A Tale of Two Species: Lesser Prairie Chicken and Sand Dune Lizard

Lesser Prairie Chicken displays at a lek. Photo by David Powell.

“Everyone loves to eat chicken!”, boomed Willard Heck, former Peregrine Fund biologist, as he began his talk about New Mexico’s highest priority, not-yet-federally-listed species, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). Each year, in April, the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival is held in Milnesand, NM, a town that appears to the outside to consist of a fire station and community center, one home, and a store that is only open occasionally. However, the community that surrounds the landmark buildings at the crossroads of NM 206 and NM 262, thirty miles due south of Portales, consists of many square miles of family ranches, many of which band together to pull off one of the most remarkable festivals I’ve attended.

It was my privilege to attend the April 2010 event with my friend, Charles Cummings. And, what a show it was! We reserved a viewing blind at one of the leks where we had an unobstructed view of the gobbling, booming males. Arriving in the pre-dawn blackness, we found our blind, covered up with blankets, gloves, and hats, and settled in for the show. We heard them long before we could see anything, ghostly booms and repeated stamping. It sounded as if they were within a few feet of us as we willed our vision to see into the night. As dawn enlightened the flattened vegetation of the lek, we began to see chicken-like shapes strutting and posturing, one of which was, indeed, right in front of us. Our four hours of observation flew by in the blink of an eye, entranced as we were by the dancing display. I’ve never seen anything like that before!

Sunrise on the eastern plains in New Mexico. Photo by author.

We soon found ourselves warming up with hot coffee and a sizeable breakfast prepared by the friendly folks that help make this festival happen. One wall of the room held numerous sign-up sheets for different activities offered throughout both days, ranging from birding and other wildlife outings to lectures about the unique sand dune/shinnery oak habitat, with a healthy dose of information about the other species of conservation concern in the area, the Sand Dune Lizard.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Biology

The Lesser Prairie-Chicken (LPC), a medium-sized member of the grouse family (insert map here), has the smallest population size and the most restricted range of all North American prairie grouse species. In New Mexico, it is found in “sand shinnery” vegetation communities that consist of dwarf shinnery oak and grasses in the far eastern reaches of the state. Recurrent droughts, combined with excessive grazing of rangelands, and conversion of rangelands to agricultural use have reduced the population of LPC by 97% in the last 100 years.

LPC have a lek mating system where males congregate daily and strut their stuff by erecting the feathers atop their heads and positioning themselves as if they are nearly bending over while spreading their primary feathers, extending their head and neck forward to expose a bright orange air sac and producing a piercing booming sound. As if that weren’t enough to advertise their prowess and fitness to the females, they top it off by stamping their feet on the ground. Leks have sparse vegetation and typically are located at a higher point in a somewhat flat landscape; birds are present on the lek from late March through May.

Humans used to hunt LPC for meat and raptors find them tasty, but the biggest predation threat is to hens incubating clutches. Terrestrial predators include raccoon, skunk, and coyote. Decrease of high quality nesting cover due to drought or overgrazing has been shown to negatively impact nesting success.

Grant Beauprez, prairie chicken biologist, for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish holds a Lesser Prairie Chicken as part of his reasearch.

According to Grant Beauprez, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Biologist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the New Mexico population of LPC hit a population high of over 9400 birds in 2008. Because not all areas of the species’ range were surveyed, this estimate represents the minimum population size. Surveys are conducted in March and April each year, documenting the number of birds that survived through the winter, thus a 2008 survey would be affected by the reproductive success in 2007. In May 2008, a major hailstorm that produced golf ball size hail struck New Mexico’s core nesting area. Many hens died in the icy deluge and recruitment was poor that year. Surveys in 2009 documented only 5,000 birds and in 2010, the population dropped to 3,000. Beauprez reports that the summer of 2010 has been really wet, and the grass looks better than he’s ever seen. There are anecdotal reports of people seeing more birds this summer, lending hope for good reproduction and higher numbers on the 2011 surveys.

“We’ll just have to wait for spring to see! The only time I get to see and hear these birds is at sunrise in the spring. It is what keeps me motivated throughout the year -- actually seeing and hearing them; they are really fun birds. So unique!” Beauprez’s enthusiasm was evident and infectious as he talked about the species that is his life’s work.

