My mother lives at the Sunnybrook condos along Cecelia Rd. in New Port Richey. She has lived there for seven years, monitoring the bird life on the big pond South of the road. She can say with certainty there has not been a Limpkin there since she arrived in 2001.
But there’s one now! It is creeping everyone out with incredibly loud, eerie and mournful calling (hear sample) day and night. I see no sign of Apple Snail, the main food of the dreaded Limpkin, in this pond. Can it live here? There are two small islands that have provided nesting places for Green and Night Herons each spring. Maybe our Limpkin wants to give it a go. Miriam, another Sunnybrook resident, is trying to mobilize her fellows against the bird. She has called everyone that will listen to her including FFWC. Now she has handed out the following flyer:
sicluceatlux.wordpress.com 
To> We live in NPR and the Limpkin would be welcome here where we live.
> It is a shame many people can not accept Nature at her best!!!
> ENJOY it while you can!!! It won’t be there for ever…..
> Wild life is moving into populated areas because their habitats are
> threatened!
> People feed wild life and change their means of survival….
> We should let wildlife be and give them space to live…
>
> A concerned nature lover…
> nancy
Paul,
Limpkins are protected by Federal and State Laws. Anybody tampering with these birds other than Florida Fish and Wildlife is against the law and can mean heafty $fines and possible prison time! SERIOUS stuff; no joke… It is breeding season for these and many other birds and this is just something people who live in Florida have to deal with. The birds were here before any of us. If you (people in general) chose to live here in FL and the current location you’re in – that’s your problem – not the birds. I would suggest this woman and anybody else who has problems with it get ear plugs! I would keep an eye on these birds if I were you and if you see any unlawful retaliation towards them; REPORT IT TO FL FISH AND WILDLIFE IMMEDIATELY!
I LOVE the limpkin call and would really enjoy hearing it again.
When I was a Senior Girl Scout in the early 1950’s, we used to go to camp at a place then called Starbuck Springs which was behind the old Sanlando Springs just west of Longwood, FL. At night, as we nestled down in our cots inside our tents, our wonderful limpkins would “lullabye” us to sleep. It didn’t bother us a bit. Instead, we sort of looked upon them as our guardian “watch birds” who kept the bad “critters” away. It also added something eerie, chilling & delightful to the ghost stories we told by the campfire…….when the end of the story was punctuated by the cry of a limpkin.
Many years later, when I was studying for my MA in Library Science at FSU, I used to take some of my fellow students down to Wakulla Springs where limpkins still flourished.in 1966-67. Early in the evening, I would imitate a limpkin and get a whole colony to start calling. It was a new experience for my friends, and they were always quite fascinated by these fabulous birds and their intriguing night calls.
Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN
You go, Paulie!
I’m with the Limpkins! Send the bus to ship her up North where it’s snowy and quiet! The first time I heard them call I kept driving around the lake,trying to figure out which bird was making that sound. Gotta admit,the Limpkin was last one on my list.
i think the residents who dont like the birds should limp on outta the condos and find a cold, dark, silent cave to live inside.
Here’s my story: My elderly parents live with us. They have both developed tremors and shaking from not being able to sleep at night. We all wear earplugs, but it still does not block it out and our ears hurt from their constant use. I send my parents to a motel when I can afford it. They’re now trying reversal and try to sleep during the day and are awake at night. Unfortunately that means we don’t get to spend any time together anymore. My husband lost his job because he was late to work so many times and made so many mistakes due to tiredness. I had to drop out of night school because I don’t have the energy to do anything but go to my job. No one here has any energy to clean or do laundry, etc. This has gone on for 3 years, we have lived here 8. We would move if we could, but since we don’t have the money for that, we don’t know what to do. We have all changed from the happy, productive, upbeat people we were to tired, grumpy, unhappy people. Please don’t make light of continuous lack of sleep. Sleep is an essential component of human life. Telling us to enjoy it, or live in a cave… well I will mention those ideas to the family.
We have the same problem. How are you now?
Though one of the dreaded Limpkins has returned to the pond each fall since then his calls to his hen have not been answered and he has moved on.
It is such a shame we are so over-developed in Florida, and so over-run by people that have no deep roots here, that they cannot recognize the incredible value in a Limpkin’s call. The Limpkin is found nowhere else in the U.S., other than in Florida. I’d rather have them around than “snowbirds” from up North; your post makes you sound like a narrow-minded and insensitive person, who lives in Florida for all the wrong reasons, that helps contribute to our beloved state’s exploitation, and would rather see wetlands paved than protected. The Limpkin, my dear, IS THE SOUL OF THE FLORIDA WETLANDS, its voice is the mournful yearning of greater times, when people lived in respect and constant wonderment of nature. I hope you open up your eyes and your ears to one of nature’s miracles: The Limpkin – there is no other bird like it, and it is our Florida pride!
What’s truly amazing are the tree hugger freaks that live in this world. I moved into a development in FL and for the first two years here – no Limpkins. Not because of new development but they arrived shortly after Frances & Jeanne. They are load and obnoxious. If I could, I would shoot every last one of those bastards. But because they fall under a protected species, much like Nancy Pelosi’s Dreaded Salt March Mouse, we have to tolerate them and try to live in harmony with them. They are poor victims of the evils of man.
Don’t worry – the Economic Stimulus will have us all so broke and poor that we’ll have to resort to eating the damn things before long.
