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 Audubon Jay Watch Facebook page. In fact, Jay Watch photographers are often featured in publications.

This article originally appeared in the 2022 Jay Watch report. Read the full report here.