I’ve often said to people close to me that the Florida Scrub Jay is a gauge of sorts when it comes to the human race. I believe if we cannot save this species of bird then perhaps we don’t deserve to live on this planet.
It is my belief that we have had plenty of time to save this bird from extinction. Other recently extinct animals which were made that way by human activity were done so before we were fully aware of our impact on the environment. Examples of these animals are the Dodo Bird and Passenger Pigeon. But now here we are in 2022 and we are fully cognizant of our effects on the planet and our immediate environment. We posses tools where we can communicate a thought or sentiment to the masses. There really is no excuse that any animal should go extinct from this point forward.
The Florida Scrub Jay is down to just 3-6 thousand birds from around 100,000 less than 100 years ago. It is not hardy and plentiful like its cousin the Blue Jay. It requires a very specific environment to live, that being the Florida scrub of course. To make matters worse, there have been very few successful attempts to translocate birds from area to another. They simply don’t “take”. They fly off and die basically.
I believe that the Florida Scrub Jay is our ultimate litmus test. We must save it in order to show that we ourselves are worth saving.
How Can I Help?
One way to help for certain is to fund the groups on the ground. Jay Watch is a volunteer organization whose mission is to count the birds every year.
You can donate to this group by using this paypal link.