FL Scrub Jay Talk by Jim Rogers

James Rogers has been a Scrub Jay volunteer at Oscar Sherer State Park. Also he participates in Audubon Florida Jay Watch, the citizen science program that monitors the endemic Florida scrub-jay that started in 2012. Monitoring is scheduled during a window of time from mid-June through mid-July when juvenile jays can be distinguished from adults.. The scrub habitat is largely inhospitable to people. When volunteers are working to ensure accurate identification, it can be formidable to navigate beyond the dense, twisted oak trees, palmetto, cacti, scattered pines, and open, sandy patches to reach the interior pine snag where a bird might be perched. Other challenges are the intense and unrelenting heat of the scrub, lack of shade and the oppressive summer humidity. Volunteers pair off with park staff to observe and record data at designated locations on three consecutive mornings, and although they get an early start, working in th…