The FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) has just completed a statewide update of Florida ScrubJay population numbers on public and private lands managed for conservation. We know from Jay Watch that there is a lot of variation in how jay populations are doing at different sites. Many sites with successful habitat management programs have increasing populations, while many smaller populations in isolated habitat patches are declining. This study will help us understand how jay populations are doing at a statewide scale. Detailed results from the FWRI study will be published later this year. Results from Jay Watch were a key component of this important dataset!
Karl Miller, PhD, research scientist at FWRI, gave Audubon a summary of the newest survey data. One piece of good news is that for the first time we have a robust population estimate for Ocala National Forest and there are more jays there than we thought—over 1,750 family groups in this population.
Article first appeared in the 2024 Jay Watch season summary.