̽»¨¾«Ñ¡

Field Trip

During an early morning jay walk led by West Volusia ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Vice President Stephen Kintner, volunteers hit the trails and were delighted to see some of Lyonia Preserve’s most charismatic inhabitants— curious groups of Florida Scrub-Jays. Many volunteers graciously provided delicious snacks to accompany the generous coffee donation from Starbucks. The sense of community amongst volunteers was apparent as Jay Watchers took a few moments to gather and catch up.

Meet and Greets

 Lyonia Environmental Center Manager Christie Miller provided a warm welcome to volunteers new and old. There was also an opportunity to meet the newest member of the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Jay Watch team, Carrie Mohanna, who assists with the coordination of program activities.

Research and Outreach

 Audrey DeRose-Wilson, ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Florida’s director of bird conservation, facilitated an in-depth look at Florida Scrub-Jays from a variety of viewpoints:

 â€¢ Wildlife Biologist Mike Legare spoke about the population at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and land management activities. 

• DeRose-Wilson provided a recap of the 2025 statewide results, data, and Jay Watch season. After quite a few years of surveys with no birds, the Southfork Tract almost wasn’t surveyed this year. After hearing from Southwest Florida Water Management District staff that jays had returned, Jennifer Callaghan with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission led a Jay Watch survey, and confirmed that jays were back, with two family groups detected. The habitat has looked good at this site for a while, so hopefully these jays raise young next year.

• Volunteers explored the intersection of comics and conservation through the eyes of Annicka Chaffey. As an artist and science communicator, Chaffey recently produced a comic book in collaboration with the avian ecology and education programs at Archbold Biological Station. Cora: Finding a Home in the Scrub is a story that educates middle schoolers about the Florida Scrub-Jay.

Thank you to all the volunteers who attended, brought delicious treats to share, carried food, cleaned up, shared photos, and helped to make the event a great success! Next time you are hanging out with a Jay Watcher, keep an eye out for the t-shirts created by Oskar Garcia, a University of Florida student who volunteered his time and talent to create the stunning design. As a small token of thanks, each volunteer at the event walked out with a nice new addition to their survey wardrobe!

This article originally appeared in the 2025 Jay Watch report.