We arrived in Monterey on Tuesday, and after lunch we headed south on the picturesque Cabrillo Highway to Big Sur. I saw billows of white clouds cascading over the ocean like waves, while sea birds dove into the blue ocean water. The breeze was cool and refreshing. We were excited. It would be the first time I would see California condors free-flying in, get this–California! I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this majestic bird flying in Baja California, Mexico, on a number of occasions, but not in my own backyard! Shea, the videographer, had never seen condors free-flying; today I expected would be her first.

As we went further down the coastline, I spotted only brown pelicans, sea gulls, cormorants and a variety of other birds, but no condors yet. There are only about 40 condors in this vast wilderness, and there are many beautiful spots for the birds to perch—from redwoods to pines, mountains to cliffs overlooking the beaches. It was something I was happy to be doing myself, except I was taking it all in from the comfort of a moving 4×4. Knowing that there are plenty of choices for the birds, I didn’t expect to find them right away, but in our arsenal we had the locations of a few favorite spots for the condors.

As we continued our drive, we spotted a large black bird in the distance. Could it be? Get the binoculars! Darn. It was the one bird most often confused with a California condor, the turkey vulture. As we meandered past the scenic highway, the fire’s damage became apparent. Hillsides were charred and trees were dry and black. A group of large birds was perched on a pine tree. Condors are gregarious and are usually found in groups, so this is a good sign. Sigh. Again, we found them to be turkey vultures—or TVs as I affectionately began to call them. Time and time again we spotted TVs.

From a distance, when you see a TV in flight you have to look again before you recognize its familiar shape. The TV has a slight bend in its wings, while the condors wings are much straighter. If you’re close enough to see the white underneath the wing it’s a dead giveaway. The TV has white wing tips, it looks like it’s wearing gloves. The condor has a white triangle and its feather tips are black.

The disappointment was evident. Now when we saw a black bird we were certain it was a TV, and perhaps it became a self-fulfilling prophecy because each black vulture we saw had a small wingspan of six feet—turkey vulture—and not the nine-foot wingspan of the condor. We found ourselves leaving empty handed that day. We had beautiful images of a waterfall that drained onto a beach with waters as blue as the Caribbean. It was a perfect sunning spot, but even after visiting the condor’s “favorite” hangout spots, we saw none. We stopped in several spots. We did what you’re supposed to do, hang out patiently and look carefully in the trees. But alas, Shea would go another day without seeing a free-flying California condor. Sorry, Shea. Michael sighed and said he has never gone out in search of condors and returned home without seeing them. We are not going home yet, so we still have tomorrow, Michael. We still have tomorrow.

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Condors deserve our respect and our best conservation efforts. Many readers know this creature in-depth, but some may not know just how fast and how high a condor can fly or how many eggs are in a clutch or the origin of the condor’s scientific name. Perhaps this lofty bird deserves a moment of our time to teach us some condor basics…and some really cool tidbits about their lifestyle.

DIET: The California Condor’s diet consists of medium and large-sized dead mammals like cattle, sheep, deer, and horses in any state of decay. Condors may travel several hundred miles in search of food.

REPRODUCTION: Condors nest in a cave or cleft among boulders on a cliff or hillside. The female will lay the single egg directly on the floor of the cave. The egg is incubated for 54 - 58 days. The young condor learns to fly in about 6 months, but will stay with its parents for several more months. The extended “childhood” of young birds prevents adult condors from breeding annually. California condors usually become sexually mature at 6 years of age.

NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name Gymnogyps californianus comes from the Greek word gymnast, meaning naked, and refers to the head; gyps is Greek for a vulture; and the Latinized word for California indicates the bird’s range. The name condor is from the Spanish word cuntur, and is the Inca name given to the Andean condor. California condors have also been called a California vulture.

Cool Facts

• California Condors are social birds and they spend a great deal of time feeding and roosting together.
• They were originally classified in the same genus as the Andean condor (V. gryphus), but, due to the Andean condor’s slightly different markings, slightly longer wings, and tendency to actually kill small animals to eat, the California condor has now been placed in its own monotypic genus.
• They have been known to fly up to speeds of 90 km/h (55 mph) and as high as 4,600 meters (15,000 ft). They prefer to roost on high perches from which they can launch without any major wing-flapping effort. Often, these birds are seen soaring near rock cliffs, using thermals to aid them in keeping aloft.
• The California Condor normally dominates other scavengers and usually does not hesitate to take a carcass away from smaller species. The exception is when a golden eagle is present. Although the condor weighs about twice as much as an eagle, the superior talons of the eagle command respect.
• The California condor lays only one egg in a brood. The young is dependent upon the parents for more than one year, and consequently condor pairs usually breed only in every other year.
• Young condors do not breed until they are six to eight years old, about the time they acquire full adult coloration.

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Ventana Wildlife Society is the only not-for-profit organization releasing and managing condors in the wild in California. Your help is urgently needed at this time to help us overcome the setback of the fire and continue the momentum of restoring condors to their natural habitat.

