Florida - Scrub Jay & Snail Kite

[les_borg]

I've been asked by my travelling partner for locations of Scrub Jay &

Snail Kite. He believes that there is a location for Scrub Jay, where

people feed the birds - this seems to be some sort of BBQ or picnic

area - or maybe just a parking area. We are visiting from April 11th.

to April 22nd. this year. All help will be most useful.

 

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Thanks,

 

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Les Borg

[don_baccus]

Buy the ABA/Lane "A Birder's Guide to Florida". You'll find what you

need for these two species plus a ton of other good info.

[joe_fuhrman]

The best location to view Florida Scrub Jay is Oscar Scheer State Park. It is located approx. 25 miles due south of Sarasota, just west of I-75. There are several birds that hang around the pool area and the trails thru the scrub habitat by the pool area parking lot. The birds are very tame, as almost all have been banded.

[jack_alban]

Les

 

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Oscar Scherer State Park, west of I-75, on US41 north of Venice, good

directions how to get to in Pranty book (definitely worth buying from

ABA) is easy for Florida Scrub Jay. Go to Scrub Jay exhibit on left

side of road, get out and act like your eating and they show up, easy

to

get good pics of them.

 

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For Snail Kite, driving east on US 41, the Tamiami Trail, just before

Shark Valley Tram Loop, after 40 mile bend, about 30 miles from Miami,

look on lone cypress just after u cross over canal ( kind of go up and

over); one lone cypress not far away, at first closed airboat place on

left, was perched on lone cypress, course there were many more flying

and perched out in distance. Saw many there this summer about 4 in

afternoon. Took an airboat ride and saw more.

 

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Do recommend the Pranty book!!! Will help u find locations below.

 

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Here is some other info from our trip this summer:

 

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>>Mottled Duck Carillon Park in St Pete and pond on left soon before

u cross over to Ft Desoto, may be a golf course there

 

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>>Snail Kite right where he was supposed to be on lone cypress just

after u cross over canal ( kind of go up and over) one lone cypress

not far away, at first closed airboat place on left, was perched on

lone cypress, course there were many more flying and perched out in

distance

 

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>>Mangrove Cuckoo Ding Darling on drive

 

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>>Spot- breasted Oriole Tropical Audobon society grounds in Miami

 

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>>Yellow-chevroned Parakeet at Furchgotts in Kendall in Pranty book

 

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>>Cave Swallow at canal bridge in Pranty saw about 8-10 most had

migrated I think

 

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>>Red-whiskered Bulbul In Kendall at tennis courts near Furchgotts,

in Pranty, in trees fairly high lining parking lot when u go in and

park past tennis courts, trees on lawn side, they will be on ur left

of parking lot as u drive in and park

 

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>>Wurdemann's Heron at that nature center for wounded birds in Key

Largo in Pranty, was behind the center in gulf , Florida Keys Wild

Bird Center, MM 93.8

 

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>>Conyer's Parrot also at Furchgotts, as were monk parakeets

 

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>>Hill Myna at Castellow Hammock Park SW 162nd north of Homestead at

back of park, two of them making a racket, in Pranty

 

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>>Common Myna parking lot of Rodeway Inn in Homestead, not far from

Burger King

 

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Hope this helps.

 

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Jack

[jeff_jarrett]

I was just down in Florida a couple of weeks ago. We ran into (almost

literally) some Scrub Jays at Briggs Nature Center, just off of 95 and

about 10 minutes from US 41.

Briggs Nature Center has about a miles worth of board walk which takes

you out to an overlook where you can get a few shots, as long as the

birds want to cooperate. When I went, there wasn't much action. But

when we headed back, we came across the Scrub Jays.

They weren't afraid of anything. For the first few minutes, we were

able to get about 1 foot from them. Then my wife got out some food and

they landed on her arm and shoulder and landed on my son's stroller.

So they are very friendly. One of the centers workers said there are

like 9 that always hang out there, and we must have seen all nine.

Just walking along the handrail of the boardwalk and posing in bushes

right near by.

Try Briggs Nature Center if you want to get up close and personal.

They are very friendly there.

 

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Jeff

 

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P.S.- Did you know they are trying to make the Scrub Jay Florida's new

state bird?

[george mccarthy]

Les coming from the UK you must know top British professional nature

photographer and tour leader George McCarthy. To-date George has led

fifteen 'photography only' tours to southern Florida taking in the

East coast, the Keys, the Glades and the Gulf coast. Why not join

him on his Millenium Tour in February 2000 when he will be glad to

show you at least three great sites for Scrubs (including un-rung

birds)and Snail Kites are guaranteed! Right now you can catch up

with him at the Holiday Inn on Fort Myers Beach. Did someone mention

Long-billed Curlew?

[jeff_hallett1]

Unfortunatly the Scrub Jay may meet its demise before becoming a

State bird as long as people insist on treating them as pigeons.

Let them forage on their own and adjust to the controlled burn

habitats being made for them. There is plenty of food there for them

without the tourists making them unafraid of people.

[bruce]

Thank You Jeff for you comment...,

 

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I was just about to offer similar words!

Where is the fun in capturing a unique &/or rare bird on film that has

become domesticated?

 

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We adventurous nature photographers might as well go to the zoo and

photograph "wild exotics" in their "natural habitat."

 

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regards

bruce

[don_baccus]

Well, I must disagree with Jeff in this regard. The Florida Scrub Jay

is closely related to other scrub jays in the country, and some of

the related species (until recently considered sub-species) are common

feeder birds. What makes this bird special is that it is a remnant

population isolated by thousands of miles from its closely-related

buddies.

