Probably one of the hardest elements of putting on our annual haunted trail is the aftermath. During the prep and build out I am full of energy and excitement. A whirlwind of ideas, tasks and problem solving all rolled up into a giant orange and black ball. Then the party is just pure fun..well, after dealing with all the late hour gremlins that always find a way to test my wits. On the second night, the last of the guests leave, we power down the haunt and at some point my tired body is reacquainted with the bed. A day of rest usually follows thanks to a mysterious magnetic pull embedded in the very fibers of the pillow – someone should really figure out how to harness that power! Then the post party hangover kicks in. Gone is the pre-event excitement – it is grind time as everything has to be hauled back up into the out-building for drying and then the masterclass sessions of packing and organizing. Fortunately, “grinding” is my superpower which has served me well over the years, work, ultras and the draining work of unplugging everything, disassembling the props and hauling them out of the valley. That part of the work is done now and just waiting out the drying phase (you do NOT want moisture in your storage bins). While that is happening, jumping back into the blog work with today’s featured feathered friend.
Hit the jump to learn more about this interesting Falcon sporting the orange and black colors of the season.
I cannot think of a better Halloween mascot than our featured Falcon. In fact, it is right there in the name, Crested Scare-a-Scara…and what is more haunting than a single Scare-a-Scara…well, TWO Scare-a-Scaras!!!
Okay, I admit I might have altered the name of these crested creatures just a bit. Although I personally feel my name is far superior to their “official” name, the Crested Caracara. If we all pitch in, we might be able to make this a movement – the next time you encounter one of these Falcons declare loudly “Look, a Crested Scare-a-Scara. Be bold, matter of fact without apology and then move on leaving those around you blinking and second guessing their own reality. Imagine their quandary the next time they are out and somebody else does the exact same thing
You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he’s really sick, and they won’t believe him. And if two people, two people do it—in harmony—they may think they’re noobie birders and they won’t believe either of ’em. And three people do it—three, can you imagine?—three people walking by and calling it a Scare-a-Scara and walking away?—they may think it’s an organization. And can you—can you imagine fifty people a day—I said fifty people a day!—walkin’ by, declaring Scare-a-Scara and walking away. And friends, they may think it’s a movement! And that’s what it is, the Crested Scare-a-Scara Movement, and all you got to do to join is say it the next time you see one. With feeling.
If you are old enough to remember that song you are probably humming that tune in your head right now ha! Better get back to our subjects. These two …say it with me…Scare-a-Scaras were hanging out at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, TX on our trip there back in April 2024. Oops, should probably use the new name although it is much harder to remember – The Jocelyn Nungaray National Refuge.
Linda and I were actually hunting for the resident Burrowing Owl when these two Crested flew in together and landed on their respective fence posts. The shot at the top of the post was of another specimen that was perched on a solar panel – lots of these Raptors hanging out there. Although a common sight on our trips to south Texas, they have a relatively small footprint in the US. Beyond the small area in south/central Texas, there are small scattered pockets in central Florida and along the southern border of Arizona, most of their population prefer Central and South America. According to Cornell, they are sometimes referred to as the Mexican Eagle.
These two Scare-a-Scaras caught my attention mainly due to the specimen on the right that appeared to have some prey in its talons. Up to this point I had not seen one of these birds with a potential “live” catch. In fact, had to do a quick check to see if this was expected behavior or not. These Falcons also have a taste for carrion and typically feeding (well, I was under the impression always) around Vultures. Sure enough, they will eat live food like insects, fish, small mammals etc..and snakes which was my guess as to the victim in this situation. His companion seemed to be trying to clear up the situation.
“Umm dude, you know that isn’t a snake right?”
“Are your hearing me right now, that is definitely not a SNAKE!”
“Are you sure, it looks like a snake to me, long..thin, slithery, beady little eyes, kinda making that hissy noise – maybe you need glasses or your nose has been buried in a carcass to long”
“See, slithery..watch me use my deadly Falcon powers and submit it to my will”
“I am going to say it one more time for the cheap seats – that is NOT a snake you dumbass”
“Now exactly who is the dumbass, me teasing that photographer over there OR the photographer who thinks he is seeing a Scare-a-Scara feed on a live snake and filling up his tin with a bird playing with a piece of twine?”
Wow, these birds are harsh with their insults. Anyway, confirmed, not a snake, but still some nice shots of a bird that likes to hang out in low places with ugly friends. Clearly their variety of food sources – dead and living – allow them to thrive. They have a low conservation status with a global population of around 2.2 million. I was unable to find a US count for them, but did notice on Cornell’s site that Florida’s population is listed as threatened due to their small footprint.
Will call it a post here. Don’t forget, you know your mission – we can do this if we are all willing to commit and shirk off those weird looks during early adoption. In case you are wondering, the (old) name Caracara was given to them by French naturalist Jacques Barraband in the 1700s playing off their Portuguese label “caracará” (link here).
Before I forget, big thanks to Brad who has been keeping you entertained while I was out. Can’t wait for him to come back from assignment and show us all the cool birds and sights he and Jan discovered.
Take care, spook ya’ later!
Life Intrigued 