As of today, our biologists have been able to track the radio signals from all but one of the 43 free-flying adult condors that VWS has surviving in the central California region. As for the newly hatched chicks, one of three wild nests was in a burned area, although we don’t yet know the fate of the chick inside. Two other nests were very near the fire but the chicks inside survived. On July 8, we were finally able to review the damages and determine that we lost all of the field pens in Big Sur for releasing the young condors along with important equipment.

Please consider making a generous gift to the Condor Emergency Fund at VWS. With your partnership, we can replace our lost equipment and supplies and support our biologists and loyal volunteers at this challenging time. In the months ahead, we will rebuild the condor release program as well as protect and maintain the health and safety of the wild flock in Big Sur. You can help us now by going to www.ventanaws.org or calling toll-free 877-897-7740 and pledging your support.

As a member, you will receive continued updates on the progress the California condors as well as our other projects to protect and restore wildlife and their habitats. It is thanks to the past generosity of our supporters and to partnerships with other dedicated organizations that visitors from all over the world now see wild condors soaring above the mountains of Big Sur. Our vision is to see this flock grow and prosper so it becomes permanent and self-sustaining – and no longer endangered.

Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director

Ventana Wildlife Society

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The Zoological Society of San Diego’s head of the genetics division, Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., has been heavily involved in the California Condor Recovery Program for this very reason and has this answer:

The California condor has gone through a population bottleneck, as its population size was reduced. Captive breeding saved the California condor from extinction and has allowed the greatest extent possible of its remaining gene pool to be saved.

Nonetheless, genetic diversity has been lost over time as the population living in the wild decreased. However, by rapid growth of the current population, as has taken place during the last 15 years, the risk of genetic diminishment resulting in the inability of the species to survive, has been reduced. Efforts are now focused to ensure that the condor population can continue to grow to meet the goals for species recovery.

The age structure of the reintroduced condor populations is still heavily weighted toward younger individuals. Thus, the full reproductive potential of the wild population has not yet been reached and, additional releases will soon help bolster the population of free-flying birds. Even so, successful reproduction in the effort to reform a wild condor population has not, as yet, reached a level that would result in self-sustaining populations.

The goal of the California Condor Recovery Program is to create a self-sustaining population and so the dedicated members of the recovery efforts will continue to strive to reach this objective. Please continue to send in questions and we will get answers from the experts.

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Lead poisoning is not a new issue. For more than 2,000 years people have known that lead is toxic. Where there are direct threats to human health, the issue has been reasonably well addressed. Lead has been removed from paint, our gasoline and numerous other products.

Lead works by attacking the nervous system therefore neurological problems of enormous variety can occur. In humans these may include reduced cognitive abilities, lethargy, seizures and even comas.

In condors we generally see early effects of lead poisoning in the form ataxia (loss of balance and inability to fly). Later effects are generally a result of damage to nerves that control the digestive system. Loss of appetite and associated weight loss can occur rapidly. If not treated quickly, the damage to the nervous system is irreversible and leads to a slow and agonizing death.

Studies have shown that lead bullets defragment while passing through an animal. Consequently, animals eating this meat will unknowingly ingest bits of lead. This includes scavengers like bald eagles, bears, coyotes and wolves. In addition, humans eating the meat may also ingest lead fragments and potentially be exposed to many of the same problems as we see in birds.

Caught early, before damage to the nervous system, lead poisoning can be effectively treated with a chelating agent such as DMSA or EDTA. Sadly it is often not detected before it is too late in wild birds. The best solution is to be sure that birds, other wildlife and people are not exposed to lead in the environment at all.

Effects on Birds in California
Elevated levels of lead have been found in 44 percent of the condors released in Southern California and 21 percent of those released in Big Sur. A total of 94 free-flying condors disappeared or died between 1992 and August 2006. Of these, the cause of death has been determined for 61 condors, and 25 percent of these died of lead poisoning.

Effects of Birds in Arizona
Indications of lead exposure prior to the fall deer-hunting season were unremarkable, but after hunting began in late October, some 95 percent of the population showed evidence of exposure, 70 percent required treatment, and four birds died of lead poisoning. Four showed metal fragments in x-rays of their digestive systems.

What’s being done?
California Condor Recovery Team members closely monitor free-flying condors and conduct annual health examinations. If a condor is found to have high levels of lead in its blood, it is treated at a zoo veterinary medical center and released in its home territory.

Hunters are ensuring they properly dispose of “gut piles” (the intestines and vital organs they don’t want). This is where the majority of the lead fragments are found by birds.

Where can I get more information?
o Exposure of California Condors to lead from Spent Ammunition – Cade, TJ, 2007 - Journal of Wildlife Management http://www.peregrinefund.org/pdfs/ResearchLibrary/Cade%202007.pdf
o Lead Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans – Conference convened by The Peregrine Fund 12 – 15 May 2008
o UC Santa Cruz study http://www.cbse.ucsc.edu/news/2006/08/31/condor/index.shtml
o California Department of Fish and Game http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/
o UC Davis Wildlife Health Center Report on lead toxicity in Condors prepared for the California Fish and Game Commission Wildlife Branch http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whc/condors.cfm
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

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