Are there any Florida Scrub Jays in the Fort Myers area? If not where are the nearest? I would like to be able to photograph them but certainly not if if it would cause a disturbance to these lovely endangered birds.
Florida Scrub Jay
Are there any Florida Scrub Jays in the Fort Myers area? If not where are the nearest? I would like to be able to photograph them but certainly not if if it would cause a disturbance to these lovely endangered birds.
Mike the only place I know is at Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge down there Scrub jay trail. I do not know any place on the west coast.
The closest place to you is Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey or Nokomis, FL just south of Sarasota. This park is known for their scrub jays. Good luck.
You might try Oscar Scherer State Park (Osprey FL, just south of Sarasota). From the park website
"A large acreage of scrubby flatwoods makes this park one of the best places to see Florida scrub-jays, a threatened species found only in Florida. The park protects scrubby and pine flatwoods that were once widespread throughout Sarasota County."
I stopped by there a couple of months ago and found some scrub jays without too much trouble.
Not close to you but they can be found in the Deland area as well.
There is a park by Lake Placid on 27 highway called "Lake June in the Winter." There is a sign on the highway. The road JUST outside the park has several Jays. They are very curious and are easy to photo if you drive slow and give them a chance to come out. There are several other small birds in the area, Towhee's, Pileated's, etc. The park is a small park so most of the action is the road. Be sure to check a birding guide as you will be close to several other great upland locations.
Hope this helps,
Larry <><
Many thanks to you all for the info. The park near Sarasota is probably the nearest and as I intended to go up there that is probably where I'll end up.
Again, thanks for the help.
Mike
While at Oscar Scherer, be on the lookout for Gopher Tortoise too...lots of those guys criss-crossing the trails!
Another great location if you can get north of Tampa is the Cedar Key Scrub Jay Nature Preserve....
http://www.floridastateparks.org/ced...ub/default.cfm
Is there a good spot for this species in the Kissimmee area? I will be there (here!) for a cupla weeks:)
Dan, I'm not aware of any location closer than Merritt Island NWR, but let's hope that someone else might have an idea for you!
Tippecanoe Enviro Park, Pt. Charlotte is said to have some? Check it on the Fl. Birding Trails.
http://charlottecountyfl.com/Parks/P...es/Tippecanoe/
Sorry County Park, info says they have Scrub Jays
Dan,Originally Posted by Dan Brown
I would check with the rangers at Lake Kissimmee State Park. I could swear that is where I first saw scrub jays while on an audubon hike.
Many thanks to everyone who suggested a location for the Florida Scrub Jay. We ended up going to Oscar Scherer State Park. It's not often seeing a bird has me laughing but these birds are special. The ranger we asked suggested the entrance to the Yellow Trail and sure enough we walked up and there they were , 5 of them. They were certainly not shy birds! One perched on my wife's head, one on my lens, I guess visitors to the park have been feeding them.
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