The birth of the Sanctuary was in the winter of 1971. A young man by the name of Ralph T. Heath Jr. was driving home from a busy day of Christmas shopping when something caught his eye. That something was a cormorant. The small seabird was limping down the traffic-clogged boulevard dragging a useless wing. Little did the two know that this was the start of something grand.

He pulled over and walked back to the suffering bird. The frightened bird panicked and flopped onto the grass by the edge of the sidewalk. But Heath gently picked him up, wrapped him in a blanket and took him home.

Heath was 25 years old, but his parents were not surprised to see him come home with yet another animal. Since he was four, his father, a retired Tampa Bay surgeon, had assisted him in caring for his menagerie of pets, which ranged from a toy fox terrier to a five-foot snake, not to mention his 350 turtles, pony and a monkey!

The cormorant, dubbed Maynard, was soon joined by other injured and ill birds. Heath got the necessary permits to possess and rehabilitate indigenous wild birds  - they were now official residents. By 1972 due to the exorbitant cost of feeding and maintaining the birds, the non-profit Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary was born.

Four years after Maynard had been rescued, the Sanctuary's population had grown to more than 400 birds in various stages of recovery. The Sanctuary was growing rapidly, and by this time had been featured in almost every form of media worldwide. The future of the Sanctuary seemed secure.

Then in 1974 disaster struck. The owner of a motel in Redington Shores complained about the Sanctuary. The mayor said the birds were "an eyesore and a public nuisance." An eviction notice from the City Fathers gave Heath thirty days to get rid of the birds Ralph was in despair. Where could he move so many birds? Then a flash of inspiration found him dashing into the house frantically digging through the property deeds to the family land. What he discovered was that the majority of the property was in Indian Shores. All that he needed was to relocate a few cages over the city line. It worked - and the community of Indian Shores was happy to have Heath and his feathered friends.

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is excited to announce that it has just released a 60 minute DVD Documentary - Flying Free.

It includes the mission and history of the Sanctuary.  It features an actual rescue of an injured bird, the life saving surgery and then a final release back to freedom. The DVD is on sale in the gift shop, or by calling 727-391-6211 or emailing: shop@seabirdsanctuary.com.

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Just recently the Sanctuary celebrated 35 years of operation. It has had many triumphs to its credit, especially notable is the captive breeding of the Eastern brown pelican. In the past, ornithologists have considered the brown pelican to be too nervous and delicate to reproduce in captivity . It was also felt in the scientific community that permanently crippled animals were of no value and should be euthanized. One expert even went as far as to state that Ralph was interfering with natural selection. Heath's response was typical: "Manmade monofilament line and fish hooks have nothing to do with natural selection." In the spring of 1975, two crippled residents dubbed "Salty" and "Alexis" produced a perfect offspring that was named Pax (Latin for peace). Once again Heath had persevered in the face of tremendous opposition.

As the Sanctuary moves into the millennium, it is growing and evolving in order to meet new challenges. Educating the public about wildlife and the environment continues to be a high priority for Heath. While he works and cares for the sick and injured, Ralph Heath is ever working and dreaming of a better world. The birdman and others like him are our only hope for the future of this planet.