Two owls on a branch overhead

Sanctuary Sightings

Catch up on recent sightings by visitors and staff.

Visitors and staff observe flora and fauna from the boardwalk on a daily basis. Below are some of the highlights reported since July 12, 2025.

To find out what to expect in a particular season, check out our Seasonal Nature Viewing Opportunities page. 

Birds:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Louisiana Waterthrush
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Swallow-tailed Kite
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Limpkin
Mourning Dove
Common Ground Dove
Barred Owl
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Parula
Northern Cardinal
Boat-tailed Grackle

Butterflies:
Orange-barred Sulphur
Sleepy Orange
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail
Zebra Swallowtail
Ceranus Blue
Cassius Blue
Ruddy Daggerwing
Cloudless Sulphur
Zebra Longwing
Gulf Fritillary
White Peacock
Great Southern White
Clouded Skipper
Palamedes Swallowtail
Dainty Sulphur
Phaon Crescent
Pearl Crescent
Viceroy
Brazilian Skipper
Dun Skipper
Three-Spotted Skipper
Twin–Spot Skipper

Other Invertebrates:
Click Beetle
Dragonflies
Damselflies
Grasshoppers
Apple Snails
Fireflies

Reptiles and Amphibians:
Greenhouse Frog
Narrow-mouth Toad
Five-lined Skink
Carolina Green Anole
Cuban Brown Anole
American Alligator 
Squirrel Treefrog
Pig Frog
Green Treefrog
Cuban Tree Treefrog

Mammals:
Raccoon
Gray Squirrel
Cottontail Rabbit

Blooming Plants:
Winged Loosestrife  (Lythrum alatum)
Starrush Whitetop  (Rhynchospora colorata)
Scarlet Rosemallow (Hibiscus coccineus)
Rosy Camphorweed (Pluchea baccaris)
Yellow Helmet Orchid (Polystachya concreta)
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)
Swamp Lily  (Crinum americanum)
Lanceleaf Arrowhead  (Sagittaria lancifolia)
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)
Beggartick  (Bidens alba)
Tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii)
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fasiculata)
Dingy Flowered Star Orchid (Epidendrum anceps or amphistomum)

Want more info?

Find more sightings, or report your own on our Facebook pageYouTube, or iNaturalist!