T HE R ETURN OF THE A PLOMADO
F ALCON ,
a Missing Cog in the Desert –
And Spotting Its Competitor,
“T
he outstanding scientific discov-
ery of the twentieth century is
not television, or radio, but
rather the complexity of the land organism.
Only those who know the most about it can
appreciate how little we know about it. The
last word in ignorance is the man who says of
an animal or plant: “What good is it?” If the
land mechanism as a whole is good, then every
part is good, whether we understand it or not.
If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built
something we like but do not understand, then
who but a fool would discard seemingly useless
parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first
precaution of intelligent tinkering.”
- Aldo Leopold
In the struggle to reconsider land
use and land management practices in
West Texas, overgrazing stands out as
the most challenging sin to overcome.
Lush high desert grasslands when first
settled were quickly reduced to dust,
tumbleweeds, prickly pear and
mesquite by overgrazing. That origi-
nal high desert grassland habitat, with
patches of yucca and vast, open vistas,
was a habitat that has been forever
changed. The current generations of
ranchers and land managers have
made significant strides in repairing
the damage of our beautiful Trans-
Pecos region. In its original state, it
was ideal for the Aplomado Falcon
(Falco femoralis), a long, slender, graceful
hunter which favored doves, sparrows,
rodents and insects.
Aplomado Falcons are larger than
kestrels, smaller than Peregrine and
Prairie Falcons, but with very long
wings and tails relative to their body
size. From a distance, their buoyant
flight and dark upper wings are remi-
niscent of nighthawks, but their strong
wing beats and bright white chests give
8
Cenizo
them away. Their classic falcon 'hood'
is a stately black that matches their
dusky bellies; adults have bright white
chests and young birds have a buffy
orange hue to their chests. Both have
buffy orange feathering on their legs
and under their tails, giving them a
novel color among North American
falcons.
in a grassland comes trees; that is,
additional trees not along native water-
shed riparian areas. Certainly, they
were small at first. But trees mature,
and mature cottonwoods are a magnet
for owls—in this case, Great Horned
Owls (Bubo virginianus).
Is there really a Great Horned Owl
problem? Well, not for you and me.
Photo: Matt York
This bird was right above my head. Sometimes we see less with binoculars than we do with
our naked eye. Gazing at this huge bird with those magnificent features, most certainly its
eyes, I can't help but wonder what it really sees and hears. What might it sense that is beyond
my capability? What all it notices that we do not. Perhaps it senses more than we can handle.
This photo was taken from a respectful distance. This observation was as well.
Historically, Aplomado Falcons
have been a bit of a birder's enigma.
They were extirpated from their for-
mer range in part due to the overgraz-
ing, but just as importantly human set-
tlement. Along with human settlement
First Quarter 2014
Not for wildlife in general terms. In
specific terms, it is a problem for rein-
troduction efforts of Aplomado Falcons
in the Marathon Basin. This holds true
for other sites in the greater tri-county
and Trans-Pecos regions of Texas.
Let it be known that these owls are
not the bad guy in all this. These avian
native-Texans, as with any of us, need
shelter, places to raise their young, and
food to nourish both adult and young.
It takes a lot of energy to nest, lay eggs,
feed nestlings, feed begging fledglings,
and ultimately feed themselves.
So what does this have to do with
Aplomado Falcons being reintroduced
to part of the Great Horned Owl’s
native range? Great Horned Owls are
of course birds of prey. These falcons
are as well. Thus, the falcons are
potential competitors for food
resources within Great Horned Owl
feeding territory. The Great Horned
Owls are having none of it.
In southern Texas and along the
Gulf Coast's barrier islands, Aplomado
Falcons are making a remarkable
comeback with the help of reintroduc-
tion. These areas have low or no Great
Horned Owl populations. The bulk of
the work is among networks - private,
state, and federal - with The Peregrine
Fund out of Boise, Idaho coordinating
releases of young Aplomados during
summer months.
Captive-rearing young Aplomado
Falcons for the goal of releasing and
reintroduction takes a lot of work and
resources. They are individually too
valuable, and quite frankly expensive,
a resource to be losing birds nightly to
Great Horned Owls during captive-
release exercises at sites across the
Trans-Pecos.
A little bit about the owls: Great
Horned Owls are year-round residents
in the Marathon Basin, greater Big
Bend area, and over much of the con-
tinent. We certainly have at least one
breeding pair around Marathon and
the surrounding Marathon Basin.