Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/233139
Sarasota News Leader December 27, 2013 Page 23 THE CELERY FIELDS MAY BE FOR THE BIRDS, BUT PUBLIC RESTROOMS AND A NATURE CENTER WILL IMPROVE THE PRESERVE FOR RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS By Roger Drouin County Editor A loggerhead shrike perched momentarily in a small oak tree at the Celery Fields, not far from where Wade Matthews, conservation chairman of the Sarasota Audubon Society, stood. of the Celery Fields. It is just one of the 217 species of breeding and migratory birds that have been spotted at the 440-acre preserve. In Florida, there are about 500 recorded bird species. "It's a songbird but has a hooked beak like a The only other preserve in Sarasota County hawk, but not as long," noted Matthews. that has close to that number of avian species The shrike — which preys on vertebrates, is the much larger Myakka River State Park, mostly dragonflies — is a year-round resident said Sarasota Audubon President Jeanne Dubi. From dry to wet: This July 1930 photo was taken where the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility stands now. Image courtesy Sarasota County