Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Scrub jays


One of our favorite species of birds is the Florida scrub jay. They are fiercely territorial, and yet if you enter their "space", they will more than likely first scold you and then land on you looking for a handout. They are handsome birds with their deep azure hues contrasting with splashes of white. Their beauty is only matched by their wit. Being Corvids, they are among the more "intelligent" birds. You can watch them bury an acorn for future use and then mark the spot with a stick or piece of debris they find along the roadside. These birds are limited in range, however, by their habitat. They absolutely rely on the scrub habitat such as we visited today in Deltona, and sadly there is precious little of this kind of land left. What a great thing to see the state of Florida and the interested stewards of the Volusia Land Acquisition and Management team step up to the plate and make sure that there is still a place for these incredible birds to thrive.

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