The sanctuary is located in the charming nautical community of Punta Gorda, located on the southern side of the Charlotte Harbor area. The Peace river ends there. It is within the county park of the same name. Here, folks who love wildlife, take care of and rehabilitate mostly birds and reptiles. Many are permanently kept at the sanctuary due to their injuries or handicaps. It was an interesting afternoon visit for a photo shoot, education and a walk through the wetlands of the park learning about tree crabs and their preferred use as fishing bait among locals!

First thing I noticed inside the facility were the orchids!

Most of these birds are not capable of flying, so they are allowed outside, cage-free:

The snow owl is fast asleep during the day

His crooked beak prevents him from catching his meal

This guy’s handsome, isn’t he?

The walk along the river wetlands was interesting with boardwalks to assist. We learned all about the collecting of the small crabs that crawl up onto the mangrove trees to be used as fish bait. We watched the hunt for these. In the process we discovered our own fiddler crab.

This girl is chasing small crabs from the trees

After the visit to this park, we stopped at Fisherman’s Village for a stroll around the shops.