Young condors not ready to leave the nest

Free-flying condors aplenty, but babies stay indoors
The chill in the air at five in the morning was enough to keep
anyone awake and, knowing there was a possibility that three baby
California condors could take flight into the wild for their first
time was even more invigorating.
 A little more than 20 years ago, these amazing animals of
flight had a population of only 22. Today they are 280 strong with
138 of those in the wild, thanks to the efforts of the Condor
Recovery Project.  Moreover, Saturday’s effort at Pinnacles
National Park aimed to soar three more condors int
o the wild.
Free-flying condors aplenty, but babies stay indoors

The chill in the air at five in the morning was enough to keep anyone awake and, knowing there was a possibility that three baby California condors could take flight into the wild for their first time was even more invigorating. A little more than 20 years ago, these amazing animals of flight had a population of only 22. Today they are 280 strong with 138 of those in the wild, thanks to the efforts of the Condor Recovery Project.  Moreover, Saturday’s effort at Pinnacles National Park aimed to soar three more condors into the wild.

The trip to the condor flight pen through the Pinnacles’ hills in the dark should be reserved for adept masters of the road. Every rut and sharp turn served to further awaken my senses.  My destination was the bird blind, a one-room shanty with four windows, three shelves and a door. One of the windows was large, consisting of mirrored glass that pointed directly at the flight pen. My new roommate for the next several hours, Patrick Meyers, was a rookie condor liberator. 

“This is my first condor release,” he said.  Meyers has been with Pinnacles National Monument for about three weeks. “Being at the blind before light is crucial. It is important that the condors have very little contact with humans.”

The condors perched still in their pen. Just north, two free flyers sat like statues in a pine tree. As the sun began to break the ridge and daylight broke across the hills, it was time for us to be unnoticed by the wild.

Warmer air slowly crept its way in and the morning began to announce itself. The flight pen, a relatively small net enclosure where the condors are housed until they are ready to be released into the wild, showed signs of life.  Meyers started the morning in the blind with a telemetry reading in order to see which free flyers were in the area. An antenna is used to find condors by their signature frequencies.  It showed the distance, direction or whether the bird was stationary or flying. Each bird that has been released has a numbered tag on each wing and records are kept on them.  With food in the trap and several hours to spare, Meyers waited for the release of another condor to begin. 

“Waiting is the game,” Meyers said. “Let’s hope they’re hungry.”

About 1,000 feet below, a viewing area held a large crowd of people waiting patiently with their binoculars and telescopes.  Free-flying condors circled the area consistently all day. Educational materials were presented and rangers talked with the public about the California condor and why it was important for Saturday’s events to take place.

The park staff, working with a consortium of conservation agencies, frees the birds by a method known as “soft release,” which means there is no guarantee to visitors that they will see a captive condor fly wild for the first time. One of the selected condors must enter the trap, where a yummy treat of rabbit is used as bait. Once the bird enters, the interior door behind it shuts and an exterior gate is opened to the outside world. The condors perched near the trapdoor stood for a while and then did a mesh flight. They flew directly into the net, yanking and pulling on it. As the minutes ticked down, then the hours, the intensity grew, until Pinnacles staff decided to wait for another day to release the young birds.

Despite the failed attempt, the public was not disappointed. 

“It was fun to see the free flyers,” said Peter Erickson, a visitor from Turlock. “I didn’t expect to [see them].”

In addition, the event was a wonderful time for people to come together, learn about the condors and enjoy the sun. “I liked it,” said Brandon Shivley of Boy Scout Troop 221.