Agencies Join Peregrine Fund to Restore Aplomado Falcons

A strikingly beautiful New Mexico native is coming home thanks to the passion and dedication of federal and state agencies working with the Peregrine Fund.  Eighteen Aplomado falcon chicks reared in captivity began their life in the wild on July 6, at release sites south of Socorro, New Mexico.  They were joined by another 11 chicks on July 18, with another ten ‘delivered’ on July 27.

This is the second year the endangered falcons have been reintroduced in New Mexico as part of a recovery effort involving the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, White Sands Missile Range,  and the New Mexico State Land Office. The falcons were hatched at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, which is breeding, releasing and monitoring the falcons.

“All of the partners worked for more than 10 years to make this recovery possible,” said Pete Jenny, president and CEO of The Peregrine Fund. “We are delighted to be part of this project and hope the bird will be a common sight throughout the Southwest in the years ahead.”

The first releases of 2007 took place on a site where lands managed by the BLM, State Land Office and White Sands Missile Range come together. Additional releases occurred on Ted Turner’s nearby Armendaris ranch, the site of last year’s release.

The BLM contributed funding and a site for this year’s releases. “Restoring New Mexico’s wildlife goes hand in hand with restoring landscapes and protecting our natural heritage,” said Linda Rundell, BLM-New Mexico State Director.

Also this summer, biologists were pleasantly surprised to discover that a pair of falcons released last year had successfully laid eggs and produced two chicks. Normally, the birds don’t reproduce until they are 2-3 years old.

Aplomado falcons were once widespread in the American Southwest, from southern Texas to eastern Arizona. By the 1950s their range was restricted to a few areas in Mexico, due to the effects of habitat changes, pesticides and human persecution.

The Peregrine Fund has overseen the Aplomado falcon recovery effort that’s been in place since 1993 in Texas, where falcons are now commonly seen by bird enthusiasts. There are now about 50 pairs of the birds thriving in South and West Texas, plus the pair in New Mexico.  The falcons in New Mexico are being released as an experimental, non-essential population, which allows more flexibility under the Endangered Species Act.

2008 Update 70 Aplomado Falcon Chicks Released into the Wild in New Mexico The falcons were released into New Mexico this summer from two sites on Ted Turner’s Armendaris Ranch south of Socorro and one on the White Sands Missile Range, south-southeast of Socorro.  A total of 50 falcons reached ‘independence,’ and are now flying free in New Mexico along with many of the birds released in 2006-2007.  Two Significant Developments Biologists from the BLM and the Peregrine Fund have identified four pairs of adult birds in New Mexico, two on the Armendaris Ranch, one in the Lake Valley area, and another on Otero Mesa.  The Peregrine Fund will continue its releases of Aplomado falcons in the coming years and is working with BLM to identify new release sites in southern New Mexico.  The BLM is supporting the reintroduction effort via a 5-year grant of $100,000.    In related news, on September 2, 2008, the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque ruled in favor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Peregrine Fund, upholding the Service’s designation of the species as an experimental population in New Mexico, which will allow further reintroductions of the falcons to continue in our state. Linda Rundell, BLM NM State Director, looks on as Peregrine Fund Founding Board member, Frank Bond, holds one of chicks slated for release. Representatives from the BLM, FWS, DOD, and the State Land Office look on as Frank Bond of the Peregrine Fund shows off one of the 11 Aplomado Falcon chicks to the media.

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Courtesy of Albuquerque
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