Published February 01, 2023
This article is from Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Florida
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The scrub is a very colorful place! Taking photos tells the story of the beauty of the scrub – one of the most endangered habitats in the world, with only about 5% of its original coverage area remaining.
Whether you are intimately involved with a particular site and the families that live there, are gathering scientific data, or just enjoying the beauty of the scrub, we need your photos!
- Photos often show if Florida Scrub-Jays are banded. Bands allow researchers to trace life histories, stories of survival, new pair bonds and divorces, and on very rare occasions, birds moving away from their home territories.
- Photos capture behaviors, personalities, family bonds, and roles. They are especially helpful in identifying young birds before their gapes disappear and the grayish-brown feathers are replaced by the cornflower blue and silver feathers of the adults.
- Importantly, photographs are easily used for education opportunities, presentations, and social media, especially on sites like the Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Jay Watch Facebook page. In fact, Jay Watch photographers are often featured in publications.
This article originally appeared in the 2022 Jay Watch report.