Seaside Seabird Sanctuary

Seaside Seabird Sanctuary On average, over 3,000 sick and injured wild birds are admitted into the hospital each year. Admission and parking for the Sanctuary is free.
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The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, & release of Florida's native wild birds, & spreading awareness through education & community engagement. Founded in 2016, the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured wild birds with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. The Sanc

tuary’s 1.5-acre property houses a full service avian hospital and rehabilitation center that is equipped with emergency facilities and indoor/outdoor rehabilitation areas. The Sanctuary is also home over 100 permanently injured resident birds on display ranging from songbirds to a variety of seabirds and majestic birds of prey. Most of these birds were admitted to the hospital for rehabilitation but were not able to be released due to the nature of their injuries. The Sanctuary also features daily and weekly demonstrations, an educational center, observation deck, and gift shop. The Sanctuary is perfectly suited for the avid birder; any stroll the grounds of the Sanctuary enjoying the tremendous opportunities for photography due to our resident birds and wild visitors as well as our location right on the beach here in Indian Shores. Tours are available to book for groups small or large. The facility is open 365 days a year from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. Private donations are the Sanctuary's only means of support, as it does not receive any government funding.

We had such a great time celebrating World Oceans Day! Thank you so much to Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Clearwater Marine A...
06/07/2026

We had such a great time celebrating World Oceans Day! Thank you so much to Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, all the organizations who attended the program and to all of the visitors who came out to show their support for the conservation of our precious marine ecosystems!

06/06/2026

We wanted to share our recent release videos for some of the Osprey that we have been caring for at our sanctuary!

After receiving initial care and stabilization in our main hospital facility, we move our Osprey patients out to one of our flight barns as an intermediate stage after hospitalization, where the birds have more time to gain weight, strength and flight conditioning prior to assessing for release.

We have several in our care that we are hopeful will also be cleared for release soon, but today we were so thrilled to release 4 successfully rehabilitated Ospreys back into the wild!

👋🪽 Fly Free! 🪽👋

Our hospital is full of young herons who vaguely resemble Einstein 👓Baby Season continues and our hospital is full of a ...
06/05/2026

Our hospital is full of young herons who vaguely resemble Einstein 👓

Baby Season continues and our hospital is full of a variety of babies from all across Pinellas County and beyond. The first two photos feature some of our Yellow-crowned Night Heron chicks currently in care, and the last photo features a Great Blue Heron chick. All of the heron chicks we're caring for were injured after falling from their nest, so we are working hard to provide the best care possible to ensure they continue to grow! Heron chicks require a specialized diet to ensure they receive the proper amount of calcium and nutrients to support the growth of their long legs, and we house chicks together whenever possible to ensure that they are properly socialized with their species. In the wild, competition is high between siblings and siblicide is often the cause of falls from the nest.

Help us continue to keep baby birds in the wild! If you find a baby bird on the ground, please call us first at 727-391-6211 option 1 so that we can provide advice on the best course of action. We also hope you'll consider making a donation to help us continue to care for birds in need!

Come out and join us this Saturday to celebrate World Oceans Day!!🐟 Celebrate World Oceans Day with Seaside Seabird Sanc...
06/03/2026

Come out and join us this Saturday to celebrate World Oceans Day!!

🐟 Celebrate World Oceans Day with Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and the Tampa Bay Roots & Shoots Alliance! Meet and greet with 45+ local organizations working hard to protect our oceans and learn how YOU can help!

🐋 WHEN: Saturday, June 6th from 10 am - 2 pm

🐬 WHERE: Clearwater Marine Aquarium - 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767 (4th floor Ballroom)

🦈 Admission is FREE, and guests can receive 20% off aquarium admission to explore after visiting the event. For FREE admission to the event, enter through the 4th floor doors via the parking structure.

🐠 Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-oceans-day-celebration-tickets-1984988637449?aff=oddtdtcreator to learn more!

✨️It's a Shorebird Party!!!✨️Seen here is some of the shorebird patients we are currently caring for in our hospital, in...
06/01/2026

✨️It's a Shorebird Party!!!✨️

Seen here is some of the shorebird patients we are currently caring for in our hospital, including a juvenile American Oystercatcher, 3 Ruddy Turnstones, and a Sanderling.

