After a couple of years of saying "we should go see the scrub jays", we finally did it. We were told that the place to see them was at Oscar Scherer State Park, near Sarasota Florida. So on the way to my sister's house on Don Pedro Island, we took a little detour. We asked the gate attendant where we could find some scrub jays. She told us to drive through to the last parking lot, then follow the yellow trail. She said we probably wouldn't have to walk very far down the trail to see some. That was an understatement. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we heard them and saw a few flying around. I took a few photos of them drinking from a small creek, then we headed down the trail.
The park's brochure said not to feed the wildlife, but it was obvious that not everyone obeyed that rule. These birds were downright tame! My husband held out his empty hand and 2 jays fluttered inches above it to see if he was offering any food.
Florida scrub jays are listed as a "threatened species", but it was obvious that they didn't "feel threatened" by us! This guy perched about 2 feet away from my camera lens and posed for me like a perfect little bird model...
A collection of notes and photos - most of them taken at our home on Lake Gaston, North Carolina. Pets & wildlife are my favorite photo subjects. Visit my Lakeview Aviary website for info and more photos about my indoor finch aviary.
3 comments:
Those are amazing photos Susan! I envy your being able to get so close to them.
Susan, that's almost as sweet as a Carolina Chickadee perched on your head. Lucky you to be able to reach out and almost touch a beautiful jay!
Wow, like the mockingbird that posed at Cape May for me, only your bird is much rarer!
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