The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is an unassuming property scrunched between high-rise apartment buildings and is a bit hard to see at first glance. Look for the giant pelican statue out front. It has a hook in its mouth and a line wrapped around an injured wing.
The sanctuary gets about 10,800 calls every year, rescues over 3,500 birds, and manages to rehabilitate and release 1,347 of them. The birds that are viewable have permanent injuries that would make it unlikely for them to survive in the wild, so they have permanent homes. The ones that can be rehabilitated are not on public display as they don’t want them to acclimate to human interaction.
The sanctuary sits on 3 acres and has a spectacular view of the ocean in the back. This is where they release the birds that have been rehabilitated and are ready to take on the world once again. Check the website for upcoming release dates if you want to be there to watch – http://www.seasideseabirdsanctuary.org.
They have a wide range of permanent residents. Their injuries may not be visible, but many are egregious. The bald eagle in this blog’s cover photo now lives at the sanctuary because someone shot him. I can’t really wrap my mind around that. What kind of idiot purposely injures such a beautiful creature?
There are also birds that are free to leave, but apparently want to stick around with their friends and family.
And then there was my favorite: Rufous. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to pet this little guy. The volunteer who was handling him was a walking encyclopedia. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a question you could ask that he couldn’t answer. I learned that Rufous is an Eastern Screech Owl. Unlike birds, raptors like Rufous are carnivorous. They eat cockroaches. I think he’d be very happy on my back porch.
Rufous had flown into something and lost his eyesight. Over time, one eye repaired itself but the other one never did. I always worry that birds are miserable when they can’t soar through the skies like they were meant to do, but Rufous seemed quite content. In the wild, Eastern Screech Owls live to about 8 years old but with the veterinary care they get at the sanctuary, can live to about 15.
The sanctuary survives on your largesse so please put something in one of the donation boxes scattered around the facility. The costs of food, grounds maintenance and veterinary care are astronomical. The utilities alone, including electricity, water, sewer and waste removal, cost a little over $2,000 a month. In one week they use 10 gallons of bleach, 3 gallons of laundry detergent, and one of germicidal disinfectant. Food includes fish, ground beef, worms, apples, grapes, cracked corn, and a bonanza of other goodies.
Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is located in Indian Shores at 18328 Gulf Blvd. If you have questions, call 727-391-6211. They are wheelchair accessible but the location is outside on uneven packed dirt. There is no entry fee but consider a donation if you have a good time. And really? How could you not with little Rufous there to enchant you?
Lisa Browder 
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