Alligators and Sea Turtles and Pelicans - Oh My!

If you are just tuning in... you can read all the posts to date about our trip to Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico here:
Help me, he's got a phrase book...
Try as I might, I am still here in my mind.
Casa Holistica Sol - Our Bed and Breakfast in Mexico
Cuijas - a Cute Mexican Mystery

This post is dedicated to some of the Wildlife and other critters we encountered on our trip.

The disposable underwater camera was a disappointment to say the least. The color and clarity of life below the surface just did not translate. And, I missed the shot of the Octopus I swam over. It was pretty small, about the length of my forearm, very shy and I was shock. Not scared, just blown away that an Octopus was 2 feet below me.

We also missed shots of 4 whales breaching, spouting and diving. I also missed the sailfish - sail down, and the flying fish - oh mercy, now there is a sight. It looks like the Ocean is having a conniption fit for a moment. I was too gobsmacked when we ran across Iguanas in the wild to remember the camera at all. Several different colors, blackish, bright green, and white, it's not as if I didn't have a couple of chances to get their pictures. Oh well. Have you ever seen an Iguana run for a good distance in the wild? It's quite comical.

On with the pictures we did manage to get.

The Frigatebird, pre-historic looking - don't you think?


Clearly, an Alligator warning sign - even if you don't read Spanish. Look closely at the second picture in this series. The Alligator laying there in the sun is about 20 Feet from the sign. And about 200 yards from the Ocean. And there was no fence, no barrier, nothing at all between me and that Alligator just laying in the sun. We watched an American couple with their Toto dog walking about 8 feet in front of its mouth arguing about whether it was alive or dead. When that little dog got close, the Alligators eye popped open and started tracking the dog. Definitely alive. The arguing Americans were to busy bickering to notice the eye activity. *sigh*
This Alligator is separated from my foot which was on the sidewalk by about 18 inches and some sturdy chain link fencing. Wait, is chain link effective when it comes to a determined and hungry Alligator? I have to admit, these Alligators didn't look that hungry. However, I was not willing or eager to test my theory.

Termite nest within the Mangrove...uh, grove?
This donkey and its Ostrich buddies are somehow charming to me.

Now we get to one of my favorite past times while visiting Costa Alegre ... watching Brown Pelicans fish. I am telling you - it is riveting! They are committed and FAST!


The Pelicans only look like they are dive bombing children swimming. Really, its all about fish. We were lucky to have spent a day on the water more on that in another post and spent hours sneaking up on sleeping Sea Turtles. This one is getting ready to dive. So graceful, I swear. I would giggle and do a little happy dance each time we saw one. This is a Sea Urchin in Coral - so beautiful. Under water the Urchins are a deep, rich purple color, the spikes are from 2 - 6 inches long. The coral is totally misrepresented in this picture. I didn't include the Horse and colt walking the streets of Barra, occasionally stopping to nurse, or the chickens they will appear in an upcoming post, or the mama dog that liked us, but barked like a rabid beast when others passed by. This post is long enough as it is!