California Condor fledges in Ventura County

At Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, a California Condor chick has left its nest, making it only the second one to fledge in the wild in California in more than 14 years. "Number 412" began leaving its nest in late October, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced the 6-month-old condor's independent status yesterday.


Closed to the public, Hopper Mountain NWR serves as the home of the California Condor Recovery Program. The chick hatched near the refuge in early May. A total of seven condor chicks have fledged in the wild, five in Arizona.


Photos courtesy of Mike Wallace, Zoological Society of San Diego