A couple days ago, Nisheet and I found ourselves looking for something to do. We didn’t really feel like venturing far away because we have some extremely busy weekends coming up. But, we didn’t just want to walk across the street to our beach for the day either. Where did we end up? The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary (formerly known as the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary) in Indian Shores, FL.
We’ve driven past it countless times, but we had never noticed it. It’s tiny! It has a small parking lot on Gulf (free), but if for some reason that is full, there is also lots of street parking around (also free). Also, there are actually 2 entrances. You can enter from the street (Gulf) or from the beach. Admission is free, but you should really consider a donation because they do a lot of good work. They rescue injured or orphaned birds and rehabilitate them with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. Plus, they are considered a public charity, so any donations are tax deductible.
(Pictured: Beach Entrance to the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary)
Drop Off Area
If you are entering from the road, one of the first things you will notice is shelves outside the entrance. If the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is closed, you can leave the injured bird (in a cage) here, no questions asked.
Seaside Seabird Sanctuary Hospital
Once you enter, the first building on the left hand side is the hospital, and it is arguably the more important facility at the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary. This is where the staff and volunteers bring the injured birds, diagnose them, and treat them. The goal is to release the birds back into the wild, but if the bird is permanently disabled, they are either kept at the sanctuary or transferred to another facility to be cared for. And these are the birds you get to see. The permanently disabled ones. There are over 100 on the grounds.
Small Birds
The first cages are small(ish) and obviously contain the smaller birds such as blue jays and owls. We had the pleasure of seeing staff put out fresh treats for them (dead mice). Except for one. One of the staff members explained that a particular bird wasn’t being fed so he would regurgitate a pellet. And then we saw that too. Lovely.
Raptors and Shorebirds
Past the smaller cages are larger ones containing raptors and shorebirds. Vultures are quite disgusting birds (in my opinion), but even they get injured and need some loving. The injured shorebird area was more heartbreaking to me. So many disabled birds. It had all the birds that we watch on our evening strolls along the beach. Ibis, Gulls, Egrets, etc. But, of course, was heartwarming to see the sanctuary taking such a good care of them.
Pelicans
And beyond that, even larger cages contained Pelicans. Brown Pelicans and American White Pelicans. Boy were there a lot of them and did they look stunning! It’s really quite sad seeing how many there are and knowing that they can’t be released. The staff evidently feeds the pelicans at 2:30pm everyday, but we missed it. I’m sure it is very interesting to see though, so I’ll just have to come again!
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen an American White Pelican along the beach here. I’ve seen tons and tons of brown pelicans, but I don’t recall seeing white ones before. Maybe I’ve always assumed they were something else. Now I’m going to have to keep an eye out for them! The ones here were too funny. They walked up to the fence like they wanted us to feed them. But all they want is for you to hand them some leaves and twigs to munch on. (We didn’t do it but saw someone else who did.) The pelicans were really friendly and fun to watch.
Observatory
Right before exiting on the beach, there is an observatory (see first picture in post). Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations while we were there, but I imagine it has quite a view! I will definetely be back to check it out. And, to see the birds again, of course.
