When Pinnacles National Monument biologists Tuesday tried to
release four remaining California condors yet to enjoy freedom, the
birds stayed in their pen for seven hours before handlers closed
the double-door trap.
When Pinnacles National Monument biologists Tuesday tried to release four remaining California condors yet to enjoy freedom, the birds stayed in their pen for seven hours before handlers closed the double-door trap.
Biologists will try again today. When four designated condors stayed put during the first try Dec. 19, a follow-up attempt the next day succeeded, somewhat, as two birds soared into the canyon.
Biologists and others involved attributed the continued hesitancy to bad weather, according to Kelly Sorenson, director of the Ventana Wilderness Society, which is coordinating with Pinnacles and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the reintroduction.
He said their behavior is not abnormal, and condors released by his organization at Big Sur reacted similarly.
“It’s just a matter of time before everything lines up… We’re not in a big rush,” Sorenson said.
The six birds make up the first of several groups Pinnacles wants to release and eventually reach a sustained population of 20 condors. The California condor has been on the endangered species list since 1967. Its population dwindled to a low point of 22 in 1982, mostly because of lead ingestion.
The Central Coast is one of four regions in the world coordinating condor reintroduction efforts. The species’ population has increased to more than 220.
Meanwhile, one of the two birds that left the pen Dec. 20 tried to spend a night on the ground and was recaptured by biologists, said park official Tom Leatherman. Roosting on land leaves condors vulnerable to predators, particularly coyotes, Sorenson said.
After the four remaining birds leave the pen, handlers will soon after release the sixth young condor. Park officials hope the condors stay in the park, so visitors can view them soaring and perched from Pinnacles’ trademark rock formations.
“In my experience, it’s slow to get going,” Sorenson said. “Then, bam. It all comes together.”
