Audubon: California Condors Achieve a Happy New Milestone

[Omaha Steve]

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For the first time in decades, the odds are looking more in the condors’ favor.


Female California Condor with her newly hatched chick. Photo: Joseph Brandt/USFWS


https://www.audubon.org/news/california-condors-achieve-happy-new-milestone

After more than 35 years of flirting with extinction, the California Condor is finally due for a success story. This week the California Condor Recovery Program announced that 2015 was the first year in decades in which the number of chicks hatched and raised in the wild outweighed the number of wild condor deaths—14 births to 12 deaths: a sign that these pink-faced beauties are on a steady track to recovery.

Condors may be the largest birds in North America, but they were, and still are, scarce. The bird was among the first animals to be protected by the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s—thanks to pressure from Audubon members. But habitat loss, hunting, DDT contamination, and, above all, lead poisoning continued to plague the condor, and ultimately, the species was reduced to a mere 23 individuals by the 1980s.

That’s when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their partners decided they had to step in. In 1987, all of the remaining wild condors were captured and put into a captive breeding program. A few years later the hatched juveniles were released into the wild in California, Arizona, and Baja California.

Chicks that are hatched in captivity are typically released into the wild before the age of two, says Eric Davis, coordinator for the recovery program. He says that anywhere from 20 to 40 condors are freed each year. But reproduction can be slow among the species—females only lay one egg per nesting season. (Remember this gawky little guy that hatched on camera last spring, thanks to the loving care of two mommies?) In 2008, however, there were more condors soaring through the skies than there were in captivity—a huge landmark for the program. The population is now close to 270, with another 150 or so in captivity.

FULL story at link.


A small resurgence of wild condor chicks shows promising signs for the recovery of the species. Photo: Joseph Brandt/USFWS

[catchnrelease]

1. Such good news

I also read recently that the problems with lead poisoning have decreased SLIGHTLY, thanks to more hunters cooperating with the non-lead bullets program. (Using copper bullets instead)

Back at my place of employment, pre-retirement, I worked with vultures and occasionally condors, both California and Andean. I have to say that they are awesome birds. Everyone loves eagles but vultures are so much smarter and have such great personalities I always preferred them. Yeah, they do stink, but I have to love them anyway, lol. I would liken eagles to the handsome guy that's not so bright and gets by on his good looks. Vultures and Condors are always thinking one step ahead.

[Omaha Steve]

2. Steel shotgun pellets too

[Hoppy]

3. Look at the claws on that little bugger.