 

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Urbanization doesn't hurt scrub jays, indeed it will probably help

this endangered species survive in Florida. They were uncommon birds

in the Willamette Valley of Oregon until the late 1940s or so, then

they (and crows) became urbanized and abundant (they were never in

danger here, but transformed from being a rural bird into being an

urban bird and of course are found in scrubby oakey habitat as well).

 

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I'm all for conservation of this bird, which is why I don't oppose its

acclimitization or urbanization in Florida. The point of

conservation is, after all, preservation of the species.

 

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What has hurt this bird thus far is rapid transformation of its

habitat. Acclimitization to change is a reaction to that

transformation that aids the species, and shouldn't be denigrated.

[jeff_hallett1]

Don, The point is, I have observed this feeding by tourists twice

and both times children were trying to grab them and chase them.

I certainly agree with you re. urbanization of the species but,

ignorant and stupid people make up a large part of the tourist

population here in FL. This is one of the reasons we have so many

extinct species on the planet. Oscar Scherer ST Park forbids feeding

of the jays but the dumb asses do it anyway. Let,s protect a "wild"

species.

[peter_may]

I realize that this has gotten way off topic, but I had to throw in my

worthless opinion anyway. Urbanization has certainly not benefitted

the scrub jay in Florida. I don't know anything about habitat

selection in western scrub jays, but in the Florida species it is very

specific. They will only breed in recently disturbed scrub, and

abandon it about 10 years post-disturbance. I don't know how many of

you are familiar with Florida scrub, but appreciation for

the esthetic qualities of regenerating scrub is definitely an acquired

taste for most people. Not the sort of landscape that

homeowners/urbanites want to live near. Combine that with the fact

that the normal disturbance regime is fire, which most homeowners are

not fond of either, and you've got a habitat type that disappears

rapidly when humans encroach. They don't "acclimate" to sub-optimal

habitat. People and the habitat modifications they bring are the

Florida scrub jay's worst enemies.

[kevin___]

If you really, I mean really, want to see what Scrub Jays are all

about, find the Archbold Biological Station in Highlands County

Florida. They have (hands down) the denseset population of Scrub

Jays in the State, and have been conducting research on them for

years. You won't need any food to have birds flock to you, and they

may even take you on a tour. If I can remeber more on its location

I'll let you know.

[peter_may]

Archbold Biological Station is in Lake Placid, and the phone # is

(941) 699-1927. This is a great place to see native Florida scrub in

all its glory (sic). It is a private research facility, however, so

there are no naturalists or staff to guide visitors. There is a

self-guiding nature trail open to the public. Group tours can be

arranged by appointment. They ask that all visitors register at the

main office and sign an insurance waiver when they visit the station.

As Kevin suggests, the scrub jay population here is one of the most

thoroughly studied in the world, and as such is interesting from both

a scientific and historical perspective.

[don_baccus]

My earlier post was unprecise and unclear, sorry. When I said that

"urbanization hasn't hurt the Florida scrub jay", I didn't mean

urbanization in the sense of making urban areas, i.e. habitat

destruction. I mean urbanization in the sense of birds adapting to an

urban environment, i.e. any urbanization of the population, not the

landscape. Peter points out that the population hasn't adapted to

this urban environment, and I believe him. It took several decades

for Western Scrub Jays to adapt to the city environments in Oregon's

Willamette Valley, but now that they have, they've become common urban

birds. It's an interesting transformation. I have no idea if

Florida Scrub Jays will ever adapt to Florida urban areas, but if they

do, it won't hurt the bird.

 

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Certainly habitat destruction is the cause for the decline of this

(and many other Florida) species. My point was only that if the birds

acclimatize to people and/or the urban environment, we shouldn't

denigrate such adaptation. I wasn't suggesting we create more urban

environment as a means of saving the species :) I find the unplanned

sprawl in Florida particularly offensive, living in a state devoted to

land-use planning (Oregon).

 

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Jeff made it clear in his follow-up that he was complaining about bozo

tourons, not the fact that jays easily lose their fear of humans, and

I certainly don't disagree with his assessment of the average tourist.

 

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OK, this is WAY off topic.

[peter_may]

Don et al.,

One more superfluous comment and then I'll shut up about Florida scrub

jays. I didn't intend to be contrary or obstreperous, but just wanted

to point out that in the many decades during which development has

proceeded in Florida, scrub jays have not adapted to urban

environments. They will use suburban areas/lawns/gardens

occasionally, but only when there is real scrub habitat nearby. They

are in many ways genetically and behaviorally distinct from western

scrub jays (they are the only scrub jays except for some populations

in Mexico that breed cooperatively, for example), so it may be that

they have evolved fairly rigid "habitat templates" that simply prevent

them from expanding into other non-native habitats. I did completely

misinterpret your original comments, Don, and thought you were arguing

that habitat destruction/modification was somehow "good" for some

native species because it forces them to adapt to new, more widespread

habitats. That might be a new paradigm for conservation biology that

developers would love, but it would be disastrous for the majority of

organisms. Peace out.

[jerome_smith]

Visited Merritt Island NWR and Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville Fla. for the 1st time this past week. Just outside the entrance to the Seashore, I encountered a small flock of Florida Scrub Jays off the roadside. They were very habituated to cars and humans; I had time to get out of the car, mount my camera on a tripod and then leisurely shoot 1/2 roll of closeups while they posed for me on branches. Talk about habituated--one landed on my head while I was shooting. Also, a nice covey of Bobwhite at the same place. They also seemed habituated, so I imagine they are regulars there at the roadside in front of the Seashore entrance.

[tom_mack]

Les:

 

The last time I camped at the Kissimmee River State Park, there were lots of Scrub jays in the camp ground area. Very easy to photograph. The Kissimmee river and lake area is also home to the Snail Kite. You may be able to get some shots from the shore area, however, a canoe or boat will get you into some better river and lake areas for the kites.

 

Tom Mack