Monday, February 14, 2011

The first condor egg of the season appears!

Last week, biologists at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey discovered an egg laid by a 13-year-old California Condor at the Boise, Idaho, facility. The center houses 57 condors -- the largest captive flock on Earth -- and it anticipates 19 pairs to produce eggs.

“It’s always a thrill to see the first egg of the season,” said Marti Jenkins, who oversees The Peregrine Fund’s condor propagation program. “For the next few months, we will have our hands full making sure that all the eggs and chicks are healthy and ultimately ready for life in the wild.”

In 14 days, biologists will determine whether a chick is growing inside the new egg. If it is fertile, the egg will be artificially incubated until it is ready to hatch. Then, it will be either returned to its parents or swapped with an egg from another breeding facility and raised by foster parents to ensure genetic diversity among the small but growing population of condors. The egg is expected to hatch in early April.


After hatching, chicks are raised by their natural or foster parents for about a year before they can be released to the wild. The Peregrine Fund’s release site is located at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument near the Grand Canyon. After the birds are released, the field staff monitors their movements via tracking equipment attached to the birds’ wings and takes action if the condors are poisoned, injured or exhibiting behavior that makes them susceptible to predation or persecution.
Juvenile California Condor J7 suns near the Grand Canyon. Photo courtesy of Chris Parish/The Peregrine Fund

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

First condor chick of 2010 hatches at Oregon Zoo

Oregon Zoo in Portland proudly announced the arrival of its first California Condor chick of the year. The chick hatched on April 14 to foster parents Atishwin (shown below) and Ojai.

“Our first hatching went beautifully,” said keeper Kelli Walker. “The chick looks healthy. It’s growing well and starting to shuffle about the nest room. With any luck, another bird will hatch this week ­­–– and we have hopes for two more after that.”
After 30 to 45 days, keepers will give the chick a medical checkup, including inoculations against West Nile virus.

“We try to handle the condors as little as possible,” Walker said. “Not only is human contact upsetting to the parents, we’re preparing these animals for a life in the wild. Even if bred in captivity, we ensure that chicks are raised by condors, learning condor instincts and behavior.”


Last year, the Oregon Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation sent three condors to the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, for release into the wild. The largest land birds in North America, California Condors might have wingspans of up to 10 feet and an average weight of 18 to 25 pounds. Highly intelligent and inquisitive, they require a lot of parental investment in the wild.

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

6 California Condor eggs so far at Oregon Zoo

At Oregon Zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, the big birds are busy. As of last week, keepers found six fertile eggs in the critically endangered species' nests.

"This year's breeding season is off to a great start," said Shawn St. Michael, Oregon Zoo curator of birds. "The eggs look healthy, and the parents are doing a great job so far of incubating and nesting."


Because of captive-breeding programs like the one at Oregon Zoo, condors in captivity and in the wild now number more than 330. In 1982, only 22 condors lived in the wild.

The largest land birds in North America, condors' wingspans can measure up to 10 feet, and they typically weigh 18 to 25 pounds. Because the birds are scavengers and feed on carrion and carcasses shot by hunters, they are susceptible to lead poisoning from bullet fragments and can slowly starve to death. (In response, hunters have begun to adopt non-lead and all-copper ammunition.)

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Friday, July 17, 2009

California Condors thriving at Oregon Zoo

Oregon Zoo's condor breeding program recently took four California Condors to The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. The three females -- Yak'Mo (#496), Ewauna (#481) and Kalak-ala (#487) -- and one male (Atfa'lai'i, #479) were hatched and raised at the zoo and will be released into different regions. Ewauna and Kalak-ala will be released along the California coast; Yak'Mo in Arizona; and Atfa'lat'i in Baja California, Mexico.

Zoo staff returned from Boise with five condors that will live in the zoo's Johnsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, and two -- male Alishaw (#90) and male Maluk (#55) -- will participate in the breeding program. Three will live in a large pre-release pen until they can be released into the wild.


Three of the new residents include male No. 461 (left), male No. 465 and female No. 464.


In a press release, condor curator Shawn St. Michael said, "Given the very social nature of condors and the slow maturation of juveniles, it's important to keep the youngsters with a mentor so they learn proper behavior. If left to their own devices, as is common for human teenagers, they will get into all sorts of trouble."

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Friday, April 03, 2009

2nd California Condor shot, recovering from lead poisoning

From an e-mail sent by the California Department of Fish and Game this afternoon:

Second California Condor Shot
Biologists on Central Coast Discover Three Pellets Lodged in Critically Endangered Bird

BIG SUR, Calif. - Three weeks after finding an adult male condor with 15 shotgun pellets lodged in its body, biologists at the Ventana Wildlife Society found three lead pellets in a juvenile female. The second bird, condor #375, was trapped by biologists on March 26 in Big Sur. The timing of the shooting is currently unknown.

After conducting a routine blood test, Ventana Wildlife Society biologists learned that the second bird is suffering from lead poisoning. An investigation is under way, and the public is asked to contact law enforcement agencies listed below with any information on these shootings.

