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FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) POPULATION CHANGES at JONATHAN DICKINSON STATE PARK. by Emily M.N. Morton a Thesis S

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FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) POPULATION CHANGES at JONATHAN DICKINSON STATE PARK. by Emily M.N. Morton a Thesis S FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (Aphelocoma coerulescens) POPULATION CHANGES AT JONATHAN DICKINSON STATE PARK. by Emily M.N. Morton A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Wilkes Honors College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Concentration in Environmental Studies Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Jupiter, FL May 2016 FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (Aphelocoma coerulescens) POPULATION CHANGES AT JONATHAN DICKINSON STATE PARK. by Emily M.N. Morton This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s thesis advisors, Dr. James Wetterer and Dr. O’Brien, and has been approved by the members of her/his supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of The Honors College and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Dr. James Wetterer Dr. William O’Brien Dean, Wilkes Honors College Date ii Acknowledgements My interest in Florida Scrub-Jays began during an internship at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, where one of my duties was to tame the birds in order to prepare them to be banded by the park biologists. From the first time that I ventured into the scrub to visit these birds, I was fascinated by their overtly social behavior. After a few visits, I was able to distinguish certain individuals based on the way they acted around me, some hopping around my feet but never letting me get too close. Studying these insightful animals quickly became a passion and I wanted to understand them better in order to help protect them. I want to sincerely thank people who dedicate their lives to caring for the natural world and inspire others to do the same, especially Natasha Warraich, who helped me throughout the entire process of my research at Jonathan Dickinson. The Honors College of Florida Atlantic University was home during my undergraduate career and I greatly appreciate every professor who taught me and helped me become a well-rounded student. I would like to thank Dr. James Wetterer for helping with the organization of this paper and for making the study of life so much fun; Dr. Bryson Bedell for sparking my interest in GIS and map-making; and Dr. William O’Brien for being my academic advisor, my favorite professor, and for helping me better understand the interconnectedness that we all share with the natural environment. I would also like to thank Dr. Wairimu Njambi for teaching me and so many others invaluable lessons about people and for opening my eyes to the ugly truths of society: institutionalized racism, sexism, and intolerance. You have inspired me to become an agent of change rather than to continue existing in a bubble. Lastly, I would like to thank Daniel Kniseley, my best friend, and his mother Audrey Ruival for their constant love and support. I would like to thank my brother Nicolas, who has always been there for me and has become one of my greatest companions; thank you for inspiring me everyday. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, Florence and Jeffrey, whom I love more than life itself. Thank you for always believing in me, I dedicate this paper to you. iii ABSTRACT Author: Emily M.N. Morton Title: Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) Population Changes at Jonathan Dickinson State Park Institution: Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. James Wetterer Degree: Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences Concentration: Environmental Studies Year: 2016 Each June, surveys are conducted at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in order to monitor the population status of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), the only avian species endemic to the state of Florida. These birds are limited to the rare oak scrub community, a habitat that is under constant threat due to human development. Florida Scrub-Jays are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and all of Florida’s populations are in decline. Jonathan Dickinson State Park organizes surveys that collect vital information about the species to better understand how to conserve the fire- dependent oak scrub that they inhabit. The results of this study indicate that efforts to restore the scrub habitat through prescribed burning have been successful at JDSP since the population of Florida Scrub-Jays has stabilized and the birds have dispersed into new areas of the park. iv Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables………………………………………………………………. vi Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………. 1 Methods ………………………………………………………………………………… 6 Results …………………………………………………………………………............... 8 Discussion ………………………………………………………………………………. 9 Literature Cited ………………………………………………………………………… 13 Figures and Tables …………………………………………………………………….. 15 v List of Figures and Tables Table 1. Vegetation Documentation ………...………………………………………...... 6 Figure 1A ………………………………………………………………………………..15 Figure 1B …………………………………………………………………………..……16 Table 2. Florida Scrub-Jay population numbers in JDSP ……………………………… 17 Figure 2. Graph of Florida Scrub-Jay numbers in JDSP ………………………………. 17 Figure 3. Florida Scrub-Jay group locations in JDSP ………………………………….. 18 Figure 4. Unbanded birds in newly inhabited Northern area …………………………... 19 Figure 5. JDSP burn management zones ………………………………………………. 20 vi Introduction Habitat restoration aims to help protect one or more threatened species in areas where habitat degradation has altered environmental conditions, particularly for landscapes in which concentrated human land uses dominate (Noss & Cooperrider 1994; Miller 2007). In cases where the severity of degradation is extreme, an area may no longer be suitable for species that had once inhabited the territory. One example is observed in the city of Los Angeles, where some soils have such high levels of heavy metals deposited from automobile exhaust that restoring native flora there is now impossible (Woodward 2005). In other cases, however, relatively modest restoration efforts can produce great results. Efforts to prevent imperiled species’ decline include habitat restoration, reducing threats to the species and creating or managing reserves (USFWS 1999). Successful species recovery depends on human commitment to invest time and resources in order to ensure that threatened plant and animal species are protected and brought back to a secure status. One example of successful population recovery involves efforts to save the endangered Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata), endemic to the island of Puerto Rico (USFWS 2003). Historically, the Puerto Rican parrot was abundant throughout the island, but following European colonization and an increase in human population and deforestation, the tropical rainforest dwelling species plummeted. By 1959, an isolated group of around 200 individuals remained in El Yunque National Forest and by 1967, that number was reduced to 70 (USFWS 2003). Recovery efforts begun in 1968 included captive breeding and the establishment of aviaries that acted as sanctuaries for the parrot chicks, a genetic supply for the species and a source of parrots for release into the wild. 1 These efforts resulted in a steady accumulation of the Puerto Rican parrots in captivity; there are currently 60-80 individuals in the wild and over 300 in captivity, although free- flying captive-reared parrots are released to bolster the wild population (USFWS 2012). More than half of released parrots thrive and settle in the same valleys that true, wild parrots inhabit. Released parrots can be found flying and foraging with the wild parrots and they even pair up with each other; basically, released survivors can now be considered wild parrots. Reasonable species recovery goals set within understood ecological, economic and social constraints have been widely achievable. For my thesis research, I examined the effect of on-going habitat restoration of the oak scrub community in South Florida on the population of the threatened Florida Scrub- Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). The Florida Scrub-Jay is the only avian species that is endemic to Florida and occurs exclusively in oak scrub habitat. In the 20th century, major destruction of the scrub occurred due to clearing for agriculture and housing development, causing a majority of endemic floral and faunal species to decrease in numbers (Cowan 2005). Due to habitat degradation and loss, the Florida Scrub-Jay has been in decline and in 1987 was federally listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS 1999). Surveys in Jonathan Dickinson State Park (JDSP) reported up to 300 Florida Scrub-Jays in the early 1990s, but the population numbers have since decreased to an average of 48 in the last decade (Rossmanith, pers comm. 2011). The Florida Scrub-Jay has become a flagship species in an endeavor to save what remains of the Florida scrub habitat. 2 The Florida Scrub-Jay is a medium-sized, blue and gray bird that is typically 25-30 cm long (Fig. 1). Although similar in shape and size in relation to the more common Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), the Florida Scrub-Jay differs in plumage coloration; its nape, head, wings and tail are blue, while its belly and back are gray (Johnson 2009). The Florida Scrub-Jay is crestless, lacks the white and black wing bands and tail feather tips found on the Blue Jay, and exhibits a blue-gray necklace of feathers that separates the white throat from the gray whitish chest (Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1996). Although there are no
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