The mission of Save Our Seabirds is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured birds and to educate the public about avoiding injuries and preserving habitats.

Save Our Seabirds receives over 5,000 distress calls from caring citizens throughout the Sarasota and Manatee Counties per year. Our initial response is to determine what might be wrong with the bird and whether it is feasible to actually catch the bird and bring it to our hospital. We then dispatch the nearest available rescuer from our list of volunteers to transport the bird to our hospital for treatment. We do everything we can to rehabilitate and release the bird back into the wild, preferably near the place where it was rescued.

Birds that are unable to be returned to the wild are given permanent homes in our beautiful sanctuary, which is right next to Mote Marine Laboratory on City Island in Sarasota.  Save Our Seabirds houses over 120 fascinating birds of dozens of species and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 365 days a year.

Our unique sanctuary offers fascinating educational displays featuring live birds that have been injured and treated, but are unable to be returned to the wild. Strolling along our “Birdwalk,” visitors compare and contrast the various types of diversification and adaptations that make each species unique, and also gain an insight into why each species has evolved specific features, such as beaks, legs, feathers, or feet, in order to survive in their respective natural habitats. Visitors also learn about the various environmental risks to birds, and how to help minimize them.

Our education programs include:

• Standards based and age-appropriate field trips for school children.
• After hour programs for children
• Grant funded science and literacy programs
• A comprehensive and rigorous college internship program.
• Guided and self- guided tours of our facility