Sand Dune Lizard. Photo by Charlie Painter, state herpetologist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Sand Dune Lizard Biology

Also found in the same geographic area, but restricted to sand dune formations inhabited by shinnery oak in Lea, Eddy, and south Chaves counties, is the small, terrestrial sand dune lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus). Charlie Painter, State Herpetologist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, has spent a large portion of his career working to understand this lizard, part of our native biodiversity which needs to be preserved.

Painter reports, “This is the only place on the planet where the Sand Dune Lizard occurs. It is a very habitat specific and restricted lizard, found only in sandy blowouts. It is a generalized insectivore that eats a wide variety of arthropod prey. A fairly shy lizard, it is quick to retreat when encountered and will bury itself under leaf litter. It’s a really beautiful lizard! Females take on a really nice burnt orange and yellow color in the breeding season and males have bright turquoise blue belly patches. “

Painter continues, “The Sand Dune Lizard faces a variety of threats, primarily habitat destruction and fragmentation, anything that removes sand dune habitat: well pads, roads, and power lines. Additionally, the lizard is very susceptible to pit fall trapping which also makes them highly vulnerable to trenches that have been left open. Previous studies have shown that the widespread use of the herbicide, Tebuthiron, used to control shinnery oak and mesquite to increase forage for cattle also has impacted suitable habitat.”

Conservation of Two Diverse Species

Both animals are Federal Candidate species, listed as warranted, but precluded as endangered or threatened. Concerned over the status of the two species, state and federal agencies proposed a “Working Group” of public and private stakeholders to develop a collaborative conservation strategy. In 2003, led by a professional facilitation team, the group began meeting. The goal, adopted by the group was:

To create a conservation strategy for the management of shinnery oak and sage grassland communities in southeastern and east-central New Mexico, recommending a range of specific actions to enhance and secure populations of Lesser Prairie-Chickens and Sand Dune Lizards, so that federal or state listing of these species is not needed, while protecting other uses of the land.

Thus began two years of intensive work among government agencies, ranchers, oil and gas producers, conservation organizations and other interested parties culminating in the 2005 publication, “Collaborative Conservation Strategies for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken and Sand Dune Lizard in New Mexico: Findings and Recommendations of the New Mexico LPC/SDL Working Group.”

The Nature Conservancy, known for direct acquisition of lands in need of protection, and a member of the working group, purchased the 18,500 acre Creamer Ranch in 2005 that became the Milnesand Prairie Preserve. In 2009, they acquired the 9,200 acre Johnson Ranch, expanding the preserve to 28,000 acres of unfragmented grasslands with shinnery oak.

The Festival

All conservation efforts, regardless of the species or habitats, must include education and outreach, and the LPC/SDL Working Group has come up with a unique way to promote the animals they work to protect. Each year, beginning in 2002, the tiny town has hosted the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival thanks to the collaborative efforts of the community of Milnesand, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the Nature Conservancy of New Mexico, and the Grasslands Charitable Foundation.

The community has embraced the event and rallied around the cause. People come from all over the world to look at the chickens. Local landowners realize that it is to their benefit to work together to protect the birds. Lesser Prairie Chickens are good indicators of the health of the sand dune/shinnery oak ecosystem. Beauprez’s final comment about the conservation efforts: “If you have lots of chickens you have lots of grass for cattle.”

The 10^th Annual High Plains

Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival

April 15-17, 2011

Or send an e-mail to Tish MacDaniel at chickenfestival@yahoo.com

Folks from around the country flock to this unique event where you can:

Observe and photograph breeding adults at leks

Bird with some of the best birders in New Mexico

Talk with ranchers and biologists working to conserve LPC

Learn about the Southern Great Plains ecosystem

Enjoy good food and Western Hospitality

Watch for the website to post the 2011 festival activities and be sure to register early. The festival is limited to the first 100 registrants and the 2010 event was sold out within one week. Registration is limited because of the sensitivity of the LPC during the breeding season and because festival volunteers prepare and serve all meals during the festival.

Fastest Bird in the World: Peregrine Falcon

Adult Peregrine Falcon in Flight. Photo by Doug Brown.

Fact or Fiction? Various accounts report top speeds ranging between 100 and 250 miles per hour for the Peregrine Falcon. Most, however, agree that in a stoop (when the bird is diving on prey) that it is indeed the fastest on our planet. Recent technology enabled a team of scientists, lead by falconer and researcher, Ken Franklin, to attach a speed monitor similar to those used in sky diving to his falconry bird, Frightful. National Geographic filmed her remarkable descent as Frightful adjusted her body’s position to become as streamlined as possible once the lure (a leather pouch designed to look like a bird) was released. Although some might argue that since the bird was lifted aloft via aircraft, possibly skewing the results, Frightful reached a top speed of 242 miles per hour while diving on a lure, impressive in the extreme.