Those of you that simply state “embrace the sounds of mother nature” don’t have Limpkins in their back yard lakes! I have 2 children under the age of 5 and this bird has kept them awake for over a week. Ear plugs are not an option for a infant! The noise a single Limpkin can make is unbearable – it is also nonstop from sundown to dawn. Don’t assume I would like to harm this bird but I would welcome any suggestion to encourage the Limpkin to relocate back to where ever he came from.
LEAVE FLORIDA!!! If you can’t deal with the natives, go back to the city you came from. I bet you assumed that moving to my great state would ensure some good golfing and loafing around. Deal with the animals!
“birdog” must live in the state of confusion. The only animals I have truly have difficulty with are people (like “birdog”) that assume their opinion entitles them to ownership. This is not your state – you’re just visiting by the grace of God.
P.S. The nuisance Limpkin has relocated on his own free will – I can only hope “birdog” has a new bird in his trailer park that commands attention from sundown to dawn!
My wife and I are native Floridians and my mother was a native Floridian, so get off your high horses, it is our state too. We are now experiencing the sleepless nights described above. This has been off and on for about 3 years now and I’d rather have the flu show up than listen to the horrible shrieks of these nuisance birds. It’s obvious that the so called limpkin lovers have never really been around them or they wouldn’t bleed praises for them here. They may be protected, but that certainly doen’t keep my family from praying for a resourceful alligator.
My family has been woken up for 3 weeks straight thanks to a Limpkin. I love living in Florida and have been here for just under 20 years. I can handle just about all the wildlife however this Limpkin has kept me my wife my 4 year old and 7 month old up for 22 days straight. Sure the sound is BEAUTIFUL but not at 3am when you have to get to work tomorrow. Bird lovers and nature lovers need to understand that we live together with wildlife. I feel for the birds and other animals whose homes have been uprooted and they are getting pinched in every direction but this is brutal. I wouldnt hurt a fly but if I could get rid of these Limpkins I would. Any advice for a natural way to push them away from our lake? I cant let this go on. its brutal. This area where I live has been developed for over 30 years. This is a new one for us.
There are at least two limpkins in distress that have been calling all night long for three months now at a very busy area on Lake Bayshore, Bradenton, Fl. surrounded by condos, rentals and very busy traffic intersections. I think they should be relocated to a more rural local where they won’t be threatened by those that want to kill them for lack of sleep and all the dangers of their city life.
Wow….some really funny comments. I too am a native Floridian and grew up in the woods while enjoying Boy Scouts and the great outdoors. Now I live on Lake Tarpon where everyday is an escape to nature….but three nights ago the Limpkins showed up! (Probably Paulie’s bird!) Even with the windows closed, the AC on and earplugs their piercing cry comes through. During the day there are no problems as they are part of the natural noises of everyday life, but they need to find a way to clam up at night! To birddog…..I can only hope your neighbors car alarm malfunctions every night continuously for a month so you can enjoy a similar lack of sleep and frustration of having no way to control the noise! I harbor no ill will towards the Limpkin, but I agree with Clark that this one should move to birddogs trailer park and roost on his window!!
I hate the birds and I cant stand the fact that these stupid treehugers are able to prevent us from doing what we have every right to do. Not only are they stupid and loud but they are incredibly temperamental unlike any other birds. I’m sure they taste Delicious and I hope one day to eat a particularly obnoxious one.
Those who say “live with wildlife” or “move up north” have never been kept awake all night by Limpkins! You have to experience it to understand the horror! I’ve lived in Florida since 1987 and have never had this problem before. We have many Limpkins on our lake and are suffering from lack of sleep. No, earplugs do not work.
I hate those nasty birds! It’s 3:48AM and I’ve been awake since 2:30. The bugger has taken residence in a Black olive tree in my backyard. One way or another I will evict our feathered friend. Maybe I can train the squirrels to attack the bugger. If I could find out where he stays during the day I would make sure he doesn’t get any sleep either.
First, let me say that both my wife and I are native Floridians, and second, that I love the outdoors and the wildlife of Florida. There’s no need to be rude even if neither of these were true..
That being said, we have a limpkin that lives less than a hundred yards from our house. While I like most bird calls, I do not find the limpkin’s call pleasant in the least. Quite the opposite. It keeps my wife up at night and annoys me all evening.
I’d like to find a way to encourage this bird to move somewhere else.
Anyone have any ideas?
I am so curious to see the end result as we are having the same problem! I’ve never heard this bird before, and we have lived here for six years. He simply will not stop screaming, and it is driving us nuts! All hours of the night. He can scream for (at least) 4 hours straight! How do we scare him off? I love birds, but this one is too annoying!
I must say I love nature. I feel guilty that I want to strangle the bird that wakes me up at 3:30AM when I have to be up early and go to work. I don’t know about the indians who lived here before but i’m sure they had methods of controling these birds or maybe at the time they stayed way away from each other. These days the birds are just way too close and way too loud. If my house was directly on the canal i must say that i would be tempted to take matters into my own hands and use some scare tactics for these birds.
It has been going on for at least 7 weeks now, with only a few of those nights with no constant limpkin screeching. It is unhealthy, and nerve-rackingly loud. There are many limpkins during the daytime, but it seems that only one is making the constant noise. Not one neighbor is sympathetic with this one limpkin. Love nature, but cannot wait for this one to disappear.