The sun has just come up as a team of wildlife biologists gather among the palmettos and scrub oak at Wingate Creek State Park in Myakka City for their monthly scrub-jay count.
Shelagh Lynch, a researcher in avian ecology at Archbold Biological Station in Central Florida, passes out lists to the group.
"So, I'm gonna hand out your census sheet. I think you all know the drill," she said. "If you see them, cross them off. If you don't see them, box them and then I will come and mop them up Thursday if they're missed."
In January, scientists and conservation partners moved birds from three separate populations, across Florida to this 600-acre park about 25 miles east of Bradenton.
The state park in Myakka City is one of only seven regions left in Florida with enough interconnected scrub forest to allow scrub jays to thrive.
The project is a collaboration among public and private partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Verdantas, the University of Central Florida, Archbold Biological Station and the Mosaic Company.
On this day its representatives tracked the translocated birds to see how they're faring.
Lynch and her count partner Tyler Buckley led the way.
"We're gonna head out down this trail here to look for our first group, which is Webkinz. Yes, I named them after the children's toy," Lynch said with a laugh.
As the state's human population grows, Florida scrub jay habitat shrinks when natural areas get paved over to make way for development.
And decades of fire suppression in rural areas caused scrub habitat to overgrow. Scrub jays need bare ground and the shrubs have to be a certain height for the birds to find food. They hop along the ground between shrubs looking for insects, acorns, berries, and small vertebrates.
The Florida scrub jay was listed as federally threatened in 1987. By 1993, only 4,000 breeding pairs remained. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection estimates there are between 7,000 and 9,000 birds today.
As Lynch avoided needles on prickly pear plants, she used a scrub jay bird call to attract the next group on the census list.
And it worked. A mating pair flew to the ground to be counted.
Scrub jays are nonmigratory, so this trait makes it easier for researchers to follow a single population in the wild.
Lauren Deaner is a wildlife biologist and PhD student studying the outcome of this effort in Manatee County. She said intentionally moving a species to a new location is one way to recover wildlife.
"Translocation is a very popular tool and an emerging science in recovering wildlife populations, populations of severely endangered animals to build up back into the wild," said Deaner. "So, this science is really applicable to species all over the world."
Examples of successful translocations include repositioning orangutans in Borneo after massive amounts of rainforest were burned or cut down. Another is the movement of the once thought extinct Canadian Swift Fox.
In Florida, scientists are refining their approach.
In the past, only a handful of scrub jays were introduced into established colonies at a time.
Deaner said the existing birds didn't like that.
"Those early groups don't want to give up any of their territory. It's like, you know, getting a free mansion. They don't want to give any of that up to new families moving into the neighborhood."
But this time, 48 birds were moved - with an equal number of males and females. Deaner said it will give them the best opportunity to establish territories, choose mates and merge with the existing population.
That could add a much-needed boost of fresh DNA.
Meanwhile, Shelagh Lynch had another trick up her sleeve to entice the next bird group to appear. It's a method familiar to pet owners. She shook a can of peanuts.
"It's sort of a not well-kept secret that scrub jays love peanuts, but we use it as a tool to understand the species," she said. "So, you should never feed a scrub jay unless you've been given permission from a biologist."
All of the translocated jays at Wingate Creek State Park survived the move. And researchers have already observed nesting during their first breeding season.
The census wrapped up by noon as Lynch and her count partner spotted the final group on their list.
"Yay, you got them," said Lynch as her partner Tyler hops back in their truck. "Found them," he confirmed. "I originally walked over there. Nobody was there. I walked down the road a couple 100 yards, and I heard their call."
"Hooray! Successful census," cheered Lynch.
But scientists agree, boosting the gene pool is only part of the solution. Prescribed fire management, and preserving habitat is critical for the Florida scrub jay to bounce back.
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