WILDLIFE

Although the park is most known for the formal garden, the majority of the parks nearly 400 acres exists in natural condition. The beach dune areas of the park provide nesting places for endangered sea turtles. The loggerhead sea turtle is a frequent visitor to the beaches of the park.

The coastal scrub is home to several endangered and threatened species. Due to aggressive resource management practices, The endangered scrub jay is no longer seen at the park. There is not enough habituate surrounding the park to support a family. The Gopher Tortoise makes his home in the scrub.

The endangered Florida Manatee is frequently seen along the western boundaries of the park in the Matanzas River. This gentle giant can be seen frequently swimming and feeding in the shallows along the parks seawall.

There are excellent bird watching opportunities at Washington Oaks State Gardens. Well over one hundred (100) species of birds have been observed in the park and surrounding waters. The hammock forest is active during the spring (April-May) and fall (Sept.-Oct.) migration when many species of songbirds, including the colorful wood warblers, move along the Atlantic Flyway. The bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and northern harrier are seasonal inhabitants of the Matanzas river basin (fall and winter months are best for birds-of-prey) and a variety of wading birds, including egrets, herons, wood stork and white ibis, feed in tidal creeks and marshes.