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LAS CRUCES - A rare winged visitor is causing a stir at the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park.

The endangered bird, a Northern Aplomado Falcon, was first sighted last week by a park employee and has been drawing attention ever since, said Mesilla Valley Audubon Society President David Griffin.

"There are some guys coming down from Santa Fe to see it if it's still here; people are coming up from El Paso," he said. "There's a guy from Tucson. Even someone from California was supposedly flying in to look for it."

The falcon is noteworthy because it lacks a leg band, meaning it likely didn't come from any of several breeding programs aimed at restoring the species. It would be the first such sighting locally since 1999, Griffin said.

The falcons were once widespread in the Southwest, but disappeared, likely because of human activity, sometime in the middle of the 20th century, according to the Peregrine Fund, a conservation organization working to restore the bird.

At the park, the Aplomado Falcon was first spotted around noon Friday by state employee C.J. Goin, who has an interest in birdwatching.

"It's a significant bird to have in our park; we've had people call our park asking about it," said Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park ranger Ken Abalos. "It's caused quite a commotion in the birding community here."

Abalos said he saw the bird, perched on a power line pole, as recently as Tuesday morning.

The falcon has been moving between the east and west sides of the Rio Grande  from the Mesilla Bridge, south to the park's visitors center.

An Aplomado Falcon is characterized by "a steel-grey back, red breast, black 'sash' on its belly" and "striking black markings on the top of its head, around its eyes, and extending down its face," according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site. They're found in grassland areas.

While the falcon's presence is significant, Griffin said, hardcore birdwatchers who like to add new species to their lifelong lists of sighted birds are not flocking to the state park. That's because the falcon doesn't specifically meet all the conditions so-called "listers" follow in deciding whether to count a species.

Still, Griffin said, at least one of his fellow Audubon Society members threw the rules out the window and visited the park Saturday, saying it might be his only chance ever to see an Aplomado Falcon.

"It's a beautiful bird," Griffin said.

A Las Cruces office of the Peregrine Fund last year released captive-bred Aplomado Falcons in the Deming area as part of an ongoing restoration project.

Griffin said the recent sighting also is noteworthy because the bosque park is geared toward wetlands conservation and is meant to be a refuge for birds. That the falcon has gained attention is an indication of the area's potential in the area of ecotourism, he said.

Abalos said the public is welcome to visit the park to try to see the falcon. Visitors will have to pay the $5-per-vehicle entrance fee. He advised birdwatchers to take water, sunscreen, sturdy walking shoes and binoculars.