Los Angeles Times - 07.09.2019

F4 WSCE LATIMES.COM

In 1982, the chances of
seeing a California condor,
a.k.a. Gymnogyps califor-
nianus, in the wild were
practically nil. This large
vulture that in past cen-
turies was found in many
parts of the West had dwin-
dled to 23 birds in the moun-
tainous parts of Southern
California.
All that changed in 1987,
after the remaining wild
birds were captured and
moved to the Los Angeles
Zoo and the San Diego Wild
Animal Park to embark on
an experimental, species-
saving, captive breeding
program. The gamble paid
off. In July, the 1,000th con-
dor chick was born in the
wild, on the cliffs above Zion
National Park in southeast-
ern Utah. And there’s more
good news: Wildlife experts
expect condors to thrive on
their own in a decade’s time.
“A few conservationists
argued that it was better to
allow the last remaining con-
dors to die in the wild with
dignity than be put in a zoo,”
says Mike Maxcy, the L.A.
Zoo’s curator of birds. “I’m
glad they were overruled.”
One of the main causes of
the condors’ rapidly declin-
ing numbers was lead poi-
soning from bullets that

hunters used to kill animals,

whose remains these scav-

engers eat. (The state has

since banned lead in ammu-

nition.) California condors

are still considered a criti-

cally endangered species by

the International Union for

Conservation of Nature.

Puppet parent

Today more than 300 Cal-

ifornia condors live in the

wild and nearly 200 are in

captive breeding programs.

Wildlife biologists in L.A.

and San Diego for more than

three decades joined with a

growing number of partners

in the recovery program.

They developed methods of

breeding and raising con-

dors in captivity and re-

leasing them into the wild

with great success.

“At first caretakers used

hand puppets that looked

like condors to feed captive-

bred chicks so they wouldn’t

identify with humans in-

stead of birds,” Maxcy says.

“Now most chicks are raised

by their parents or foster

parents.”

California condors lay

only one egg every other year

in the wild. To speed up egg

production, Maxcy and his

team removed eggs from the

nests to hatch in an incuba-

tor. “Nine times out of 10, this

motivated the breeding pair

to lay another egg,” he says.

“We doubled the number of

condor eggs produced each

year.”

The first captive-bred

condors were released in the

wild in 1992.

“We’ve learned over the

years we need to acclimate

the juvenile birds in a prere-

lease flight pen with an older

mentor condor for approxi-

mately two years before set-

ting them free,” says Maxcy.

“Condors are a flock

species,” he adds. “The

young condors need to learn

the pecking order from an

older condor so they will

know their place in a group

feeding at a carcass, for ex-

ample.

“We hope that the reduc-

tion in lead poisoning and

the natural growth of the

California condor popula-

tion in the wild will mean

that in another 10 years, the

species can exist on its own,”

says Maxcy.

“It will have taken the co-

operation of several conser-

vation-based institutions,

hundreds of people and

roughly $50 million, but the

California Condor Recovery

Program will prove that if

humans want to save a

species from extinction, it

can be done.”

THE CALIFORNIA condor, sometimes mistaken for a turkey vulture at a distance, is a majestic bird that can fly up to 50 mph. This one is at Pinnacles National Park.

Photographs by Gavin Emmons

Bucket list

addition:

a condor

The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America,

with wings that spread 9.5 feet tip to tip as it soars at speeds up to 50 mph thousands of feet

above the earth. “Seeing a California condor in the wild is like seeing the Grand Canyon,” says

Joseph Brandt, supervisory wildlife biologist of the state’s California Condor Recovery

Program. “There’s a grandeur, a majesty about the experience that’s worthy of your bucket

list.” And this is the perfect time of year to see one in the wild.

BYSHARONBOORSTIN>>>

A NESTING CONDORpair is spotted in Pinnacles

National Park, about 80 miles southeast of San Jose.

Today, more than 300 California condors fly free in

California, Arizona and Utah. If you want to see one,

be prepared to seek out canyons or cliffs near one of

the release sites between now and the end of October.

Condors are easy to identify because their wing-

span is almost twice as wide as that of a turkey vul-

ture, which also has a bald head and feeds on carrion.

Condors glide smoothly, while turkey vultures wobble

as they glide. Using binoculars, you might also spot a

numbered wing tag and a radio transmitter on the

condors’ wings.

Be patient. The condor’s range is 15,000 square

miles — roughly the size of the state of Maryland — so

it may take several tries. “But don’t let that keep you

from trying for a bucket-list condor sighting!” Brandt

says.

Here are places in California where condors fly.

Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge,

Kern County

The refuge covers more than 14,000 acres in the

Cuyama Valley in southwestern Kern County and is

home to a California condor release site. It is closed to

the public but the Friends of California Condors Wild

and Free, a nonprofit organization based in Ventura,

conducts tours of the facility twice a year and wel-

comes volunteers the fourth Saturday of every month.

Sign up for free membership at

[email protected] and then register

for work days, when you’ll be asked to help with brush

management and repairs to bunkhouses.

Info: friendsofcondors.org

Mt. Pinos-Frazier Park,

Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest borders the Bitter Creek

National Wildlife Refuge. Since the early 1990s, people

have visited the condor observation site on the 8,831-

foot summit of Mt. Pinos to spot birds that have ex-

panded their range into the forest.

Info: bit.ly/lospadrescondors

Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge,

Fillmore area

Located in the mountainous terrain of eastern

Ventura County, approximately four miles northeast

of Fillmore, this 2,471-acre wildlife refuge hosts a field

site for monitoring captive-bred California condors.

It’s closed to the public, and there are no access roads.

Your best chance of spotting a condor is to take one of

the twice-yearly tours or join a volunteer work party;

both are organized by Friends of California Condors

Wild and Free. (Register at membership@friendsof-

condors.org.)

Info: bit.ly/hoppermountain

Big Sur

The Ventana Wildlife Society releases captive-bred

condors in its Big Sur wildlife sanctuary. The organi-

zation offers condor-sighting tours on most Sundays,

weather permitting, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tour

guides take visitors along Highway 1 and use radio

telemetry to locate the birds. Cost: $75 per person.

Sign up at the website.

Info: bit.ly/bigsurcondors

Pinnacles National Park,

south of San Jose

Pinnacles is the only national park in California to

serve as a release site for captive-bred California

condors. A likely viewing spot is the ridge southeast of

the campground on the Bench Trail. Condors might

be seen soaring on morning thermals and roosting in

trees in the evenings.

Another likely condor-spotting area is the High

Peaks Trail. REI will lead a condor hike 9 a.m. to 1

p.m., Nov. 3, $119 for REI members; $139 for non-mem-

bers.

Info: bit.ly/pinnaclescondors

Los Angeles Zoo,

Griffith Park

To see what condors look like up close, you can

watch Hope, a captive-bred condor at the Los Angeles

Zoo. The bird was not released into the wild because

of an injured wing, but she flies in the zoo’s free World

of Birds show at noon and 2:30 p.m. every day except

Tuesday. Zoo admission is $21 for adults; $18 for sen-

iors; $16 for children 2-12; free for children under 2.

Info: lazoo.org

Where to watch for

condors in the wild

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

OUTDOORS