of the babies-of various sizes(ages) were scattered around. I was at least 25 yards away, as usual.  Lighting in the images changed as the sun moved across the sky.
The 4th image below shows a nice size comparison between babies--especially when I compare the size of their heads.
   

While some babies rested on the mud on the left of the tree (West side), others rested on the right side of the tree (East side).  There was no way I could count all of the
babies as they moved in and out of cover.  While spending years watching pods of free baby alligators, I've noticed that the babies seem to interact as a "social" group at
times.  Babies talk to each other, they move as a group, they share space; and seem to find comfort in piling together. It's only my opinion, but it seems a lot different than
if each one cared only for itself. Some of the best examples are the images with a pile of larger babies...with the occasional tiny form of a hatchling resting among them.
   

The mother gator finally appeared, under the trunk of the tree.  Closeups of her head reveal that it was also covered with mud. This indicates that she had been digging.
I had further proof when I saw movements that showed the adult was digging under water in that spot. The 4th image below shows the turbulance as she was working.
I got short video, which  is here.  
   

This last row of pictures show the mother in the water near one of the recent hatchlings (hatched sometime mid-August 2023).  Then, just the top of mom's mud-covered
 head,  and then some of the babies on the mud in the foreground, with mom's head barely submerged in the background.  There's no way someone that just walked up
would  know that she was there.  
I've been extremely lucky to have seen alligators living in a natural environment for the last 20+ years.  It's a real gift to be able to hang around a mother gator and her pod
for hours at a time.  During those hours, I'm also interpreting Natural History for park visitors that pass by.  It's easy to lose track of how much time has expired; and I get
 to learn from everything I witnessed.  The last two summers have been hard on BBSP (and all of Texas); and the alligators have-in their majestic, stoic way-had to deal
with the changes to their environment.  This mother alligator has been working hard, and her trials weren't over.  (That's for a later update.)
   

At Brazos Bend State Park 10/08/2023. I continued watching the pod of baby alligators along the Spillway Trail. I can't say for sure that I'd found the same pod each time,
although it probably was the same one.  
I've found this interesting report, which describes the activities of nesting alligator. Many of the behaviors I saw at BBSP are also described in that paper.
It is "Observations on Maternal Behavior of the American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis" by R. Howard Hunt and Myrna E. Watanabe  

On 10/08/2023, When I visited the fallen tree at about 9am, I could only find the adult gator. I couldn't find any babies. So I went to Elm Lake.  I met a group of park
visitors near Elm Lake that told me they had seen baby alligators near the fallen tree.  Then they described a bit of drama when a  "big grey bird" appeared.  When I
asked if the bird had caught any of the babies, they told me that the mother gator had chased  it off before it could get any of them. I identified the big bird a Great Blue
Heron from their photos.  I returned to the tree at 11am.  Some of the events described below were captured with video and that can be seen here.
I could see a few baby gators under the tree on the far bank  (where  I've seen the mother alligator  digging). Closer viewing revealed more  babies in the water, so I
decided to stay near the pod again. During the next hour, more babies left the water to climb on that bank, and onto branches on the other side of the tree.  The babies
 of varying ages piled onto the various surfaces, and onto each other. More time passed as the babies basked and shifted around, and basked, and groups of park
visitors enjoyed the view with me. Until....12:50pm.
   

At that time, a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) landed on the end of branches of the fallen tree-- about 6 feet above the alligators. Some of the babies splashed into the
water even though the  Heron had landed far out of reach.   But many other babies remained out of the water.  [12:50 to 1:50 to 2:50 =2 hrs  so to  2:20 = 1.5 hours]
By this time, some of babies had been chirping, and I'm sure the Heron could hear them.  The Heron began stalking the babies. It landed high on the bank, and then
slowly paced to the right side of the tree. Then it paced down the bank, stepping carefully and watching for movement. Heron slowly...slowly...approached the  water. It
appeared to focus on something, and moved into "stabbing position", by crouching and pulling its neck into a tight "s" curve. We watched as the heron paused...and
waited...and waited.... 
   

...and then, while still crouched, it walked backwards and moved away from the water.  We watched the Heron try to approach the baby gators, moving to one side of the
tree, and then the other.
   

 About 2:05pm, while the heron was on the left side of the tree but still pretty far away, the mom alligator lunged out from under the tree. It rested on the bank while the
Heron walked up and around to the right side of the tree.  
   

This time, it moved down to the water, paced into the water, slowly squatted and peered  under the tree--and snatched one of the babies!  It stabbed under the tree,
unfurled its wings for balance, closed its wings, turned around, and leapt into the air. (I can time it at 37.153 to 37.904 seconds = .75sec, 45frames);
and flew off (Frame timing 42.876; or about 5 seconds from when it grabbed the baby gator.).  The images below are frame grabs from video, which can be seen here.
   


