Close Encounters of the Florida Scrub Jay Kind

In April of 2013, my Dad and I took a birding trip to southern Florida. In the waning hours of our final full day there, I pressed my Dad for one final bird! Though he was tired, he relented. What transpired afterward is a memory I'll cherish forever and was an experience that became the capstone to a great birding trip in Florida. We had a close encounter with a Florida Scrub Jay!
The Florida Scrub Jay is listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. For more information on their status and other general information about the species, click the links below:
US Fish & Wildlife Service - Florida Scrub Jay Population & Listing Status Info
ecos.fws.gov/e...
AllAboutBirds.org - Florida Scrub Jay Profile
www.allaboutbi...

[@FollowThomas]

Haha, that was funny. Florida Scrub Jays are adorable birds. Everyone loves them because they are acting around you so trustfully. 👍

[@SeantheBioBro]

Sweet bird! My grandparents had a house down in Florida ... seeing the scrub jays was probably my first birding experience. Very cool! How are their populations doing?

[@Ovenbirder]

They are listed as threatened and the population is unfortunately still declining. Read more about it here: ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/6174