Aplomado Falcon Press Release

NEWS RELEASE For immediate release June 27, 2012 Contact Brian Mutch, The Peregrine Fund, (307) 752-6336 Tom Harvey, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, (512) 389-4453 Rob McCorkle, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, (830) 866-3533 Damon Reeves, Mustang Island State Park, (361) 749-5246 Bev Gabe, LightHawk, (207) 222-2227 Beau Hardegree, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (361) 994-9005 Beth Becerra, Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, (361) 885-6246 News opportunity When: Approximately 5 p.m., Sunday, July 1 (call Brian Mutch, (307) 752-6336, for updated ETA) Where: Mustang Island State Park, airport and headquarters parking area Purpose: Arrival and placement of endangered Aplomado Falcons in hack sites for later release Visuals: 15 Aplomado Falcon chicks Interviews: Peregrine Fund biologist, LightHawk pilots, Texas Parks and Wildlife staff Aplomado Falcon chicks to be released at Texas state park for first time to increase habitat for endangered bird of prey. The colorful Aplomado Falcon is regaining a foothold in parts of Texas where they disappeared more than a half-century ago. On July 1, biologists will begin releasing captive-bred Aplomodo Falcons to the wild for the first time at Mustang Island State Park to take advantage of additional habitat that the endangered birds of prey need to survive. “We are delighted to have Mustang Island State Park as a partner in this recovery effort,” said Bill Heinrich of The Peregrine Fund, an Idaho-based conservation organization focused on birds of prey. “The park helps fill in a gap in habitat between falcon populations that are already well-established and self-sustaining in South Texas.” Since 1984, The Peregrine Fund has released Aplomado Falcons in wide-open grassland areas that provide native food and shelter. They are raised in captivity at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. When chicks are about a month old, they are flown to the release sites by LightHawk, a volunteer aviation group that donates flights for conservation projects. Fast flights on private aircraft are the best way to ensure that the chicks arrive with little stress and in good overall health, Heinrich said. Over the last three years, LightHawk volunteer pilots have transported more than 200 Aplomado Falcon chicks to support the reintroduction effort. This latest flight to Texas is being donated by Carl Mattson and Julie Boyd, of Denver, Colo., who will be piloting their Cessna 210 turbo. When the chicks reach Mustang Island State Park, they will be placed at newly constructed “hack sites.” Each site consists of a large wooden box atop a platform raised 10-12 feet off the ground for protection from predators. The birds will be fed while they become accustomed to their new surroundings. A few days later, the door will be opened and the birds will be able to fly freely. They will continue to be fed and monitored at the hack site for about two months while they hone their flying and hunting skills and are able to survive on their own. Currently there are about 34 nesting pairs in South Texas, spread to the north and south of Mustang Island, including the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Aplomado Falcons were widespread in the American Southwest until the 1950s when their range was restricted to a few areas in Mexico, most likely due to the combined effects of habitat changes, pesticides and human persecution. For the recovery effort, the falcons have been released on both private and public lands. The Peregrine Fund has enrolled more than 2 million acres of private Texas ranchland in the Safe Harbor Program, which was developed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce landowner concerns over endangered species on their property and to provide access to habitat for the falcon. Aplomado Falcon recovery is a cooperative program with federal, state, and private partners, including The Peregrine Fund, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. DID YOU KNOW?  Northern Aplomado Falcons were put on the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1986.  Aplomado is a Spanish word for dark grey, the color of the bird’s back. Adults have a long banded tail and a black cummerbund, contrasting with a white upper body. A distinguishing characteristic is a white dash above each eye. They are 15-17 inches in length and weigh 9-14 ounces.  The falcons feed primarily on small birds and insects caught in the air. They require open grasslands and savannahs where tall cacti, yuccas and taller pines and oaks grow in open stands.  Aplomado Falcons nest in old stick nests of hawks and other birds constructed in tall yuccas and lay usually two or three eggs.

A week from now I leave for Texas. It’s hard to believe that it came so soon. The countdown begins….

I am looking forward to meeting and working with my three new team mates! I will have much to learn from each of them, therefore having a lot in common, I think that we will conduct our efforts with great collaboration and compliment each other well. Mary is from Michigan and is in her 3rd year of veterinary school. Sarah is from Seattle and is an apprentice falconer and computer engineer. Kristen is from New Mexico and has worked as a Hack Site Attendant in prior years so her expertise will help us newbies fit right in and show us the ropes!!

Peregrine Fund is still awaiting a donated flight through LightHawk and the falcons are expected to arrive on the 3rd of July but with the holiday weekend no certain flight plan has been made. We are all anxiously waiting for our instructions, maybe a day sooner or later, in which we will finally meet the first group of birds that we will be caring for.  It sounds as though our first group will consist of approximately 3 to 4 (15 total) birds placed in each of the towers, with the second group being 4-5 (23 total) birds; a total of 38 falcons being released throughout the entire season. The second group arrives only weeks later around July 15…it’s going to be busy!! I am looking forward to the experience and watching each bird mature each day into independence. A falcon is considered independent after 21 days of returning to the tower after release.

Anthropomorphism: making an animal seem human. It’s funny the preconceived ideas we have about animals and what they realistically are in the wild. Apart from caring for my own pets, I know these birds will be wild. It is also tough to think of any bird passing despite the huge effort to ensure their safety and survival. It’s hard not to think of these falcons as characters you would see in a movie and not want to recognize that a certain percentage of the birds will not reach adulthood because nature will take its course, but I am going try my best to ensure that they all do.

I have an array of emotions as the day in which I will depart becomes closer. As I pack up my apartment, I have become conscious of the friends and family I will leave behind temporarily, but a chapter in my life is ending while another is beginning. I am ecstatic for this opportunity and encouraged by what I will experience and gain from this. I try not to worry about what my future will hold two months from now because tomorrow will take care of itself.  I am looking forward to new friends and new possibilities that produce that many more goals and dreams.

I can’t wait to share my adventure with all of you… :)

I attend Oregon State University obtaining a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and I finally gained my chance to participate in an endangered species project. I am employed with the World Center for Birds of Prey (Peregrine Fund) as a Hack Site Attendant starting July 2012 to assist with the Aplamodo Falcons Restoration Project! Four of us have been placed in Mustang Island State Park (Corpus Christ, TX) to ensure the falcons reach independence. I chose to write this blog so people could share in my journey!