River Dawgs

When a plume of muddy water appears in the water beneath you while paddling in a shallow narrow creek, chances are a river dawg (alligator) just passed beneath you.

When paddling in twisty narrow creeks in the upper ends of tributaries in the Mobile Delta on a Spring day, expect to meet some river dawgs up close.

The bigger the river dawg the slower they move. All alligators want to do on a spring day is soak up the heat provided by the Sun.

But fear not about being in the presence of big river dawgs for unlike real dogs that attack 4 million people a year people, these magnificant alligators are docile creatures and want nothing to do with humans. Alligator attacks are rare. Most attacks happen when people taunt or feed alligators or swim in alligator infested waters.

08/25/2013 - Theodore Industrial Canal

1) A heron takeoff is not always a beautiful sight.

2) A little alligator left in Dog River.

3) Old gray beard.

4) Industrial drainage site into Theodore Industrial Canal.

5) The end of Summer is near. Hahahaha.

6) The wind went still as the sailboats started going out to Mobile Bay.

07/30/2013 - Alligator Bayou

1) Someone enjoying a morning paddle on Dog River.

2) Dolphins in Dog River.

3) Fishing Spider.

4) An rather large alligator in Alligator Bayou.

5) Beach overcrowding.

6) Closeup of an Alien.

7) Alligator Bayou on a Hot puffy cloud summer day.

07/24/2013 - Dog River Watershed

Cute wake boarder with a happy face.

Sunrise over Dog River

Small 2-3 foot alligator in Dog River watershed. Yep, there are still a few around.

A fish does not stand a chance against those claws. Ouch!

Kudzu praying hands. Amen!

Markings on a gar fish.

07/08/2013 - Big Creek Lake

1) Nice day to kayak on Big Creek Lake.

2) New signs at Big Creek Lake by US 98.

3) Hey Hey, what is that lurking on the edge of that Torpedo Grass? The tail should help you identify it.

4) One thing for sure, Big Creek Lake is bustling with life.

5) Critters with no visible pupil need a little respect because of poisonous venom. Note the angled snout.

6) Round pupil snakes have no venom and are not to be feared. Note the rounded snout and smiley face.

7) I usually look carefully for snakes and wasp nests before going under shoreline shrubbery. As I was backing away from the bank after taking photos of shoreline trash, nature left me a reminder to be more careful. There had been a snake perched on a limb way over my head which is visible on the branch near the top of this photo in the middle. Note to self: Snakes can lurk real high up. Be more observant for safety's sake.

8) Luckily the snake that could have dropped on my head was a harmless water snake.

9) The little flowers of Carolina Fanwort were dense in some places.

10) The contrasting colors of yellow flowers and red leaves were pleasing to the eye. Big Creek Lake is a beautiful place to kayak because of its abundant wildlife (saw a deer too), clear water, and wide variety of aquatic plant life.

11) Had to deal with this for about 45 minutes while headed back to the launch site. Ended up getting thoroughly soaked.

07/04/2013 - Independence Day on Dog River

Launch: Home.

Launch Cost: Free.

Destination: Dog River watershed looking for Sea Cows also known as Manatees.

Distance: 15 miles.

Pedal time: 5 hours.

Weather: Temp in the 80s, very light winds, partly sunny. River current minimal. Water temperature in the 80s degrees. A beautiful day.

1) Manatees coming up for a breath of fresh air.

2) Another Manatee.

3) It was exciting to see there are still a few alligators left in Dog River.

4) Happy 4th of July! Cute little boat.

5) Family 4th of July Fun on Dog River. What a pretty smile.

6) A clump of Crinum lilies also known as Seven Sisters, Swamp lily, Southern swamp lily, and String lily.

7) Railroad Bridge only navigable at high tide.

8) Upper McCullough Bayou turns into a cement drainage ditch north of I-10.

09/20/2012 - Moore Creek - Cleaner Than Before

Header Image - Who Dat?

Much of Moore Creek trash was either removed during the Coastal Cleanup (Not Likely) or the high waters and heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Isaac washed much of the trash downstream.

North of Interstate I-10 the fall wildflowers were starting to dominate the creek bank. With little trash in sight and wildflowers all over the place, the focus of today's paddle was life on the creek bank.

I was elated to see that an Alligator was still alive in the Moore Creek area. Conservation Officers killed a big alligator in the creek last year because it supposedly ate a dog. If the dog was fenced in or on a leash, how did it get eaten?

Some people pay no mind to the leash law and let their dogs run wild. I watched two dogs swim through the marshes today. Luckily they were much too big for this little alligator to eat.

Finally getting watch nature instead of seeing nothing but piles of garbage on the creek bank made this paddle most enjoyable. For the next month or two Moore Creek north of the Interstate is a wonderful place to see wildflowers and all the life that partakes in the nectar of life.

I hate this NEW blog editor because it is not WYSIWYG.

Lots of wildflowers.

Still Alligators left in Moore Creek.

Butterfly

Wasp.

Meadow Beauty or Handsome Harry.

Rosy Camphorweed

Ludwigia or Primrose?

Playing with its food.

Butterfly.

Red Rattlebox.

Grasshoppers.

Bumblebee.

Yellow flower in the Aster Family.

Dog that loves the water.

Hempvine.

Pickerelweed.

Turn Around Point.