Bird babies, too

The Limpkin that visits our canal to hunt for snails is a female. I found that out today because she was back....

 with 4 babies!

She was a working mom today, hunting for snails with the kids. I find a lot of empty snail shells around but this is the first time I've seen her work. She knows exactly what's she's doing. She found a big one in the weeds at the edge of the canal and brought it up on the bank, where she proceeded to whack it, very hard, with that sharp beak. These snails have a separate section of shell that acts like a trap door. She wasn't worried about it, she just beats it down. 

One youngster was really insterested in what Mom was doing. She stayed right by Mom, almost underfoot. The other ones, though, weren't into it yet. Probably they will pay more attention soon. Gosh, these are cute!