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i' km). On the Gulf Coast, Thaxton and Hingtgen (1996) reported average dispersal distances in urban areas to be 5 miles for females and 1.2 miles (1.9 km) males. These urban dispersal patterns contrast significantly with those documented for contiguous, optimal scrub at Archbold Biological Station where mean dispersal distances for females are 0.6 miles (1.0 km) and for males are 0.2 miles (0.3 km) (Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984). Scrub -jays in the Sebastian study area dispersed and nested at earlier ages than in undisturbed scrub systems. A total of 41 known -age dispersals were documented during the study (26 females and 15 males). The mean age of dispersing females was 14.2 months (range=4 to 36 months). The mean age of dispersing males was 28.2 months (range =11 to 60 months) (Toland unpubl. data). Breeding by yearlings, especially females, was relatively common during the Sebastian scrub -jay study (Toland unpubl, data). Florida scrub -jays will breed earlier than normal when the chance arises in disturbed landscapes subject to population declines (Breininger 1999). Nesting by yearlings has also been reported for scrub -jay subpopulations in Palm Bay and the South Brevard County barrier island (Breininger 1999). During 1993, Indian River County and the City of Sebastian were censused for Florida scrub -jays as part of the Florida state-wide survey (Fitzpatrick et al. 1994b). This survey resulted in documentation of 52 families of scrub -jays in Indian River County: none on the barrier island, 12 on the Ten Mile Ridge, and 40 on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge (Toland 1993, 1996). The majority of remaining scrub -jay families in Indian River County continued to persist in the incorporated limits of the City of Sebastian, where scrub -jay territories declined from 35 in 1991 to 27 in 1993 (Toland unpubl. data, Toland 1996). Most of the territories that were abandoned were in outlying parcels of the Sebastian Highlands that were composed of predominantly disturbed, overgrown mesic fiatwood and paltnetto-lyonia shrubland vegetation, including slash pine (Pinus elliottir), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), galiberry (Ilex glabra), saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), 'fetterbush (Lyonia fruticosa), and staggerbush (L. hicida), as well as landscaped lawns, ornamental plants, and scattered live oaks (Quercus virginiana). This disturbed matrix habitat characterizes the majority of the habitat fragments remaining within the platted residential lots of Sebastian Highlands. The 1996 Florida scrub -jay population census for Sebastian documented a continued decline down to 20 breeding pairs (Toland 1996, unpubl, data). During late summer/early fall of 1998, known remaining territories were censused for 51 hours between July 191" and October 14"' in support of this HCP. Following survey methods used since 1988 (Fitzpatrick el al. 1991), this study documented the loss of 4 more territories within the Sebastian Highlands subdivision, resulting in a total of 16 territories within the incorporated limits of the City of Sebastian. This represents a 54% population decline from the 35 breeding pairs documented in the City of Sebastian in 1991 (Toland unpubl. data). The location of those 38