Wildlife Viewing Site
|
|
|
|
|
Description: This is the interpretive facility for the 9,200-acre Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. It provides a half-mile self-guided boardwalk through oak scrub, pine flatwoods, mangrove forest, and marsh communities to an observation deck for viewing wildlife, as well as two other nature trails. The center offers three different pontoon boat tours from April through December, focusing on mangrove ecology, birding, and beachcombing. Reservations are required. Watchable wildlife: Raccoons, gopher tortoises, several species of woodpeckers and songbirds can be seen from the boardwalk, typically early or late in the day. The observation platform allows you to view ospreys and a variety of wading birds and shore birds. Scrub jays hang out near the center's bird feeders. A new butterfly garden attracts a number of native butterflies. On the naturalist-led boat tours, ospreys, bald eagles, gulls, brown pelicans, bottle-nosed dolphins, and an occasional manatee may be seen.
Ownership:
Contact: |
Top of Page
Wildlife
Viewing Home | Where
to go in Florida | Species
Spotlight | Viewing
Information
In Your Back Yard |
Wings Over Florida Birding
Certificate Program | With Your Child
Publications |
Great Florida Birding Trail |
Florida Wildlife Calendar