There were lots of sumac berries for the scrub jays to eat. This jay perches next to his meal.
Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
I first met the friendly scrub jays when I went on a camping trip to Oscar Scherer State Park in Sarasota as a kid. These beautiful jays have no fear of humans. Since they are so habitat-specific, few people get to see them. I became reaquainted with this species this morning during a walk through the South Lake Conservation Area in Brevard County during the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival.
Our walk through the scrub habitat began in the cool morning hours.
This wasn’t strictly a birding walk, so we were accompanied by an assortment of experts:
- Xavier de Seguin des Hons (helps oversea the restoration and maintenance of the tract)
- Dr. David Breininger ( a bird guy)
- Dr. Paul Schmalzer (a plant guy)
- Michelle Smurl (a representative from the Brevard Zoo)
- Pete Dunne (one of the most amazing bird guys on the planet)
The scrub habitat is characterized by saw palmetto, sand pine, slash pine, longleaf pine, scrub oaks, and a large assortment of low scrubby plants that can tolerate the hot, dry, shadeless conditions of a sand ridge. Regular controlled burns maintain the scrub habitat to keep it attractive to the scrub jays.
Walking through the South Lake Conservation Area during the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival. The scrub jays appeared in the distance at first, then gradually came closer.
We took a long, slow, winding walk through the scrub, gradually attracting the attention of a bevy of scrub jays that found our presence quite amusing. They followed us around and generally made a fuss over us.
Michelle Smurl points out a familiar scrub jay in the scrub to the left.
The scrub jay is a beautiful bird, with various shades of blue and gray.
Scrub jays are so friendly they'll land right on your head. This one was on my head first, then hopped over to someone else.
Dr. Paul Schmalzer explains the characteristics of a particular plant I believe he called a "tar flower."
A wide range of participants took the walk. Some were more focused on birds, others had an interest in plants. We all had a great time, and the weather was perfect.
I met lots of interesting people during the walk; Each person had unique bird stories to share. Pete Dunne amazed me with his ability to identify a bird species a quarter mile away with his naked eye before I could even FIND the bird using my binoculars. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the Festival.
Other species I saw: Bald Eagle, Turkey vulture, Red-tailed hawk, yellow-rumped warbler, catbird.
We were told that in the early morning hours around sunrise the Rufous-sided towhee [Eastern towhee] is very common.
FTC Disclosure of Material Connections: I receive compensation from the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival for writing about the 2010 Festival. I also receive a great deal of personal satisfaction from writing about this wonderful event.
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I’ve lived in Florida all my life and never done one of these birding walks. I guess I always thought you had to be a serious bird watcher to participate. I’m gonna have to give it a try, looks like fun!
Hi Kathy,
Some trips appeal more to serious birders and others would appeal to anyone with an interest in nature. You can download a full color catalog from the Birding Festival website and see descriptions of the classes and field trips. I’m definitely not a hard-core birder, but I got along great. I’m using a pair of $25 binoculars and a $300 camera. Many of the birders have $1,000 binoculars and $3,000 spotting scopes, but no one pays any attention to what I’m using or what I know or don’t know. It’s all about enjoying nature, having fun and learning. I was concerned at first that I might not fit in well, but that’s totally not an issue at all.