Our favorite park in Texas, the Brazos Bend State Park (map) is finally open again after being devastated by Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent flooding in August. Last weekend, Gabi and I visited this park to see how it looks after the renovation and hopefully to spot some alligators too. We were pleased to see that the park workers did a fantastic job and the area is as beautiful as it was before the flood. We hiked several trails of the park and fortunately saw many of its wildlife including some alligators too. This photo was taken of a swimming gator in the New Horseshoe Lake. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is an agile swimmer. They have webbed feet and strong tails that propel them through the water. They often swim or float with only their eyes and nostrils exposed. When an alligator has located the prey, it can explode out of water very quickly to catch it. They normally eat turtles, lizards, small mammals, birds and even other alligators.

Gear: Canon EOS 7D, Canon 70-200mm F/4, handheld