Packing Up and Heading Out
It was time for our brief Florida visit to end and for us to return to Oklahoma. Click here to read about the drive to Florida and the birding while we were there. Rather than beeline it back home, we planned to stop in Southeast Texas to say “Hi” to some old friends. I also had some other plans in mind. Among other things, the Florida Scrub-jay was on my mind.
All About the Florida Scrub-jay
Very high on my list was the Florida Scrub-jay. True, I had seen this bird many years ago thanks to cousins Jim and Linda. Unfortunately, I did not appreciate the significance of this bird at that time. The Florida Scrub-jay is the only Florida endemic bird species. Not even the elusive Key West Quail-dove is endemic to Florida. Most of its population is in Cuba and the Bahamas.
How the Scrub-jay Came to Be the Florida Scrub-jay
About 2 million years ago, the Florida Scrub-jay’s ancestors were part of a super-species of scrub-jays that have progressively been split into seven separate species. Five of those species are present in the United States: Island Scrub-jay, California Scrub-jay, Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay, Florida Scrub-jay and Mexican Jay. The Transvolcanic Jay is a Mexican endemic and the Unicolor Jay ranges from southern Mexico into Nicaragua.
It was during this timeframe that the super-species was expanding its range and arrived in present day Florida…..much like many northerners of another species do today. And just the same, they never left.
Through climatic changes they became isolated from the mother species and began to evolve, adapting to the dry, stunted landscape of what is now known as Florida scrub.
Lifestyle of the Florida Scrub-jays
The Florida Scrub-jay is one of the most studied birds in the world. The bird is amazingly easy to approach, eats out of your hand, lands on your head, etc. It is very immobile. It does not leave the area where it was born. When I say it doesn’t leave the area where it was born, what I mean is it can live its entire life within a 1-mile radius. This makes study very easy as bird studies go. All birds are known, banded and easily tracked.
Florida Scrub-jays are cooperative breeders. Previous years’ offspring help the parents produce the next batch of little ones. They guard the nest, help collect food, etc. At some point they do venture on their own to reproduce. Research has shown, to no surprise, that until a pair has successfully produced helpers, their chance of reproductive success is significantly reduced. Cooperative breeding is key to successful reproduction.
It is listed as Vulnerable with pressure being regularly applied to elevate the status to Endangered on the basis of continued habitat loss.
The Future of the Florida Scrub-jay
Unlike other members of its family (Corvids), which include Blue Jays and Crows, it lacks an ability to adapt to different habitats for survival. Florida scrub is the only place it can reproduce. This habitat is about 5% of what it originally was. In addition to the approximately 40 species of endemic plants that thrive in the sandy, quick draining soil of Florida scrub, an imported plant also thrives there. Yes, you guessed it, oranges. Big, sweet, tasty Florida oranges. The Florida Scrub-jay will not nest in those orange trees, hence, a huge decline in Florida Scrub-jay population.
While it still seems strange to me, Florida oranges are now a thing of the past with very little commercial production thanks to disease and higher valued land use. Higher valued land use? That would be to accommodate all those other migrants. They must have proper accommodation and, of course, pickleball courts and golf courses!
Is there hope for the Florida Scrub-jay’s long-term survival? Perhaps. Research and conservation efforts rival that of the Whooping Crane and the California Condor.
I have one more comment on Florida Scrub-jay. Why is it not the State Bird? Nothing against the Mockingbird but Florida is one of five states to have the Mockingbird. Floridians should fight for this designation and honor a bird that is uniquely Florida. It is accessible to anyone who wants to see and enjoy it. Don’t let the fear of being the first state to let your state bird go extinct stop you from making this change.
Finding the Florida Scrub-jay
We left Taveres and headed for Gainesville with a couple of Florida Scrub-jay hot spots in the navigator. With great anticipation, I took the left turn into the Ocala National Forest towards the first stop. I never made it to the first stop. As we were driving through the Florida scrub, there in the ditch was a bird. Could it be? I hit the brakes and pulled off the asphalt and jumped out, camera in hand. We spent about 45 minutes hanging out with these beautiful, funny, and friendly birds. There were several of them. What a great start to our return home.
Birding Florida after the Florida Scrub-jay
We arrived in Gainesville at the Sweetwater Wetlands Park. Simply put, the Sweetwater Wetlands Park was created by the City of Gainesville and Gainesville Regional Utilities to meet the regulatory requirements of the city’s runoff water before it enters Paynes Prairie and the Alachua Sink groundwater recharge area. Nitrogen contamination was too high, and the additional holding capacity of the park would allow time for it to degrade into non-polluting compounds.
As is always the case when these types of projects are completed, a great habitat blossoms out of the rearranged, barren soil. Invariably, infrastructure is developed for the enjoyment of humans, like me.
We spent over two hours in the park and could have spent much more time. Bird life was fantastic. Ten birds were added to my Florida list and one new bird to my ABA list, Swallow-tailed Kite. I also improved on photos from Sora, Fish Crow, Common Grackle, Green Heron, Double-crested Cormorant and Wood Stork.
It is not often that you get to see why it is called Double-crested Cormorant.
After enjoying a cold brew in Gainesville and making the obligatory drive by my childhood school and home, we headed out. We were looking forward to a night in the back of our truck at an I-10 rest stop!
Off to the Panhandle
The next morning, we awoke, very well rested and considered our options for our last birding day in Florida. Where could I make sure I achieve 100 birds for Florida?
Blackwater River State Park would be a good place to start, and it was successful, with good looks at the Near Threatened Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.
