News Archives

The Trailhead is located in Lake County, Florida. map

For more information, please contact info@scrubjaytrail.org
(352) 429-5566

open:
sat - wed : 8:00-5:00

Email photo contributions
of wildlife or plants seen
on the trail to this address: photos@scrubjaytrail.org

We have experienced the birth of 5 scrub-jays! This is great news and demonstrates tangible results of all the hard work you scrub-jay Trailblazers have put in over the past 4 years. Five is an unusually large brood and validates the quality of the habitat at the Trail.

This coming Saturday, April 28, from 8am-11am  is our monthly Scrub-Jay Trailday, and we anticipate a big turnout to welcome the new scrub-jay babies .... that is if we can see them. Mom and Dad Scrub-Jay are very good at keeping the juveniles out of harm's way. It'll be a few more weeks before they are out and about. Until then, we can only hope that 5 of them have made it through this very perilous time in their development.

Speaking of birthdays, our own Domenic (the Italian Christmas Donkey) turned 4 this month. A small, family celebration ,including the 9 members of the herd, took place. Apple/Oat treats were passed out to all equines, and Domenic got a special back-scratch.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending the trailday as we will prepare for the proper amount of coffee and continental breakfast.  E-mail or  call (352)-429-5566.

If you wish to contribute to the breakfast table,  that would be appreciated.

Things to bring: Gloves, hat, and sunscreen.  Binoculars and cameras are optional.  We will supply drinking water.

Orientation: If you are a newcomer to the trail and would like a personal orientation to the Florida Scrub-Jay and Trail please call to reserve a place. We offer a free 3 hour orientation on the first Saturday of each month from 8am-11am.  Reserve your place today as group size is kept to a minimum.

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A very touching moment this month was the Eagle Scout "Court of Honor" for Steven Scott, who received his Eagle award. Steve and friends spent 2 days on the Trail clearing, planting and irrigating an acre of scrub-jay habitat. There wasn't a dry eye in the room during this extremely auspicious occasion.  Once again congratulations Steve!  The scrub-jays are loving the habitat you created for them.

The Scrub-Jay Trail was represented at Disney's "Earth Day Expo", part of the Disney "Environmentality" initiative. Many people who had never heard of the scrub-jay, were given information about how they can participate in saving the species in their own backyards and out on the Trail.

        see pictures in the Gallery                                     read the article in the Lake Sentinel

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The Lake Country Welcome Center will celebrate National Tourism week on Friday, May 18 from 10:00am-3:00pm.  The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail has been invited to participate in this event and we look to  welcoming you to Lake County with an introduction to the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail and Florida 's only endemic bird. For further information log on to www.lakecountyfl.com

The Lake Louisa State Park Field Day is on May 19 from 9:30am-2:30pm. This is a fun and educational event on the shores of Lake Louisa in Clermont , FL . The Scrub-Jay Trail will have a  booth on the beach and Cathy Brown, co-owner of B.B.Brown's Gardens, will be giving a presentation on Florida Native Plants and how to create a National Wildlife Federation certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat.                     see the flyer

Anyone who is willing to help out at the scrub-jay booth for a few hours on May 19 th is asked to contact The Florida Scrub-Jay Consortium at   info@scrubjaytrail.org   or call (352)-429-5566.

Many of you have been asking about the scrub-jay stepping stone by the kiosk.  This beautiful mosaic stone was designed and installed by Sandra Groeneveld .

For further viewing of her talents visit   www.kalideco.com

Sandra Groeneveld will be featured on our web site later in the month, but for now we can not thank her and her partner David Mazurek of Kalideco enough for their outstanding contribution to the creation and maintenance of the Florida Scrub-Jay Official Website.

New to the Trail this month: Louise Hunt has created beautiful informational and photographic signs for the plants on the Trail. These signs provide botanical information as well as excellent photographs and are placed directly next to the plant, making a walk up the Trail more enjoyable and educational.

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We were visited by officials from U.S. Fish and Wildlife's "Partners for Fish and Wildlife" program in Washington D.C. and Jacksonville, FL. The purpose of the visit was to see the "Partners" program in action and monitor our progress. The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail came through with excellent reviews, and to top it all off, along the Trail, none other than "BY" himself landed on top of each of the heads of our guests, proving that scrub-jays are alive and well on the Trail. They accused us of training them to do that. We told them that we run a side business called "Animal Actors" and rent out wildlife for movies.

Last week we hosted  Brownie Troop # 4702 of Clermont, under the leadership of Barbara Hollerand and Mindy Giallella, for a tour of the Trail. It was a lot of fun and the girls got an "up close and personal" visit with "BY" and "WHO" our resident scrub-jays and proud parents.
                                                            see pictures in the Gallery

Allan Jahner, owner of  Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Winter Springs , FL conducted a birding field trip on the Trail this month. They spotted many species, including bluebirds, flycatchers, swallow-tail kites, and "you-know-WHO", who landed of top of the kiosk for an unforgettable photo op. It was a great outing for about 20 avid birders
Check the "Gallery" later for new photos as they come in.

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