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Comparison of Scrub-Jay Reproduction on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge/Kennedy Space Center.   V. Rangel1 and G. Carter 2, 1South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, AZ and 2Dynamac Corporation, Kennedy Space Center, FL.

   The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is the only bird endemic to Florida.  It was declared a threatened species in 1987 under the Endangered and Threatened Species Act.  One of the three largest groups in Florida occurs at Kennedy Space Center 2.  Approximately 65% of the scrub previously found on the central east coast of Florida has been lost to human disturbance and development1.  In 1962, NASA began to obtain land on Merritt Island.  Fire suppression due to development by NASA was enforced until 1981; scrub habitat is negatively impacted by fire suppression.  As a result, numbers of Scrub-Jays at KSC have declined 2. This study was undertaken to better understand the relationship between Scrub-Jay reproduction and habitat quality.   Live study of the Florida Scrub-Jay in their known territories (Tel-4 and Happy Creek) included the use of peanuts to attract the birds to us to get a better view of the identification bands on their legs using  10x40 Pentax binoculars.  Observers stayed in a territory for approximately 10 minutes or until juveniles were identified and counted.  Census of juveniles was conducted from 8 am to 11 am because Scrub-Jays are not active in the afternoon.  Data were collected during clear weather conditions as Scrub-Jays are not active during rain or high winds. Florida Scrub-Jay demography was measured in two sites (Tel 4 and Happy Creek) to add results of these surveys to data previously collected in this long term study.  Tel 4 and Happy Creek were observed for juveniles and breeding pairs.  Data from the sites were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test then compared to each other and added to results of previous years to evaluate the reproductive trends of Scrub-Jays in both sites. Reproductive success varied from year to year at the two sites.  However, general data indicated that Tel-4 produced more Florida Scrub-Jays than the Happy Creek site.  On average, juvenile production at Tel-4 was significantly higher than at Happy Creek.