The Nature Conservancy

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Jay Watch is a scrub-jay population assessment using volunteers to count scrub-jays on conservation sites.

The Nature Conservancy in Florida
The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 1.2 million acres of critical natural lands in Florida.

Press Release
Conservancy Data Reveals Decline in Florida Scrub-Jays

Data gathered from The Nature Conservancy’s annual Jay Watch bird count in Florida show that the population of the threatened Florida scrub-jay—the state’s only endemic bird—is in decline at 40 percent of sites monitored. The jays rely on fire to maintain an open oak scrub habitat, as the birds can’t defend themselves from predators in overgrown areas.

Although fire crews have been working hard to restore habitat throughout the state, there remains a backlog of overgrown sites, says Cheryl Millett, the Conservancy biologist who runs the bird count. “It can be five years before burned areas are suitable for scrub-jays."