West Volusia Audubon

06/07/2026

06/04/2026

Our friends and members with donations big and small have made a lot of progress on our campaign but we still need your help to hit our goal of raising $10,000 for Jay Watch!

Will you help us support the Florida Scrub-Jay by donating or sharing this post?

You can find the donation link in our bio Instagram or right here: https://www.lecfriends.com/jay-watch/

Jay Watch is a community science program led by Audubon Florida that is dedicated to training and supporting volunteers in conducting scientific surveys. This effort helps us evaluate the total number of scrub-jays and annual nesting success at more than 45 sites in 19 counties including our beloved Lyonia Preserve and Blue Spring State Park!

As Florida’s only endemic bird species, scrub-jays delight locals and draw birders from all over and often reward visitors with a lifelong memory by landing on their hat or shoulder. But the Scrub-Jay population is under an ever-increasing threat and its population is estimated to have declined by 90% since the early 1800s, largely due to loss of its native scrub habitat.

With your help, we can help continue to ensure that the Florida Scrub-Jay will be around to delight and inspire for many generations to come.

06/04/2026

A mural unveiling event May 19 in Artisan Alley in Downtown DeLand brought together members of Lyonia Environmental Center (including their mascot, Rusty the scrub jay). The mural was painted by the West Volusia Artists in collaboration with the National Audubon Society.

06/04/2026

https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/2258039/emails/187135971811133326

West Volusia Audubon is once again coordinating a fundraising campaign to support the 2026 edition of the annual Jay Watch survey. Our friends and members have made a lot of progress on this campaign but we still need your help!

05/20/2026

We know the algorithm isn’t always our friend, and sometimes people find out about our events after they happen. We want to help make sure you’re finding out about our events in plenty of time!

Our weekly West Volusia Audubon/LEC Friends “Sentinel Jay” newsletter includes a look at upcoming WVA events as well as events at the Lyonia Environmental Center, as well as news and articles of note. You can sign up for the mailing list at:

https://www.westvolusiaaudubon.org/ehummingbird/

This link is also found on Instagram in our stories and highlights.

We also want to remind you that the LEC hosts events through Eventbrite, and if you follow the LEC on Eventbrite, you’ll also get updates when new events are added! You can follow them here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/lyonia-environmental-center-50947472233

05/19/2026

From Slobodan Preradovic of the Lyonia Photography Club:

Blue in the Shadows

Grand Oaks Resort, Florida • April 2026

A Blue Jay glowing against the muted woodland background — one of those moments where the colors do all the talking.

Sony ILCE-6700

FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS + 1.4X Teleconverter

840mm • f/9 • 1/500s • ISO 6400

05/18/2026

Join us for the unveiling of Downtown DeLand’s newest mural celebrating the iconic Florida Scrub-Jay!

West Volusia Audubon and the LEC Friends will be part of this official unveiling on Tuesday, May 19th and 5:30 PM in Downtown DeLand’s Artisan Alley - and the public is invited!

This mural is painted by members of West Volusia Artists and offered as a gift to the citizens of DeLand by West Volusia Artists and West Volusia Audubon.

The mural is licensed by National Audubon Society as an Audubon Mural Project. The is a public art initiative that aims to raise awareness and advocate for actions on the plight of birds threatened by loss of habitat and climate change.

05/08/2026

Downtown DeLand is home to a beautiful new scrub-jay mural!

A new mural has arrived in Artisan Alley, and it is worth stopping to see. The West Volusia Artists Group, with support from the West Volusia Audubon, recently completed a striking depiction of a Florida Scrub-Jay, one of Florida’s most recognizable native birds.

The mural was approved by the Mural Art Board in January and was designed with a simple but meaningful goal: to bring people together through art inspired by the natural world around us.

Next time you are in the alley, take a moment to look up and appreciate the work that went into it.