Santuary, Mangroves, and Produce.

Here are some more photos from the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary...

From the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary site:

Located on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida, the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is a truly unique place.    Founded in 1971 by zoologist Ralph Heath, the Sanctuary is the largest non-profit wild bird hospital in the United States. It is staffed by experienced professionals assisted by over a hundred dedicated volunteers. Similar to a human hospital, it is equipped with emergency facilities, a surgical center, and indoor and outdoor rehabilitation areas. An average of 23-30 wild birds are admitted every day for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, approximately 90% of these injuries are directly or indirectly attributable to humans.

The Sanctuary is considered to be one of the top avian rehabilitation centers in the world. Up to 10,000 wild injured birds (159 different species ) were admitted to the hospital each year  for care. Happily, over 80% of the birds that survive the first 24 hours are successfully  rehabilitated and released back into the wild. These statistics rank the Sanctuary as the largest and most successful wild bird hospitals in the United States.

After our trip to the sanctuary, we drove past a nature refuge park and decided to walk through. It was basically a long, long walk through the mangroves, ending at a dock.

On our way home, we stopped by a farm stand and bought some sweet bread from a local bakery.

And can you believe it? Mirza made dinner again. His OWN creation. He whipped up "Greek portobello steaks" with feta/tofu (!!!), green beans, and red smashed potatoes. It was so delicious.

I must run! We're getting ready for the Green expo!

I slept in this morning and plan on doing Week 6, Day 2 of the CT5K this evening. yikes!

Check back later for my tips on finding free events in your area! I'm on a strict budget this month...