Life Bird in Hand

When she knew she was going to Florida, Patty sprang into action. And by action I mean she signed up for all the Florida bird alerts she could.

And eBird noted that this species was being found regularly in the area.

The Florida Scrub Jay.

We drove to the area. Which was the same area we had visited in the morning in our unsuccessful first attempt to find Burrowing Owls (we did not yet know to look for the white PVC pipes marking the burrows).

We spent a lot of time driving back and forth about Cape Coral.

And we were not successful spotting the scrub jay at first. But then another couple, from Ohio but wintering in Florida, drove up and confirmed we were in the right place. So of course I immediately spotted the bird. And then another. And another. And soon we had five flying about.

The birds were eating acorns so we picked some. And, as you can see, the birds would feed out of your hand.

I had seen these jays several years ago on the other side of Florida. And those birds were quite wary of humans.

Obviously, these had no such concerns. And after getting the Burrowing Owls at the ballfields, we stopped one last time to see the jays. And we met another couple looking for the jays, who despite us being twenty or so meters away feeding the birds, couldn't locate any. We kindly pointed them out and explained the acorn trick. And as we drove away they were happily snapping photos with their phones, birds in hand.