Recently, several members of Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife had the opportunity to protect the small surviving population of the Florida Scrub Jay located in Northwest Cape Coral.  Pascha and Ed Donaldson, Carl Eason, Susan Porreca, and Beverly Saltonstall helped City officials cordon off entire city blocks to protect the Jay’s habitat. 

Florida Scrub Jays – What Are They?

by

Tom Allen  Wlidlife Biologist

 The Florida Scrub Jay is about the size of a Blue Jay, blue and gray in color, but differing in that it has no feathered crest on its head.  Adults have a blue head, while young birds have a brownish colored head.  Also unlike the common Blue Jay, which enjoys a wide and varied range throughout our area, Scrub Jays utilize specific habitats.

Scrub Jays range over much of the western United States and into Mexico, but the Florida Scrub Jay, unique in behavior and physical appearance, is restricted to scattered small populations in the sand-pine scrub or oak-scrub habitats of peninsular Florida.  In Southwest Florida there are small populations in and around Port Charlotte, but the species does extend as far south as Alva and northern parts of Cape Coral.  Populations of this unique bird have dwindled rapidly because of habitat loss through urban and agricultural development. The Florida Scrub Jay is officially listed as threatened both on the state and federal levels. Estimated numbers of the species have declined in recent years, perhaps by as much as 30% to a mere few thousand statewide.  In Cape Coral there are only a few pairs of these birds at best.  Protecting the remaining scrub habitat is paramount to the future success of the species.  Presently, there is also an organized drive underway to designate the Florida Scrub Jay as the official state bird, replacing the Northern Mockingbird, which is the state bird for many states. This designation would bring needed awareness to the Florida Scrub Jay and its struggle for survival.

 Because this bird requires a maintained specific type of habitat, it is unlikely that a “viable” population can be supported on anything but the largest scrub preserves. However, these small isolated populations scattered throughout the region may be very important in maintaining the overall success of the species.  Therefore, Scrub Jays need to be protected wherever they occur.  As little as 5 to 10 acres can support a pair of birds, although 25 acres is needed to support a family group.  In northern Cape Coral jays can be found on empty lots that still have clumps of scrub habitat, consisting of oaks overgrown with vines.  Many of these lots are not connected, but are in close enough proximity that the jays can move freely from one site to the next.         

Distinguishing male Scrub Jays from females is difficult, so most jays have been fitted with plastic colored leg bands that identify each individual. As yet the Cape Coral birds have not been banded.  These band combinations have been used on Scrub Jays for over 20 years and do not harm or distress the birds in any way. 

Banding is necessary to help us learn more about the movements of pairs throughout their territories and for improved management practices.

Scrub Jays are remarkably tame.  They depend heavily on oak acorns for their winter food supply, but they also love peanuts and will land on you to take one from your hand.  Like crows, they will steal silverware and other shiny objects.  Actually, Scrub Jays are omnivorous, selecting a wide variety of foods.  Besides acorns and peanuts, they will eat seeds, insects, tree frogs, turtles, snakes, lizards, bird eggs, nestlings and young mice.  In the fall they typically bury acorns in sandy soil to feed on when other food sources are scarce during winter.  Those acorns that are unfound will often germinate to sprout new trees, making the Scrub Jay an important conservationist!  Compared with other jays, Scrub Jays are relatively quiet birds.  Their calls vary, but a raspy quay, quay, quay is typical.  Females commonly make a hiccup sound.

Florida Scrub Jays build a stick nest lined with palmetto fibers in thick shrubs or bushes and lay 3 to 4 speckled eggs.  Eggs hatch 18 days later, and the young are ready to leave the nest within 3 weeks of hatching.  Scrub Jays are more social than most birds, and the young will remain with the family for up to 3 to 4 years, helping out with the chores of rearing young, watching for predators and defending the family’s territory.  A family group may consist of as many as 8 birds.

Interested citizens can help to protect this beautiful bird by reporting sightings to the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife at 239-980-2593.  Together with Cape Coral city personnel, we may be able to preserve the remaining bird families for our future enjoyment.

Goliath Gopher Dies   

The largest ever recorded Gopher Tortoise died recently in Fort Myers, as a result of a construction accident.  After a large piece of construction equipment fell on the Tortoise and crushed its shell, workers, thinking it was dead, buried the Tortoise.  Two weeks later the tortoise, nicknamed Phoenix, dug himself, but later died of his wounds.

Photo, taken by the Humane Society shows the crush injury.  This Tortoise, measured 16.4 inches long which was an inch longer than the previous record.  Gopher Tortoises typically average 9 to 11 inches in length. It also weighed 26.45 pounds which is far more than the typical weight of about 15 pounds.

It was estimated that Phoenix was between 40 and 50 years old.