Two of the six California condors released at the Pinnacles
National Monument spread their wings and flew to the northern
boundary of Santa Clara County
– the first time condors have been seen in that area since
1972.
Hollister – Two of the six California condors released at the Pinnacles National Monument spread their wings and flew to the northern boundary of Santa Clara County – the first time condors have been seen in that area since 1972.
Wildlife biologists believe condors No. 287 and 270 followed the Diablo Mountain range to approximately five miles south of the Alameda County line and 80 miles north of their home at Pinnacles National Monument between Sept. 10 to 12. Both birds were spotted returning to the Pinnacles on Sept. 12.
It’s an encouraging development, according to Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director of the Ventana Wilderness Society. Part of the society’s goals to reintroduce the species into the wild include creating condor populations that freely travel from the Pinnacles to other release sites in Big Sur and Hopper Mountain in Southern California.
The Santa Clara trip wasn’t the first long flight for condor 287, Pinnacles Wildlife Biologist Jim Petterson said.
“He’s gone as far and even further before in the southeastern direction,” Petterson said. “The distance 287 has flown would put him on the fly-way to reach Big Sur or Southern California. It hasn’t happened yet, but we expect it to someday.”
Nor is No. 287 the most adventurous of the condors released back into the wild. Petterson said condors at the release site in Big Sur have made numerous trips to Southern California and a Big Sur condor traveled to the Pinnacles for 10 days in August.
“One of the goals we’ve envisioned is genetic exchange and interaction with the different populations,” Petterson said. “It was entirely expected, but just a matter of time before it happened.”
Sorenson said the fact that the birds are exploring a wider area and beginning to interact is an encouraging sign that a wild population of California Condors can be re-created.
“Both the Pinnacles and the overall program are on schedule and successful,” he said. “We still have a long way to go. We probably need at least five more years for the birds to start breeding and another five years for the population to stabilize. The population needs to get older and more experienced. It’s like having a bunch of teenagers out there right now, but it’s absolutely on track.”
The Ventana Wilderness Society partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1997 to restore the California Condor to their natural habitat. California Condors almost reached extinction in 1982 when only 22 birds remained, according to VWS Communication and Development Director Sheila Foster. Today there are 247 California condors living in the wild and captivity in California and Arizona, she said. Their goal is to create three populations each with 150 condors and 15 breeding pairs in California, Arizona and captivity, Foster said. Another six condors are scheduled for release at the Pinnacles National Monument on Oct. 15 and six condors will be released at Big Sur this Friday.
“We don’t want all of our eggs in one basket,” Sorenson said. “Spreading these birds out will ultimately lead to the success of the program.”
The condors still have a long recovery road ahead, Sorenson said. Although the large state has plenty of space for a small population of birds, other human influences still affect the struggling species. Specifically, the condors are sensitive to lead in the environment that enters their system from bullet fragments in dead animals they feed upon and the presence of microtrash such as bottle caps, Petterson said. Vultures feed calcium-rich bone fragments to their young, but often mistake bottle caps and other trash for food while scavenging for their chicks. Sorenson said the most important step in ensuring the condors long-term survival in the wild is protecting the quality of the habitat that already exists, not necessarily creating more.
“It’s a constant struggle not to allow what habitat does exist to further degrade,” he said. “It’s not about quantity, it’s quality.”
Marcus Hibdon is the city editor. Reach him at 637-5566 ext. 332 or [email protected]
