limpkin
I'll never own a 500mm lens like the bird dude I was talking to yesterday. So I'm hoping the little Limpkins of the world will keep letting me get close enough on these mornings.
Have a good day peeps! It's a busy one! :)
Neat! This guy allowed me to take a few pictures before he moved on to search for some more escargot. :)
From the Audubon website......
"Limpkin had been hunted almost to extinction in Florida by beginning of 20th century; with legal protection, has made a fair comeback. Probably declining in parts of tropical range.Fresh swamps, marshes. In Florida, found in open fresh-water marshes, along the shores of ponds and lakes, and in wooded swamps along rivers and near springs; locally in river swamps in Georgia. Throughout most of its tropical range, its habitat and distribution are dictated by the presence of apple snails (Pomacea).
Looking like something between a crane and a rail, this odd wading bird has no close relatives. It is widespread in the American tropics, but enters our area only in Florida and southern Georgia -- only where it can satisfy its dietary requirement for a certain fresh-water snail. Mostly solitary, Limpkins may be overlooked as they stalk about in marshes and swamps; they draw attention with their piercing banshee wails, often heard at dawn or at night."