   

   

When I looked back to the tree after losing sight of the Heron, mom alligator had lunged out to the right side of the tree. Mom gator was not pleased.  We only visit a day at
 a time, a few hours at a time. I imagine that this alligator has to deal with this kind of attack many times daily. This pod's struggles demonstrate why so many alligator
offspring may not survive the first few years.
   

I've been extremely lucky to watch alligators living in a natural environment for the last 20+ years.  It's a real gift to be able to hang around a mother gator and her pod
for hours at a time.  During those hours, I'm also interpreting Natural History for park visitors that pass by.  It's easy to lose track of how much time has expired; and I get
 to learn from everything I witnessed.  The last two summers have been hard on BBSP (and all of Texas); and the alligators have--in their majestic, stoic way--had to deal
with the changes to their environment.  

At Brazos Bend State Park 10/15/2023 I was by the alligator pod at the East end of the Spillway Bridge. The water level had decreased some from the week before. On this
 day, there was no drama, so I'm sharing some pictures of the pod enjoying the sun. As usual, it took a while for the babies to appear, but I did at least see the mother
alligator. Some of the closeup images of her head show traces of gray mud, so she was apparently still digging.  
   


   

From 11:00am to 1:30pm, the alligators shifted around, changing places on the branches and on the bank. They were even joined on the log by a large turtle, a
red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), for a while. But it was pushed off the log by a pile of baby alligators.
   

The images below show one of the new hatchings being made into a "sandwich" by climbing on one of  the older babies; and then having another older on climb on top.
I am still impressed by how comfortable a pod of babies is with each other. The "share" space by piling on each other, instead of competing for it by pushing others away.
They aren't quite as generous with their food, though. One will try to steal from another.
   

At Brazos Bend State Park 10/22/2023 I was by the alligator pod at the East end of the Spillway Bridge. Between 9:07am - 9:52am mom and babies
were already out, and under the tree trunk. The water had gone down more since last week, leaving lots of clearance under the trunk, and exposing more bank.
    

    

From 10:30am - 12:00pm:  A Great Blue Heron appeared higher on the bank, then walked towards the baby pile.  The babies scattered, so the heron moved back and up
around to the other side of the tree. It moved very quietly as usual, and I didn't see any reaction from the mother or hear the babies.  The heron stalked the area, going
from one  side of the tree to the other by moving up and down the bank. On one trip down, the heron grabbed and ate a dragonfly (the video shows 10:57).  The heron was pretty
far up the bank and away from the water.
    

About a minute later, mom gator rushed onto the bank in front of the heron. I thought this was odd, since I'm pretty sure she's almost blind, and the heron was pretty far
 away. Maybe she heard the capture and crunching of the dragonfly being eaten (Shown, but not heard, in this video.)  The Heron quietly moved further up the bank and
behind some plants. Mom gator slid back into the water and under the tree. The heron landed on top of the usual vantage point left of the tree, and then flew off.
     

Starting at 12:30pm the babies began to surface and started to climb out of the water. By 2:30, mom was on the bank, with babies piled on top of her and on top of
 surrounding branches.
    

The line of images below are of the same group, shown at different focus ranges. I really liked the image, and thought others would, too.  Some of the events described
here were captured on video which I have here. The history of this pod up to this day is shown on this page.  
     

11/05/2023  We still haven't gotten any rain. The puddle near the pod on the trail by the Spillway Bridge has gotten even smaller.  Baby gators
were already out by 9:20, and I could see mom gator's head, too. That's not a big surprise, considering the warm weather, and shallow water.  Mom gator climbed
partially onto far bank, while the babies climbed out onto mud, branches, and various other objects.  About 15 minutes later, some of the babies had climbed onto mom.
(There's also video of all that's described below, and thats at this link.)
   

By 10:34 mom's front legs and head were up on the bank, but most of her body was also exposed in the shallow water-and 6 babies were on her back. Over the next hour,
 the mom gator climbed all the way out onto the bank,  and turned to be parallel with the bank. Baby gators started climbing on her back,  until a small pile had formed.  All
 was comfortable and restful until 11:30--when a Great Blue heron landed high on the bank about 10 yards above the mom and babies to the right of the fallen tree. 
   

Even at that distance, many of the babies jumped off mom's back to hid in the water among the branches. The heron stayed high on the bank and slowly walked towards
 the tree through the plants. Then it stopped at the top of  the tree while hidden behind a stand of giant cutgrass and waited for a while. It started walking East (right  of the
 tree) about 20 minutes later. The Heron walked far out to  the right, and circled down towards the remaining puddle. 
   

