This is BirdNode.

It's before dawn on a spring day in the big Cypress swamp of Florida.

Mist is rising from quiet water into Spanish moss hanging from the Cypress branches.

Suddenly a startling sound breaks the silence.

A male Limpkin has awakened.

This relatively tall bird, whose dark brown feathers are streaked with white, stretches

and calls again.

In the distance, a red-shouldered hawk responds.

The Limpkin hops down from its perch and begins probing the dark water with its long bill.

It's foraging for apple snails, each the size of a golf ball.

When it touches a big round shell, it grabs it quickly and pulls it from the water.

When moving to solid ground, the Limpkin positions the shell and using the curved tip of its

lower mandible, it scissors loose the operculum, the door that closes the shell and pulls out

the snail.

One quick swallow, and it's on to find the rest of breakfast.

By this time, other birds have awakened, and Carolina Rens and White Eyed Virios are declaring

their territories.

A pig frog adds to the amphibian and avian chorus of the big Cypress swamp.

For bird note, I'm Michael Stein.