X-rays of the ailing condor revealed three shotgun pellets embedded in its body - two in a wing and one in a thigh. Condor #375 was treated for lead poisoning and then immediately transferred to the Los Angeles Zoo for long-term treatment.

“We were alarmed when one condor was found shot, but now with two birds in such a short time, we are deeply concerned,” said Kelly Sorenson, director of Ventana Wildlife Society.

The wildlife agencies overseeing state and federal endangered species laws take any incident like this very seriously and will pursue justice for any criminal acts.

Defenders of Wildlife is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction of those responsible for the condor shootings.

“You can’t place a dollar sign on how valuable each condor living in the wild is for the survival of the species,” said Pamela Flick, the California program coordinator for Defenders of Wildlife. “But we hope that this contribution will help to catch those responsible for shooting this rare and vulnerable bird and show that harming endangered condors is illegal.”

Stiff state and federal penalties may be imposed for violations of the Endangered Species Act.

“Typically, hunters have a strong conservation ethic and do not randomly or intentionally harm protected species,” said California Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Branch Chief Eric Loft. “Any information about these shootings will help us prosecute for this egregious crime and will further protect this rare California species.”

Although both wounded condors are still alive, it remains unclear whether either would be able to return to the wild. The first bird found shot, condor #286, is still in critical condition with an incapacitated digestive tract due to lead poisoning. The condor remains alive only because veterinarians have been able to nourish him with a feeding tube.

While the prognosis for condor #375 is better, one shotgun pellet has impacted a bone in the left wing, and it is unclear whether there will be long-term impairment of her ability to fly. In both birds, the lead exposure is more likely from a different incident involving the ingestion of lead fragments.

Biologists have been working for decades to reestablish California condor populations in the wild. From a population low of just 22 condors in 1982, there are now 320 of these critically endangered birds in the world.

Approximately half of all California condors are flying free in the wilds of California, Arizona, Utah and Baja Mexico. California condors can live to be over 50 years old but do not begin breeding until they reach a minimum of six years.

Excessive mortality overwhelms the ability of long-lived, slow reproducers such as the condor. Even a low level of mortality is a serious threat to the population.
Due to lead’s toxic effect on condors, California changed hunting regulations in July 2008 to require hunters in the condor’s range to use only non-lead ammunition. Information on the new regulations can be found on DFG’s Web site.

Hunter Jake Theyerl of the Institute for Wildlife Studies has been working in Central California for the past year to get the word out about alternatives to lead ammunition. “Hunters in our region respect wildlife and work to be good stewards of the land,” Theyerl said. “There’s legitimate debate about what the best hunting practices are, but there’s no debate in the hunting community about shooting a condor. We just don’t do it.”

Pinnacles National Monument will be hosting a community forum in the coming month to discuss the California Condor Recovery effort. For more information, please call 831.389.4486 or go to the Web site.

Photo courtesy of Scott Frier/Nikon, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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Saturday, January 10, 2009

A bird stud

From the Los Angeles Times, the tale of an endangered bird -- a California Condor -- that created the next generation:

He was found dazed in a mountain bush in 1967, hanging upside down with an injured wing and smelling like rotten fish -- a rare male California condor, a fledgling member of a nearly extinct species.

He was a wreck, and the ornithologists who found him in a canyon north of Ojai speculated that he was also emotionally troubled. Yet Topatopa, named for the mountain range where he was found, was whisked away to the Los Angeles Zoo in the hope that his species, whose numbers had dwindled to a mere 22, could find survival in captivity.

Topa, as he is known for short, lived alone in a cage for the next 20 years, devoid of the socialization needed to learn the basics of condor life. As a teenager, he courted tree stumps and tufts of grass and tried to mate with sticks and rocks. His first encounter with a female was disastrous. He didn't know what to do. She beat him to a pulp.
Click on the above link to read the rest of the article and to watch a 1-minute video about captive breeding at Los Angeles Zoo.

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Two more California Condors flying free

From a press release by The Peregrine Fund:

Two California Condor chicks fledged from their nests in the Grand Canyon in December, bringing the world’s population of endangered California Condors now flying free in the wild to 169. This is the first year that there are more condors flying free than are in captivity for breeding purposes.


“This shows that we are making real progress in bringing this ecologically significant bird back from the brink of extinction,” said Bill Heinrich, who oversees the condor recovery program for The Peregrine Fund, a Boise-based conservation organization for birds of prey. “I am thrilled that these two chicks appear to be doing well and I hope they will survive to become productive members of the flock.”
Fabulous news. Here's an update, posted in early November, about the condors in Arizona.

Photo courtesy of California Department of Fish & Game

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Condors in new home at San Diego Wild Animal Park

Almost a week has passed since the condors inspected their new home at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The endangered Andean and California Condors were evacuated last October when the Witch fire damaged San Pasqual Valley and burned the condors' breeding facility and 600 acres within the park.