Shorebird species that can be seen foraging in large groups of mixed species along shorelines, often do well in our care when they are with others of their own or similar species. Being in a group can help to make them feel more comfortable during the rehabilitation process, and encourage self-feeding. We often use this spare room in our hospital for patients as a way to give them more space and exercise prior to transitioning them to our outdoor recovery aviaries, which is the intermediate stage before they are assessed for release!

Florida's coastal regions provide crucial nesting and foraging habitats for a variety of shorebird and seabird species. Always remember to "Share The Shore" and respect the space of birds on the beach. Stay clear of all roped off nesting colonies, and always walk around (not through) birds foraging and resting along the shoreline! If the birds are reacting to your presence, this means that you are too close!

In addition to our permanent resident birds, we also have many wild "visitors" that roost in the trees here at our sanct...
05/31/2026

In addition to our permanent resident birds, we also have many wild "visitors" that roost in the trees here at our sanctuary. Many wild birds also build their nests and raise their young here too!

One of the species that often roost and nest here is the Black Vulture! Black Vultures are highly social birds that form very strong family bonds. The parents continue to feed and care for their young for several months after the fledgling stage. Vultures will often spend several years roosting and scavenging together in family units!

This juvenile vulture hatched on our grounds early this winter, and we continue to see this young one still roosting and patrolling our sanctuary, often with mom and dad very close by watching over! When vultures first hatch there feathers a light brown color, darkening to their distinctive black as they age. You can spot this juvenile in the photo by the little light tuft of hair they still have on top of their head!

Next time you visit the sanctuary, stay on the lookout for our wild vulture visitors, and be sure to say hello to our resident Black Vultures (Johnny and Vicky) and our resident Turkey Vultures (Ruby and Lars)!

Looking for something fun this weekend for the family? Come join us for Reading with Rufous tomorrow at 11am! Read a chi...
05/30/2026

Looking for something fun this weekend for the family? Come join us for Reading with Rufous tomorrow at 11am! Read a children's book with Rufous the Eastern Screech Owl on our beachside observation tower and enjoy all of the sights and sounds the Sanctuary has to offer. This is a great event for children of all ages and we hope you'll join us!

⚠️ WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES ⚠️With the passing of another holiday weekend, comes another influx of Double-Crested Cormora...
05/26/2026

⚠️ WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES ⚠️

With the passing of another holiday weekend, comes another influx of Double-Crested Cormorants brought to us with severe injuries resulting from propeller strikes. While we take in patients year-round as a result of propeller laceration injuries, we always see an increase during holidays and busy vacation times when there are more boats out on the water.

Propeller lacerations often result in fatal injuries, and these injuries can affect not only aquatic birds, but also sea turtles and marine mammals.

Reduce the risk of propeller strike injuries by observing all no wake signage. Steer clear and SLOW DOWN anytime you see wildlife in the water - Do not assume that the animal will swim away and avoid your boat. We also always like to remind everyone to NEVER feed wildlife. Animals that become habituated to being fed by people will often approach boats, putting them at greater risk of propeller injuries, trash ingestion, hook/line entanglement and other human-caused injuries. You can also use a propeller cage or other guard/housing that encases the blades.

When you go out on the water, please enjoy and appreciate the beauty of wildlife, but respect their space and be cautious and mindful of human-impact!

We're thrilled to share our newest mural at the Sanctuary! 🙌Our dear friend Connor Poovey, .pooveyart who has done all o...
05/25/2026

We're thrilled to share our newest mural at the Sanctuary! 🙌

Our dear friend Connor Poovey, .pooveyart who has done all of the murals here at the Sanctuary, has done it again with this incredible piece celebrating Florida. The mural features a diving Osprey, native plants and fish, an homage to our logo, a Diamondback Terrapin, and a Roseate Spoonbill inspired by our beloved permanent resident, Meatball! We don't have enough words to express how much we love this mural, and we hope that you all enjoy it during your next visit. Please help us in saying THANK YOU to Connor for his hard work and support of our Sanctuary!

Address

18328 Gulf Boulevard
Indian Shores, FL
33785

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17273916211

Website

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