Paddling, Wildlife, and Photography -

by Ed Mayo

One of the many things that I like about paddling is the ability to get close to wildlife. The animals seemingly don’t see me as a human, an enemy in most cases. Instead, I become part of their environment and if I stay quiet, I can drift very close to them.

On Armand Bayou I have drifted close to a number of alligators. I have taken a number of sequential photographs as I have drifted towards them. The photographs of “El Jeffe” are a good example of this.

One morning shortly after dawn, I was able to circle “Momsy”. I took those photos as close as five to six feet to her. There was a heavy rain the day before and the water was clear enough to see five to six inches deep. I believe that these are the best portraits of an alligator that I have taken.

I have also gotten close to domestic animals like the longhorn on the bank.

In November 2005 I went to Caddo Lake to photograph the fall colors. While paddling on the lake, I came around a bend in the trail and came upon a number of ibis and an egret. Remaining quiet and becoming part of the habitat, I spent about 20 minutes floating within ten to thirty feet of them.

They eventually flew off one at a time, starting with the ones farthest away. The last bird to fly away was the egret. This incident made me think of making a visual story relating to my recovery from a medical problem. The ibis with their low vocalizations seemed like forest gossips. This incident seemed spiritual. Caddo Lake is “Tolkienesque!”

I have had other experiences of viewing wildlife while paddling in the Rockies, Canada, and Alaska. I hope others are and will enjoy their own experiences of seeing wildlife up close while paddling.