03/30/2026
Myakka River 9x12
0il on panel
In the Sarasota Flordia area lies a 37,000 acre park of vast wetlands providing some of the best bird, alligator viewing in the state. I spent the day here captivated by the swarms of birds circling the colonies of alligators below. Birds and alligators share a “mafia-style” mutualistic relationship, where wading birds (egrets, herons) nest high in trees directly above alligators to protect their eggs from predators like raccoons. The alligators act as bodyguards, keeping predators at bay, while eating chicks that fall from the nests.
Vultures and alligators, on the other hand, coexist as competitors in a scavenger-predator relationship, often gathering over the same food source. While they usually ignore each other, vultures (specifically black vultures) will eat dead alligators, and alligators may attack and kill vultures if provoked or hungry.