At the end of November, Jay Watch volunteers from far and wide gathered at the Archbold Biological Station to celebrate another successful summer season of mapping Florida Scrub-Jay cooperative family groups at over 40 sites on the Florida peninsula.

Florida Scrub-Jays are the Sunshine State’s only endemic species. A handsome bird, the jay is curious and loud, with a blue head, blue wings, blue tail, white breast, and a silver back. Dependent on disappearing scrub habitat, Florida Scrub-Jay populations hover at around 4,000 birds. To both monitor and protect this iconic species, Audubon Florida’s Jay Watch volunteers fan out across the state from mid-June to mid-July to survey adult and juvenile Scrub-Jay family groups.

Read the whole story here!