While walking at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wellington Preserve this morning, I saw lots of young Limpkins out and about, foraging in the marsh, and vying for the best treetop lookouts. This fellow above discovered his own private perch atop a birdhouse, tucked away in a quiet alcove. 
On the boardwalks there was ample evidence of ‘leftovers’ from the Limpkins’ favorite delicacy, the tasty Apple Snail. When they find the snails in the shallow ponds, they use their specially designed bill to pry open the thin operculum (literally, ‘little lid’) to get at the soft mollusk within (BirdNote).
Native Florida Apple Snails lay small cream-colored egg clusters, and are smaller in size than the non-native apple snail. These non-native, or exotic pink egg clusters were plentiful today throughout the ponds, and the Limpkins seem to be just as happy to eat the exotics as the native Florida snails.
The Limpkin is unique in many ways, not the least of which is that it is the sole member of its taxonomic family, Aramidae (Everglades National Park Service). “Looking like something between a crane and a rail, this odd wading bird has no close relatives.” (Audubon). Its range is limited to parts of Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida.
Birder's Journey 
Excellent pictures Carol! I hope I’ll see a Limpkin when I go to Florida in about a week from now. 🙂
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I really hope you will see them, H.J. I’d venture a guess that you will, no matter which part of Florida you’re in, as they’re all over. One distinguishing feature I didn’t mention in this post is their amazingly loud screeching, what Audubon.org calls “their piercing banshee wails” – unmistakable! 😬
Enjoy your trip – I’ll be watching your posts!
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Those pink egg clusters are amazing! I would never have guessed 🙂
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Yes, so curious. When I first moved to Florida, I recall always wondering what that pink substance was!
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How beautiful to see life in a place named after the same person as the school where an horrific shooting took place. Makes one believe there is always hope
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What a wonderfully thoughtful comment, Cyndi . . .Thank you!
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Thank you for amazing picktures and so much knowledge.
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Thank you for your visit to my blog and your very nice comment, Lukasz!
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Love that last capture, he looks so proud of himself! We don’t have these in the mid-Atlantic, but I’ve been lucky to capture them in Florida from a trip. I can remember how excited I was to see them! 🙂
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I’ve been enamored of the Limpkins since I first moved to Florida, but I never actually realized how limited their range is till recently.
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Sweet looking bird. I particularly like the photo of it thru the rushes.
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Although he was at a distance and rather hidden, I also liked that image – thank you, Belinda!
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