Florida Scrub-Jay

I recently made a special trip to see some Florida Scrub-Jays (lifer birds for me), which turned out to be one of the most fun birding experiences I've had. These birds are so charismatic and captivating!

The jays are a vulnerable species due to habitat loss caused by human development and fire suppression. They are extremely particular about their environment, which consists of scrubby oak and vegetation no taller than six or seven feet. When the trees grow too tall and dense, the birds can no longer live there. Biologists have learned to manage the jays' habitat with periodic controlled fires to keep the brush down.

These birds are very social and live in family groups. I visited a couple of reserves where the families were closely monitored and every individual was known.

As I knew the jays are a sensitive species, I took care to be very quiet and tried not to cause any disturbance when I entered their territory. I was worried I might not see any as the weather wasn't that great, but little did I know that they would find me.

As it started to rain, I got out a plastic bag to cover my camera. The sound of a crinkling plastic bag is the universal alert for humans with food.  I did not have any food, and I was definitely not going to offer up any snacks (never feed wildlife!), but the birds obviously recognized that sound and sought me out immediately.

This is the look of How dare you not bring me peanuts?!?

The adult birds were all banded and were anything but shy.

This one talked—or scolded—me for several minutes. Their calls are similar to our local Blue Jays, but not as harsh and have a more melodic question-like inflection. You can listen to one here.

And, these birds are beautiful - they are blue on their heads, back, wings, and tail, with a little blue "necklace" on a soft white throat and chest. The blue feathers have a subtle shimmer.

The bird pictured above is presumably a youngster who has not been banded yet. It hung out on a trail with a companion, who was also unbanded, and followed this armadillo around as it dug up tasty treasures in the sand.

If you ever have the opportunity to meet these birds, definitely do it. They are like no other.