For the Birds

Binoculars? Check. Nature journal? Check. Lindsay carefully packed her bag before our first trip to the Celery Fields in Sarasota, a spot much loved by local birdwatchers for the variety of winged creatures found there.

 

We strolled along a boardwalk to a gazebo overlooking the restored wetlands at this former agricultural area, which now serves as a storm-water collection site for Sarasota County. All of the aquatic plants and trees put in here during the restoration have helped to attract some 200 (and counting) species of birds to the park.

 

A bird naturalist from the Sarasota Audubon Society pointed out the different birds that were out and about during our visit, like anhingas, turkey vultures, egrets, and pied-billed grebes. Lindsay peered at them through her binoculars, then whipped out her nature journal to take notes and draw pictures. Handy checklists of birds found in Sarasota County available on-site offer another way to keep track of what you might spot.

 

Though busy Interstate 75 is in sight, that doesn’t stop the feathered visitors from swooping in and out, or take away from the park’s peaceful atmosphere. It’s a great place to slow down and reconnect with the area’s wild side. And the next time we visit, we plan on tackling the trails leading to the top of the park’s 85-foot, manmade mound (a byproduct of the wetlands restoration) for a totally different perspective of the Celery Fields.