Oh, Give Me a Home Where the Florida Scrub Jays Roam

Florida scrub jays live in nearly every dry, scrubby area of Florida except for the panhandle and the keys. There are, though, 3 main areas where you can more easily spot them: in the Ocala National Forest, on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and on an ancient sa nd dune that runs down the middle of the state known as the Lake Wales Ridge.

Ocala NF holds a popular and extensive scrub community. The forest's Hopkins Prairie is said to be one of the best places for observing Florida scrub jays.

The largest scrub preserves for the Florida scrub jay are Merritt Island NWR along the Atlantic coast and Canaveral National Seashore. Together, they support the largest population of Florida scrub jays.

The Lake Wales Ridge is broken up into several preserves: Archibald Biological Station in Sebring (941-465-2571) Lake Wales Ridge State Forest in Frostproof (941-635-7801) and Lake Kissimmee State Park in Lake Wales (941-696-1112).

Also, Oscar Scherer State Park has a wide sprawl of scrub flatwoods where a number of Florida scrub jay families are gregarious enough to approach visitors. Another state park on the other side of the state, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, has expanses of sand pine scrub where Florida scrub jay families thrive.

Overall, the largest population of Florida scrub jays is at the Kennedy Space Center, where ideal scrub habitat is preserved. Ironically, this area also poses a threat to the birds, especially to a small population that inhabits the Titan launch impact areas. Studies were initiated in 1991 on the effects of launch cloud deposition and launch pad lighting on the Florida scrub jay's reproduction and survival. Nearby at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, rangers and wildlife workers are using prescribed burning to restore the jays' natural scrub habitat that has been taken over by tall, dense trees.

Preservation and Posterity Efforts

No significant findings have indicated that the Florida scrub jay will be taken off the threatened list in the near future. Although lately, a growing consciousness over this threatened species has spurred conservation efforts that go to the extent of appealing to central Florida residents to support the regional and local preserves, provide suitable scrub habitats and report malicious destruction or harassment of scrub jays and their nests. Residents are also encouraged to protect the scrub jays from domestic cats and dogs and to refrain from using pesticides.

Florida State Bird?

One result of the growing awareness of the Florida scrub jay was the move this spring to make it the official Florida State Bird. Apparently, it began with Margaret Broussard. She and her husband operate an ecotourism ranch in Osceola County. Broussard also represents the Friends of the Scrub, a group formed to be caretakers of a Florida scrub jay preserve on a barrier island near Melbourne. Instead, the group lost the fight to save the preserve and watched helplessly as the property was developed.

In the aftermath of this sobering event, Broussard remembered a conversation she had with fellow ecotour operator Lorelei Thompson. The two had discussed making the Florida scrub jay the official Florida state bird. Of all birds, only this one is exclusive to Florida, they reasoned. Their campaign was launched last March, emphasizing that although the current state bird, the mockingbird, is indeed worthy of the tribute, it is also the state bird of four other states (Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas).

Broussard devoted herself to the cause. She began distributing petitions and found two legislators to sponsor the bill, Florida State Representative Howard E. Futch and Senator Patsy Ann Kurth. Others quickly joined the campaign, collecting more than 10,000 signatures in a matter of months. Florida's conservation organizations got involved, but it remained mostly a grassroots effort. For many, encountering this unique bird left an impression they couldn't forget.

No one was quite ready for the firestorm that ensued. Schoolchildren from around Florida began to write their elected officials about the bird. Newspaper editorials came out for and against the jay . Politicians began to nominate every other bird imaginable, from turkeys to plastic flamingos. In the end, it was a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association who took to the floor to shoot down the Florida scrub jay bill.

"We will be back next year," says Broussard.

With growing public consciousness over the precarious status and uniqueness of this bird, the Florida scrub jay may be looking forward to a higher survival rate -- in the hearts of the residents of Florida.

Written by

Ruby Bayan is a freelance writer born and raised in the Philippines. She now writes from an apartment in Orlando, but remains a permanent resident of her virtual home.

Al Malatesta has lived in Florida 10 years but considers himself a "born-again cracker." On his first day in Florida, a friend took him to Highlands Hammock State Park, and he has been in love with Florida's wild places ever since. He works as a technician in the film and television industry and spends most of his free time as a community and environmental activist.

Florida Nature Spots in This Article:

Ocala National Forest -- From Ocala, take Florida Highway 40 east to the Visitor Center; call 352-625-7470

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge -- From Titusville, take US1 east to State Road 406 across the Indian River Lagoon; call 407-861-0667

Canaveral National Seashore -- From Titusville, go east on SR406, then go right on SR402; call 407-861-0667

Oscar Scherer State Park -- From Osprey on US 41, go 2 miles south; call 941-483-5956

Jonathan Dickinson State Park -- From Jupiter on US 1, go north about 7 miles; call 561-546-2771