NATURE & PARKS

Unspoiled and protected, our beautiful and natural parks are refuge for birds, mammals and humans alike. Brooker Creek Preserve's 8,500 acres are home to more than 160 bird species, 20 amphibians, 50 reptiles and 40 mammals, many of them rare or protected. Weedon Island Preserve's 1,500 island acres offers 9 miles of hiking trails, 4 miles of canoe trails, platforms and an elevated boardwalk providing an intimate view of the flora and fauna of Florida including birds, fish, snakes, raccoons, dolphins, bobcats, deer and otters. Clearwater's Moccasin Lake Nature Park showcases most of the plant and animal species native to the area.

Explore the trails beyond the beaches. Experience such "untraditional" trails as the Osprey Nature Trail on Honeymoon Island where the threatened ospreys increase in numbers, or the Fred E. Marquis Pinellas Trail, the longest and most recognized urban trail in the U.S., featuring parks, coastal areas, ancient live oaks, waterways and neighborhoods, and recently voted one of the best trails to skate for fitness; boardwalks moving through multiple ecosystems; and the Friendship Trail Bridge, the longest over-the-water recreation trail in the U.S.

The Gulf of Mexico and our rivers offer "watch-able wildlife." Approximately 2,600 manatees inhabit our springs, bays and canals, feeding on aquatic plants. North American river otters play in brackish creeks and streams. Everyone's favorites, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, can be seen cavorting with beauty and grace. Alligators can be found in some freshwater areas of the county. Over 300 species of fish swim in our waters, most of them edible and all of them worthy of study.

Florida is the second largest rookery in the world for the huge loggerhead sea turtle. This threatened species crawls onto the beach each summer to dig nests and lay their eggs in an ancient rite as old as the beach itself. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium patrols the beaches daily to monitor nesting females and tiny hatchlings as they begin their trek to the sea. In a very rare event, the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle chooses Clearwater Beach on which to nest.

Offering both quality and quantity of species, Clearwater is a birdwatcher's paradise. Commonly seen birds include osprey, numerous species of egret, heron and gull, white ibis, roseate spoonbill, immature bald eagle, brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, willet and sanderling. Known as the fish hawk, the osprey community is growing on Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area with more than 20 nests showing activity in 2000. Two Florida specialties are reddish egrets, the rarest heron in the U.S., and Florida scrub-jays, the only bird species unique to Florida, the Florida Birding Festival is held each October.

One of few remaining undisturbed barrier islands in Florida, Caladesi Island State Park is ranked the fourth finest beach in the United States. For those who like to walk, Caladesi Island is accessible by foot from Clearwater Beach (a three plus mile walk; no automobile access nor available parking) and it is easily accessible by ferry or boat. The unspoiled island offers natural vegetation, abundant bird life and interpretative programs for Florida nature study. Here one can see the threatened gopher tortoise. Fiddler crabs scurry along the beach. The hardwood hammock leads to the original homestead built at the turn of the century. A ferry service to the island departs hourly from the Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area marina. Boat berths are available during the day at the Caladesi Island marina.

One of the few remaining South Florida Virgin Slash Pine stands may be observed along Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area's northern loop trail. These large trees serve as important nesting sites for the threatened osprey. Other important coastal communities found on and around the island include mangrove swamps, sea grass beds, salt marshes, tidal flats and sand dunes.

Few destinations offer the opportunity to visit four wildlife sanctuaries. With daily feedings, presentations and "hands-on" opportunities both on land and on water, visit, view and learn the biology and behavior of bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, river otters, sting rays, local fish and coral reefs at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The aquarium cares for sick and injured marine mammals. Because Florida is the second largest rookery in the world for the huge loggerhead sea turtle, the aquarium patrols the beaches daily, and visitors can join them, to monitor nesting females and tiny hatchlings as they begin their trek to the sea.

Moccasin Lake Nature Park is a 51-acre preserve featuring rescued and rehabilitated birds (including two bald eagles, a black vulture, a red tail hawk and horned owl), reptilian, insect and fish displays, plant and energy exhibits, and nature trails through a diversity of natural Florida habitats, allowing viewing of native birds, insects, amphibians, mammals and reptiles.

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is home to more than 600 birds, representing dozens of species, living and recuperating in the sanctuary; the center breeds permanently disabled birds in hopes of releasing their offspring back into nature. The sanctuary treats over 10,000 injured birds annually.

Nowhere else but Big Cat Rescue can one be face to face with over 200 big cats and many of the 20 plus species of exotic and endangered cats which number less than 200 on the planet. Some of the more unusual cats include fishing, leopard, geoffrey, and bear but also protected are Asian lions, Siberian lynx, clouded leopards, servals, tigers, caracals and more.