As it continued its circle on into  the mud in front of us, the mom gator suddenly twisted partly around with jaws  open  but facing away from the Heron--which was a few
yards away. The Heron was startled by the alligator's jerk, but then moved towards the water under  the tree. It paused for a few minutes and watched for movement under
 the tree. At the I thought it seemed odd the the mom gator had lunged away from the Heron if it had been triggered by the Heron moving.
   

When the mother lunged, she threw the remaining babies off her back and they went into cover.  While I was trying to isolate the section of video showing the babies
falling off, I discovered something very interesting.
   
 I've circled the surprise in the images below. It's a mating pair of Dragonflies (Green Darners) that were flying near the alligator.  These images are frame grabs from the
video, and I don't think I'd have found the dragonflies if I hadn't noticed them moving between images.  I am sure that the mother is visually-impaired.  Yet she seems to be
 following the dragonflies through the air.  The video footage clearly shows it. This may verify my theory that mom gator is using hearing to locate her target--whether it's
a Heron, or a pair of Dragonflies in flight.
   

The Heron continued walking, then it jumped onto the tree, and walked on top of the trunk and the branches as it looked for baby gators. The Heron crossed to the left
side of the tree, and searched the  mud on that side. It circled the shrunken puddle to the left, and crossed to the opposite bank and up into the branches, turned and came
 back down the that side of the puddle.  The Heron searched  among the branches for 20 minutes and flew off without a prize. But first it looked everywhere, moving with
 impressive stealth as it climbed on and around the tree. 
   

The Heron noticed movement of the mother gator under the tree--which  probably caused the big ripples in the  water. The Heron moved closer to the movement, then
seemed to decide not to continue. 
   

The images below show the mother alligator as she moved in the shadows, probably trying to locate the marauding Heron. Some of the babies were also visible near the
 tree, but the Heron didn't go near those.
   

From then, over the next 2 hours, the mom gator and babies relaxed again. She remained on the bank, and the babies started climbing onto her back and surrounding area.
When I left there were 9 babies on her back.
   
  
I take the time to record days like this, because they demonstrate behaviors when two different species from the ancient line of archosaurs interact. This was also a good
example of how someone (like me) can be unaware all of the items that might influence animal behavior.  My assumption that the main driver of the mother alligator's
behavior was the Heron that was hunting its young--might be have been disproved by the mother's being triggered by the romantic Dragonflies.

11/12/2023, 11/19/2023, 11/26/2023.   We got some rain during these weeks. I'm adding this quick update to add to the growing record of this alligator pod.  The images
below show that the water has risen since 11/06/23 (above).  What the images don't show is any of the baby alligator or their mother.  I stopped when I passed by, on some
days at least twice, and I didn't see them, and didn't hear any baby gators chirping, either.  I'm adding this to the history (on 2/20/24) because it probably influenced the
updates to follow.
   

12/03/2023.   I was stopped by the tree, and watching for the pod; when a park visitor coming from the East said: "Look! Baby alligators!" I turned around and saw that
they were looking on the North Side of the trail. The mom gator was there, along with the pod. I felt pretty foolish when I realized that they had probably been there during
 the previous weeks I'd been looking near the fallen tree.  
They had crossed the trail and moved a bit further East. This was a total movement of about 40 yards from the fallen tree where the pod had been.  As the pictures show,
 there is a lot less "major" cover (no large branches).  The vegetation in  the images is floating on top of the water. There is at least 1 foot of clear water under the mats.  
The snarled nature of the plants above the surface also offers lots of hiding places.
   

A few people have asked how I know this is the same female. First, it's unlikely that there'd be another pod of alligators with such varied sizes-along with the mother of
the same size-so close to wear the other one was. Second, although I didn't take pictures of her eyes on this day, I did examine them through binoculars, and they are both
 damaged. This showed me that she was the same alligator.  
Since I had seen evidence of the mother alligator working on the area around the tree by deepening the
puddle (shown in earlier post above); and by digging something (chamber, burrow, den) under the far bank (showed in earlier post above). I'd considered this an
"investment" by the alligator, and a possible indication she might stay for the winter.  Her relocation was just another example of how animals make their own decisions,
for their own reasons.  She could have moved because the water was too deep over her burrow, or the submerged branches were hard to navigate once they were
submerged, or even the repeated visits by the Herons were too stressful.  She, like all the other animal life, did not tell me why. She didn't tell me she was moving, either.
This is the last update about this mother and her pod for this year (2023). However, she is still around in 2024, and there are more updates of her on this page.
   

If you'd like to know more about the park follow these links:

Brazos Bend State Park   The main page.

Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer's Page  The volunteer's main page.
 

And, this page shows alligators at the park, on land, near various landmarks at the park.

           Go back to my main alligator page, Alligators

           Go back to my home page, Welcome to rickubis.com
           Go back to the RICKUBISCAM page.