Extreme might be one of the adjectives that best describes this remarkable species. Throughout history, humans have been held spellbound by the aerial acrobatics of the peregrine and other large falcons. Few other North American species have been as highly regarded and romanticized in the second half of the 20th century. The peregrine is among the most studied of all wild birds, with over 2,000 scientific publications. The falcon has been eulogized in numerous books and poems, and appears in a wide variety of art dating back several centuries. Its daredevil acrobatics undoubtedly inspired the sport of falconry, where participants may witness these remarkable flights close at hand. During the heyday of falconry in the Middle Ages, the peregrine was the most prized of hunting hawks and reserved for the pleasure of the aristocracy. Severe penalties were incurred for harming a wild falcon or robbing her eyrie (nest).

Revered to reviled: After the introduction of firearms, and conversion of land to agriculture, the sport of falconry declined, and peregrines came to be regarded as vermin, relentlessly persecuted by gamekeepers, hunters, egg-collectors, skin collectors, pigeon fanciers, and others. From the 18th century until the mid 1900s, this attitude persisted and humans destroyed many thousands of peregrines, eggs, and young worldwide. It should be noted that this attitude extended to all raptor species, not just falcons. Yet, falcon populations were remarkably resilient to hunting pressure. One estimate reported a decline of only 10-18% in occupied territories by the 1930s and it was impossible to determine the if they were permanently deserted.

By World War II, the peregrine was viewed as a menace to the all important carrier pigeons, and the British Air Ministry undertook a campaign to eradicate the falcons in the south of England. The control measures resulted in the systematic destruction of 100 or more eyries and shooting about 600 falcons each year. However, within 10 years after the persecution ended, falcon pairs were again present at 80% of those eyries. However, a far greater threat to its survival loomed on the horizon: pesticides.

Vanished: In the mid 1960s, researchers and falconers realized that Peregrine Falcon populations were in deep trouble in North America. A population crash had been occurring for the past 10-15 years, on a parallel with declines of the species in Europe. Except for one eyrie that continued to be occupied until the 1980s, peregrines had vanished east of the Mississippi River. They probably also disappeared from most eyries in the Rocky Mountains at about the same time, although it was not until the 1970s that adequate surveys took place and verified the suspicions of scientists. By 1980, no active eyries could be found in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming. Suddenly, it seemed as if only 15-20% of the former total population in the lower 48 United States survived.
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was considered to be a safe and effective insecticide in the 1940s and 1950s. It was used as an agricultural insecticide, and to combat lice and mosquitos responsible for the spread of human diseases such as typhus, and malaria. There were no known significant adverse effects to either animal or human health, that is, until Peregrine Falcon populations, along with other birds such as the Bald Eagle and Osprey crashed.
When DDT use was widespread, daily doses of the chemical accumulated in the fatty tissue of the peregrine. The stored chemicals acted to "block" the movement of calcium during eggshell formation causing the shells to be "thin." Peregrine falcon eggs broke and embryos died at an alarming rate. The peregrine became the cause célèbre for the fledgling environmental movement, lead by the publication of Rachel Carson’s landmark book, Silent Spring.

By 1970, the peregrine was federally protected in the United States, and the chemical culprits were banned in North America by 1972. Peregrines were have since made a strong recovery, thanks in large part to extensive captive breeding and release programs implemented by The Peregrine Fund of Boise, Idaho. They were officially de-listed on August 20, 1999, although they remain a state-listed species in New Mexico.

Lessons learned from the plight of the peregrine have worked their way into science curriculums throughout the U.S. Most third and fourth grade students understand what the words “endangered” and “extinct” mean. We are extremely fortunate that falcon watching of this charismatic bird alerted the world to a problem in time for there to be a resolution. Will we be as lucky in the future?

Anatomy of a Rescue

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). Photo by Doug Brown

The Peregrine Falcon, a highly visible and charismatic species, was proverbial “Canary in a Coal Mine” that alerted us to the dangers of pesticides. Its precipitous decline, discovered in the 1960s, lead to worldwide concern among ornithologists, researchers, and falconers, who convened conferences to assess the situation and implement plans to prevent the falcon from disappearing altogether. Efforts to breed and release falcons began in late 1960s by several different organizations, including the Peregrine Fund, which was founded at Cornell University in 1970 and lead by ornithology professor, Tom Cade.

