Description: This 245 acre park is managed by the Florida Park Service
Vegetation Communities: Coastal dune, coastal strand, beach, maritime hammock, tidal swamp.
Location: Southern end of Manasota Key plus Peterson and Whidden Islands.
Amenities: Parking area ($3 fee), bathrooms, picnic tables, beach, unpaved trails. Bird nesting areas are roped off in the spring and summer.
Animal Species: You may not be able to see all these species
Birds that you may encounter year-round include:
Brown pelican | Black Skimmer* | Great Blue Heron |
Killdeer* | Laughing Gull | Northern Mockingbird |
Osprey | Ring-billed Gull | Royal Tern |
Sandwich Tern | Snowy Egret | Snowy Plover* |
Willet | Wilson’s Plover* | Yellow-crowned Night Heron |
Migrants that you may see:
Black-bellied Plover | Common Loon | Forster’s Tern |
Great black-backed Gull | Least Tern* | Magnificent Frigatebird |
Northern Gannet | Peregrine Falcon | Piping Plover |
Red Knot | Ruddy Turnstone | Sanderling |
Semipalmated Plover | Western Sandpiper | White Pelican |
* Breed in the area during the summer
Documented Mammals:
Raccoon |
Documented Herps:
Brown Anole | Gopher Tortoise | Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
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