Briefly, regarding this bird, it is another bird that unlike most US woodpecker species, cannot seem to adapt to human presence. It requires a specific dispersed mature pine habitat that has regular burns to reduce undergrowth and char the bark. This is where it forages and nests. There are disjointed populations in protected and managed areas throughout the south.
I love sparrows and shot some good photos of the skulky Bachman’s Sparrow. This was the highlight at this location. And yes, I hit 100 Florida birds at this location.
Piping Plover is one of the few gulf coast waders that I do not have on my life list. Gulf Island National Seashore would be the next location in a long line of locations from the last couple of years that I have targeted and failed to get this bird. I don’t know what it is that prevents me from finding the small, plain, no frills bird when others around me are reporting it at every location I search.
Trigger Warning and Microaggression Alert
Read at your own Risk
We spent our second night at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center parking lot in the Louisiana wetlands.
The next morning, we would head to Lake Martin for no particular reason. It was a beautiful lake with tall cypress trees, Spanish moss and black water. I had the most intimate, Red-shouldered Hawk experience ever. Normally, a close approach to a raptor is not possible, but this one perched stoically, like a sentinel, guarding the boat ramp and allowed me within 20 feet.
There is a trail on a 10 foot wide dike around the lake. The lake is on one side of the dike, and swamp land is on the other side. As we walked down the dike enjoying the sounds of birds calling and the beauty of the scenery, we noticed something on the dike a little further along.
Indeed, what appeared to be some rotting logs was in fact a gator. A large one, and, with a couple of his friends. When I say large, I am talking scary large, easily besting ten feet. All three of them were about the same size. When we got to about 100 ft from them, they flushed violently, contorting their rigid bodies around and plunging into the water with a crash.
My thought was that we could continue down the dike. Mirka wasn’t so sure. I walked past their basking spot and Mirka remained on the other side holding Coby, our gator-snack-sized dog. As I tried to convince her that all was safe, that big SOB crawled back up on the dike and was now between Mirka and I. WTF.
The dumb-ass in me gave a brief thought to just walking around him. I then remembered a recent video of a gator chasing a golf cart and quickly filed that idea away in the bin holding all my stupid ideas.
A stick was quickly acquired, and I approached to about 30 feet and threw it at him. Bullseye, I hit him square on the back. He turned his head and gave me a dirty look. I backed up to about 100 feet and started to make a “save my ass” plan. Surveying the branch configuration of several nearby trees, I determined which one I could climb most quickly.
Option Evaluation
The closest parking lot was 2.5 miles around the lake. To get all the way around the lake would be 6 miles. With no water in hand and the likelihood of more gators ahead, the 6-mile hike didn’t seem plausible. On the other hand, if I threw Mirka the truck keys, maybe the 2.5 miles would be doable. But what if my throw was inaccurate and I sliced the keys into the lake or hooked them into the swamp? The hole I was digging for myself would get much deeper.
I did have a firearm but shooting the gator would likely attract unwanted attention and I didn’t think I could sell self-defense on the basis of my own stupidity. Also, there was the little issue of needing to get about 15 feet from him to accurately hit him. Another bad idea. The bin is overflowing.
Mirka had a brilliant plan. Just hang-out until a boater came close enough to wave over. I did and was rescued. The man told me that while there is a lot of gator hunting in the state, this particular lake, due to some reason I didn’t understand, could not be hunted and there was an unusually high concentration of large gators.
Stepping off the boat and reuniting with my wife was a big relief.
Texas Friends
We made it to Texas where we got an actual hotel room in Beaumont for the next three nights. We had a great time visiting many of our friends from our time in Southeast Texas. Unfortunately, our closest friends in the area, and my daughter’s in-laws, were unavailable due to COVID.
We birded several locations in High Island just as a scouting trip as it was too early for the migration of northeastern warblers. One day I will return during the prime migration time and battle the mosquitos for this experience. I tried for the Piping Plover at several flats areas around High Island and Bolivar Point to no avail…of course.
Cormorant Identification
The coastal area of the southeastern United States boasts two species of Cormorants, Double-crested and Neotropic. At a glance, these birds can be difficult to differentiate from each other. On this trip, I was able to get similar photos of both species and will point out the differences. Most important is the facial skin. Both the shape of the featherless area and the color of the border of skin. The Neotropic has skin in a v-shape on his cheek and a white border to the V. The Double-crested facial skin is more rounded. If you see an individual bird at close range this is your best identification.
Additionally, the Neotropic is a smaller bird by about 6” and the tail of the Neotropic is noticeably longer in proportion to its body. These features are harder to determine when seeing an individual bird.
Piping Plover, Alas
Our last stop before heading home and my last hope for Piping Plover would be Sea Rim State Park. I was quite surprised at how accessible and nice this park was. We identified 43 species of birds at this park. It includes boardwalks over marshes and a section of beach that is protected from vehicular traffic. There are also kayak trails through the marshes. I made improvements on photos for Dunlin and Wilson’s Plover. In the photo below, note the awkwardly large bill of the Wilson’s Plover in comparison to other small plovers. This is diagnostic for Wilson’s Plover. I also found two Piping Plovers on that protected beach. Alas, Piping Plover success!
As usual, a great trip report. Your descriptions are beautiful and inspiring to get out there and see the beauty of our world.
I agree that we should make the Florida Scrub Jay our state bird. Not only for the beauty and interesting behavior but the unique habitat they depend on to survive. It would promote awareness to the general public of how fragile their tiny habitat is and this might stave off their extinction a few more decades. Those tiny scattered niches are being destroyed faster than we think.
Great photos too!! Enjoy the trip to Alaska.
What a tale! Very entertaining and well written…glad you all survived…really good photos too. It is a shame about loss of habitat.