The Visitors Guide to the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, Florida

Eiko

4 years ago

Introduction

Every year many hundreds of wild birds are injured, become ill or are orphaned across the world. Florida is fortunate in having a dedicated team of volunteers who are able to rescue and treat those birds who come to harm in the area. The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is a shining beacon of help for birds in need of treatment and care.

What is the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary?

The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is the successor to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary which closed in 2016. Suncoast had to close due to some poor management decisions and when the owner stepped aside his sons took over and created an entirely new bird sanctuary. The one and a half acre site had been a tourist destination for some years and continues to be popular with visitors to this part of Florida.

The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of birds that have suffered injury, become ill or have been orphaned and need care to thrive. Each year between 2,500 and 3,000 birds are brought into the Sanctuary where they receive the very best care possible. A team of veterinary professionals and devoted volunteers are on hand to take over as soon as a bird arrives.

There is an Avian Hospital sited within the sanctuary. It is fully fitted with facilities for emergency surgery, treatment rooms and rehabilitation areas. No bird brought into the Sanctuary will receive less than the very best treatment.

The success rate at the Sanctuary is impressive. Well over three-quarters of the birds brought to the sanctuary that make it through the first twenty-four hours of treatment are released. It is the aim of the sanctuary staff to release as many of the birds as possible back into the wild. Sometimes a bird is injured too badly for it to survive back in the wild. In these cases the bird will be kept at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary’s largest group of patients are brown pelicans. The charming birds are a feature of the Gulf coast of Florida and suffer from the carelessness of fishermen who discard their fishing line with little thought of the harm it can do to seabirds. The line can get tangled around a pelican’s legs or wings. Some get fishing hooks stuck in their throats.

Pelicans with injuries caused in this way are often found in the mangrove trees near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The birds manage to tangle the fishing line both around their legs and the branches of the trees. By the time they are found they can be close to death from starvation.

Seaside’s success with pelicans is heartwarming as they manage to successfully treat close to 80% of the birds brought to them.

At the present time the sanctuary has over 100 resident birds that have some form of disability. A few of these are birds of prey, while there are also songbirds and common birds familiar from your gardens.

Where is the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary?

The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary can be found at 18328 Gulf Boulevard, Indian Shores, FL 33785. This location is just north of St Petersburg and west of Tampa.

What can you do at the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary?

Admission to the sanctuary is free although staff would love you to make a donation.

Walk around the sanctuary

Once you get inside the sanctuary you are free to walk anywhere in the public areas. There is a picnic area and you can visit the Observation Tower. The birds are held in enclosures that are covered in netting to prevent wild birds from getting in.

The site is not large, and seems to be lost between the high-rise buildings that surround it. It is an oasis of calm and hope for all the resident birds. Visitors who have reported on their time at the sanctuary praise the staff and the interesting time they had.

Presentations

Presentations are held regularly that feature particular birds. These are:

Macaw Presentation: Sunday and Monday at 3pm

Screech Owl Presentation: Tuesday and Thursday at 1.30pm

Barn Owl Presentation: Friday at 2pm

Pelican Feeding Presentation: Every day at 2.30pm

Reading with Rufous: First and Third Saturdays each month at 11am

Guided Tours

However, to get the most from your visit to the sanctuary, take a guided tour. During your tour a member of staff will tell you all about the resident birds and explain their injuries and the treatment they received. These tours are chargeable. The rates are as follows:

Basic Tour

$40 per person

$60 per family of between 2 and 6 persons

$100 for a small group of between 7 and 39 people

$175 for a medium-sized group of 40 to 79 people

$250 for a large group of 80 or more

Meet & Greet Tour

This tour allows you to get up close with some of the sanctuary’s resident birds. You will also get a free bumper sticker.

$50 per person

$75 per family

$125 for a small group

$200 for a medium group

$275 for a large group

Behind the Scenes Tour

This tour includes the guided tour by a staff member, plus a chance to meet some residents up close. You will also get a chance to see inside the Avian Hospital and see how the birds are treated. And of course, you get a bumper sticker. This tour is only open to individuals and families.

$100 per person

$150 per family of 2 to 6 people

The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary also offers opportunities for private parties and weddings. The Pelican Party package is a great birthday event for kids and adults too! The party includes the use of the Observation Tower and the picnic area.

Rates: $150 per hour for a minimum 2 hours and a 4 hour maximum. A Guided Tour can be provided for $75 for parties up to 20 guests and $125 for 21 to 40 guests.

If booking a wedding, you will have exclusive use of the Special Events Field and your marriage ceremony will be held in the Observation Tower. The charge for this is $200 per hour. The same terms and Guided Tours apply as in the Pelican Party package.

What birds do they have at the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary?

Although the center has ‘Seabird’ in its title it is home to many other types of bird. The resident characters all have names and are the loveable stars of the sanctuary. The biggest character is an American Bald Eagle called Roosevelt who is unable to fly properly because of a gunshot wound in one wing.

There is a gang of Eastern Screech Owls that include Rufous who is blind in one eye but gets to go out to visits groups in the community. There are also a couple of Great Horned Owls and a Barn Owl. The sanctuary also has some hawks and vultures among its residents.

Among the pelicans at the sanctuary Red is an Eastern Brown Pelican who is a bit of a TV star. He once appeared in a Dutch TV commercial! Ollie represents the Oystercatchers while Buddy the Laughing Gull and Herald the Herring Gull both have had wings amputated.

Huey, Dewey and Louie are all Double Crested Cormorants none of whom can fly. Blue is a Great Blue Heron who is an unfortunate example of what can happen when a bird gets entangled with fishing line. He had to have a wing amputated to save his life. He is a long-time resident at the sanctuary having been there since 2016.

The sanctuary also has members of the parrot family in its care. Goldie the macaw came to the sanctuary after her owner died. Calypso the Monk Parakeet is a lovely little bird who cannot be released into the wild as he is not native to Florida. Two other parakeets – Bacardi and Tito – are similarly not native and have to stay at the sanctuary. The sanctuary is also home to song birds that cannot fly due to damaged feathers.

You can see all these birds during your visit to the sanctuary and many children love to see them and learn that they have names and stories.

Parking at the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary

There is limited car parking at the entrance on Gulf Boulevard. Parking on nearby streets can be found but can be difficult. There is some parking on Sunset Boulevard which runs parallel with the beach. Bike parking spaces also are provided at the main entrance.

Opening Times

The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is open every day between 8 am and 4 pm.

Conclusion

The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary does brilliant work rescuing and repairing injured birds and then releasing them back into the wild. Their site in Indian Shores is well worth a visit and you will be impressed by the work they are doing.

After a long day seeing the birds, there’s nothing better then kicking up your feet at the Eiko’s Beach House. Enjoy a glass of wine in the private hot tub or chill by the fire in our open fire pit.