On October 26, Jay Watch volunteers from around Florida came together at Highlands Hammock State Park for the annual Jay Watch Appreciation Event. The day included a scrub walk, informative presentations, a special cake, and door prizes to thank our volunteers for their dedication. 

Highlands Hammock is home to a small but resilient population of Florida ScrubJays. Volunteers began the day by choosing between a guided scrub walk or expedition to see a local Bald Eagle nest. 

Park Service Specialist Carla Kappmeyer-Sherwin started the morning presentation with an introduction to the park. She provided an overview of the damage and ongoing trail closures caused by Hurricane Milton, which had crossed the state near Highlands Hammock roughly two weeks before the event. After a presentation about the Ridge Rangers program, an FWC initiative to enlist community volunteers to restore habitat, Audubon Florida Director of Bird Conservation Audrey DeRose-Wilson gave an overview of the 2024 jay season surveys with an emphasis on the importance of habitat management. While some populations continue to accommodate a stable population with good productivity, many smaller populations continue to decline. 

To conclude the talks, Mike Knight with the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands program shared the remarkable success story of scrub restoration and Florida Scrub-Jay translocation efforts at Malabar Scrub Sanctuary. Thanks to the support of local community members and Jay Watchers who rallied at a series of public meetings in support of restoration, the population at Malabar has expanded to 10 family groups, and translocated birds are now breeding at the site. 

Article first appeared in the 2024 Jay Watch season summary.