Tag: gallery

Manatee gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on June 19, 2024. Posted in Photo Galleries.

- Cindy Lane | Sun

Manatees, or sea cows – actually relatives of the elephant – frequent waters around Anna Maria Island. They are a federally threatened species.

Shorebird gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on January 23, 2024. Posted in Photo Galleries.

- Cindy Lane | Sun

Least terns, pelicans, royal terns, snowy plovers, gulls, black skimmers and oystercatchers are some of the shorebirds that frequent Anna Maria Island.

Dolphin gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on January 23, 2024. Posted in Photo Galleries.

- Cindy Lane | Sun

Dolphins frequent the Gulf of Mexico, the Intracoastal Waterway, Sarasota Bay and the Manatee River near Anna Maria Island.

Cortez FISH Preserve gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on January 19, 2024. Posted in Photo Galleries.

Wetlands at the FISH Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

New mangrove - Cindy Lane | Sun

White pelicans - snowbirds - and native brown pelicans at the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Birds hunt for mullet at the FISH Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

An osprey hunts at the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Native plants are replacing invasive species. - Cindy Lane | Sun

A mangrove island forms off the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Wetlands at the FISH Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

FISH Preserve from Sarasota Bay - Cindy Lane | Sun

Juvenile fish are protected in the FISH Preserve wetlands. - Cindy Lane | Sun

FISH Preserve wetlands draw white ibis and other shorebirds. - Cindy Lane | Sun

A turkey vulture at the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Mangroves have been planted at the FISH Preserve, part of many efforts to restore the bayfront land to a natural state. - Cindy Lane | Sun

The FISH Preserve from Sarasota Bay - Cindy Lane | Sun

The eastern boundary of the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun

The FISH Preserve is nearly 100 acres east of 119th St. W. in the historic fishing village of Cortez, whose residents began raising money more than three decades ago to purchase the land, one plot at a time, with proceeds from the annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival held each February.

FISH, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, intended the preserve to create a buffer between encroaching development and Sarasota Bay, known as “The Kitchen,” because Cortezians find much of their food there.

FISH continues to work on restoring and expanding the preserve, clearing it of invasive species, planting native vegetation and working on plans for hiking and kayak trails.

Grassy Point Preserve gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on January 12, 2024. Posted in Photo Galleries.

Grassy Point Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

- Cindy Lane | Sun

Grassy Point Preserve in Holmes Beach offers mangrove tunnels on the bay side of Anna Maria Island on the Intracoastal Waterway and nearly 35 acres to explore on land, some of it accessible by boardwalk.

You may see roseate spoonbills (often mistaken for flamingos), roosting pelicans and white ibis, or even one of Florida’s threatened manatees.

Turn east at Gulf Drive and 30th Street, then north on Avenue C.

Perico Preserve gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on January 6, 2024. Posted in Photo Galleries.

Lily pond - Cindy Lane | Sun

Moorehen - Cindy Lane | Sun

Gaillardia - Cindy Lane | Sun

Mexican primrose willow - Cindy Lane | Sun

Mimosa - Cindy Lane | Sun

Bird nesting island - Cindy Lane | Sun

Uprooted tree - Cindy Lane | Sun

Wetlands - Cindy Lane | Sun

- Cindy Lane | Sun

Lily pads - Cindy Lane | Sun

Slash pine, gaillardia - Cindy Lane | Sun

Water lilies - Cindy Lane | Sun

Muhly grass, slash pine - Cindy Lane | Sun

Slash pine - Cindy Lane | Sun

Saw palmetto - Cindy Lane | Sun

Robinson Preserve, from Perico Preserve, across Perico Bayou. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Pokeweed - Cindy Lane | Sun

Muhly grass - Cindy Lane | Sun

Lily pond at Perico Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

Gopher tortoise, with bird nesting island in background - Cindy Lane | Sun

Estuary shallows - Cindy Lane | Sun

Camouflaged crab - Cindy Lane | Sun

Butterfly and bee - Cindy Lane | Sun

White egret - Cindy Lane | Sun

Saltbush - Cindy Lane | Sun

Pied-billed grebe - Cindy Lane | Sun

Mangrove - Cindy Lane | Sun

Mangrove butterfly - Cindy Lane | Sun

Perico Preserve is a former 176-acre farm that dated back to the 1930s. A vegetable stand operated into the 1970s at 11700 Manatee Ave. W., where the preserve entrance is located.

A 1.5-mile shell and boardwalk trail leads to a bird blind, designed for birdwatchers and photographers, a Monet-like pond, with water lilies and a bridge, and the bird rookery island, the main feature of the preserve.

Shaded swing benches overlook fresh and saltwater marshes. Dry uplands provide habitat for relocated gopher tortoises. Shady trails are comfortable for summer walkers.

From a boardwalk, visitors can see Robinson Preserve across Perico Bayou; the two preserves create a wildlife corridor for many species of animals and birds.

To protect wildlife, dogs are not allowed at Perico Preserve, and bicycles are limited to certain areas; both are allowed at Robinson Preserve.