The P Fund, as it is often referred to now, began breeding falcons in captivity for release to the wild in an attempt to prevent further declines. They successfully bred and released more than 4,000 falcons from 1974 to 1998, resulting in a minimum of 700 re-established breeding territories in North America. The non-profit organization is currently based at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho.

Peregrines, like other falcons, do not build nests but use naturally occurring cavities (scrapes) on cliff edges, often near water, where the female (referred to as ‘falcon’) lays her eggs on sand or gravel. Generally, these nest sites, called eyries, have an expansive view of the surrounding habitat from which the female can watch for intruders and the male (tiercel) can scan for prey. Peregrines prey almost entirely on birds in New Mexico, including doves, swifts, flickers, jays, meadowlarks, and others. At one eyrie, the remains of 62 bird species were identified. I’ve also watched them hunt for bats emerging from a cave at dusk, and research shows that they are opportunistic, taking other animals on occasion. They can take birds up to the size of ducks and pheasants, hence the nickname, Duck Hawk.

It’s the unique hunting style of the peregrine that has earned the admiration and adoration of countless numbers of falcon fanatics worldwide for, indeed, this falcon has circumpolar distribution, except for Antarctica. The falcon climbs high into the sky, watching for aerial prey below with eyesight that is 8-10 times the distance and acuity of the human eye. Once prey is sighted, the bird tucks its body into the celebrated stoop at speeds of 200 miles per hour or more, and dives on often unsuspecting prey. At the last moment, the falcon swings her balled feet forward and strikes the victim, knocking it unconscious. The falcon then swoops to pick up the prey, and using her tomial tooth (an extra notch on the underside of the upper bill unique to falcons), breaks the prey’s neck. The falcon then descends to the ground with the prey to eat.

Because the peregrine had been extirpated (absent) east of the Mississippi River, but was still present in the West, initial reintroduction efforts focused on this region. Early release sites were located on bridges over rivers that simulated natural falcon habitat and also allowed easy human access, often near major metropolitan areas. The birds took well to these releases and a small population began to thrive. However, although humans thought that the bridges might be an ideal habitat, the peregrines had other ideas about preferred nesting sites. The falcons began to move into cities where they nested on ledges of skyscrapers, and dined on the ubiquitous urban avifauna, notably the Rock Pigeon. It seemed that, in the falcon’s eyes, the city had everything that they needed: suitable eyries and an unlimited food supply.

An additional benefit accrued to the peregrines that took up residence in urban centers, an adoring public. As people became aware of the plight of the peregrine and began to notice the rare falcons nesting outside their high rise, high rent offices, they became falcon watchers and peregrine protectors.

Today, the everyday activities of countless pairs of urban nesting peregrines are chronicled via webcams and falcon watches on the web and in local newspapers. My web search for peregrine falcon news results turned up 119 stories less than 30 days old. This includes last week’s exploits of “Early Bird” a 37-day-old peregrine falcon that leapt from his eyrie on the 12th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. Although the first flight went well, the second did not. He crashed into a flower bed and returned to his nest box by volunteers who keep an eye on the falcons. The volunteers, known as the Peregrine Falcon Watchpost Team, will be on hand from dawn to dusk for roughly the next 10 days in case "Early Bird" or his sibling decides to try again.

Closer to home, peregrines have been observed in downtown Albuquerque although no nesting has been known to occur. Certainly, the falcons are finding ideal hunting conditions in our southwestern city, complete with an abundant pigeon population. One falcon watcher called to excitedly share the intimate details of the recent kill outside her high rise office window.
Not all peregrines have migrated to urban centers, and New Mexico still has a population that eschews city life for the solitude of wilder country. However, getting to see one in the back country is uncommon, even in the appropriate habitat. They remain a state listed threatened species by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
The plight of the peregrine was the impetus for increased research, monitoring and conservation of all bird species. After their success in reintroducing peregrines, the P Fund pioneered propagation and release techniques for numerous species worldwide. Other species released to restore wild populations include the Aplomado Falcon, Bald Eagle, Bat Falcon, California Condor, Harpy Eagle, Madagascar Fish Eagle, Mauritius Kestrel, Orange-breasted Falcon, and Prairie Falcon. However, bringing a species back from the brink of extinction is the least desirable and most expensive way to save a species. The annual costs for recovery of the Peregrine Falcon were placed at more than $5.4 million in the 1990s. Thus, the shared goal of “keeping common species common” is the mantra that drives most conservation efforts today.