Rehabilitated Seabirds Released from Sanctuary

Blue skies, warm temperatures and a crew of committed volunteers made for a successful seabird release on Thursday afternoon. The entire project took more than two hours to complete and a vast amount of hard work.

One by one, volunteers trekked from the sanctuary down to the water, all while containing a wild animal ready to be set free. The Pelicans weigh anywhere from 6-8 pounds, roughly, which made each trip a little more tiring.

Martin Middledorf has been a volunteer at the sanctuary since January of this year. He said that the release process is the ultimate goal of the organization.

"I love all of this," said Middledorf. "But the releasing of the birds is special because that's the whole idea." 

The volunteers at the Suncaost Seabird Sanctuary worked in a synchronized manner. Two or three handlers would capture a healthy bird from the holding pin, then a crew of taggers would properly attach a sanctuary band to the bird's ankle. The final step is the handoff off the animal, just prior to the journey down to the water.

Seabird Sanctuary employee, Fred Hale, has been with the group for over five years. He said that Thursday's release was much larger than normal. Bird releases are impromptu and vary in numbers, depending on the time of year. This time of year is considered to be fishing season.

"Usually during fishing season, the releases are bigger," explained Hale. "I'm banding a lot more than normal today."

Visitors at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary followed the volunteers to the water and snapped photos of the release. Clapping and cheering followed each bird's first flight back into the wild.

A total of 83 pelicans and 19 cormorants were released from the sanctuary on Thursday afternoon, making the day long but well worth the effort.