We are having wind and rain as predicted but are secure on our dock. We were mostly on the boat but decided to go to the Marine Science Center in the afternoon. This is a research and rehabilitation center for birds and turtles. They also have exhibits and tanks showing reefs and mangroves.
It was pretty crowded on the rainy day but not overwhelming. The kids were having a great time. We met two raptors, a red tailed hawk and a sparrow hawk or kestrel. Both had injured wings and could not survive in the wild. There is also a great horned owl that we saw in his enclosure.
With most of the raptors, the male prepares the nest and the instinct is strong. In the aviary, the hawk and the owl prepare nests every year and call out for a mate. Sometimes when they don’t come, the hawk will destroy the nest and rebuild. The owl attracts a female on the outside. They call to one another but cannot be together. Very sad.
The tanks were quite good with lots of corals and reef creatures. They had a moray eel and many of the reef fish. They are growing staghorn coral. One of the tanks showed the reef at night with the glow from bioluminescence. Seahorses occupied another tank.
They have a long deck where you can look down on turtle tanks. They have pictures of turtles when they were rescued and then when they were released. Many have been injured from motor props. They stay in small pools by themselves to rest and eat and then graduate to the larger tanks where they can swim around. Fun outing.
We walked back to the boat.The oak canopy kept us dry in places. The resurrection fern was very happy as were the shore birds in the parking lot run off pond.