The five condors are part of a captive-breeding program that aims to create more young and release them in the wild to replenish the species' diminished numbers. Although the breeding facility is off-limits to the public, park visitors can see three condors at the Condor Ridge site.

Click here to see a six-image photo gallery of the condors and their new facility.

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

More California Condors in Arizona

In a little more than a week, three young birds that hatched at Oregon Zoo will be released at Arizona's Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. The three -- Tatoosh, Ursa and Wiley -- will begin living in the wild on March 15. A cohort, Meriweather, will join them later.

The condors lived at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, after hatching at Oregon Zoo in 2005 and 2006. The California Condor Recovery Program involves various agencies, such as U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and three zoos working toward a captive population, a wild population in California and a wild population in Arizona.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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Friday, October 19, 2007

Cheeky ad for environmental causes

1% For the Planet encourages businesses to donate 1 percent of their sales to environmental efforts, which includes species and habitat conservation. From the Massachusetts-based alliance's website:

One Percent for the Planet is an alliance of companies that recognize the true cost of doing business and donate 1% of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide. Through our corporate giving, grants and philanthropy, we encourage responsible business and corporate responsibility. Our environmental alliance is designed to help our members become sustainable businesses and our environmental group database aids our membership to make choices with their corporate grants to environmental organizations.
As always, click on the image to see a larger version.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Schwarzenegger signs anti-lead bill

California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, recently signed the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act (Assembly Bill 821), which mandates nontoxic ammunition for hunting big game in California Condor habitat. The anti-lead legislation, introduced by Assemblyman Pedro Nava of Santa Barbara, is meant to reduce lead poisoning of the endangered birds.


From the Monterey Herald:

"We very much appreciate that Gov. Schwarzenegger chose to do what's right for the California condor by signing this bill into law," said Dr. Michael Fry, the American Bird Conservancy's director of conservation advocacy.

"Governor Schwarzenegger is very pro-hunting and pro-gun rights. His signing this bill is a confirmation that this law is not anti-gun," Fry said, "it is an anti-lead measure."
To learn more about condor recovery efforts, click here.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Condors might benefit from possible lead ban

The California Senate recently passed legislation that would ban lead ammunition, which poisons endangered California Condors. The paperwork needs Gov. Schwarzenegger's signature before becoming law.

A.B. 821, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, requires hunters to use nonlead ammunition for hunting deer, wild pig and other game. That would prevent condors from ingesting lead ammunition while scavenging the carcasses. The bill also creates a program to provide coupons to hunters for reducing or covering the cost of nonlead bullets.

Here's the amended bill. It requires that the California Fish and Game Commission amend the Fish and Game Code by July 1, 2008.

A.B. 821 -- albeit known as "Methods Authorized For Taking Big Game And Methods of Take For Nongame Birds And Nongame Mammals" -- appeared on the agenda for the commission's Aug. 27 meeting, but the meeting's summary doesn't appear on the website. After reading the bill, share your thoughts with the commission.

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Monday, August 20, 2007

Lead kills California Condor

From the Los Angeles Times:

LOS ANGELES -- An endangered California condor that was being treated at the Los Angeles Zoo for lead poisoning died this week, a conservation group reported.

Tests showed the bird had 10 times the safe amount of lead in its bloodstream after it was caught at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge last month, according to Audubon California, an environmental and conservation group.

Only about 300 California condors remain in the world.

"Lead poisoning is a tremendous threat to these remarkable birds," said Glenn Olson, executive director of Audubon California.

Researchers believe the condor, North America's largest flying bird, may have ingested lead paint or soil contaminated with lead bullet fragments.

Scientists at the zoo were not able to determine the source of the bird's lead poisoning, said Dr. Janna Wynne, a veterinarian with the Los Angeles Zoo.

The California Fish and Game Commission is set later this month to consider a ban on lead ammunition for hunting in condor habitat.

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Friday, March 02, 2007

Oregon condors gettin' busy

Another California Condor at Oregon Zoo laid an egg in late February. Ojai, a 22-year-old condor, produced the egg on Feb. 24 at the zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation.

"We weighed and examined the egg, and all appears to be in order," says Shawn St. Michael, assistant condor curator. "We should know whether or not it's fertile in a few weeks."

Tama laid the first egg of the breeding season on Feb. 17.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

Condor egg at Oregon zoo

Last Saturday, the oldest "reproductively active" California Condor at Oregon Zoo laid the first egg of the breeding season. Tama laid the egg at the zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, and she will sit on it for two weeks before zoo staff remove and candle it to see if it's developing normally.

If all is well, the egg will be incubated artificially until early to mid-April, when it is likely to hatch. Assistant Condor Curator Shawn St. Michael said, "Once we see an external pip, we will immediately return the egg to Tama."

The Jonsson center currently houses 17 condors. You can learn more about the zoo's role in the California Condor Recovery Program here.

Photo of Tama courtesy of Oregon Zoo

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