Condors (and more) Part 4

I’ll admit, I am a bit condor-obsessed. This is, after all, my fourth post about the condor. Here are the others:

The California Condor Part 1 (2012)

More Condor pictures (2012)

The California Condor Part 3 (2014)

As I noted in the first one, the condors were extremely near to extinction when I was a kid, and it seemed entirely possible that we would never see them soaring in the sky again.

Fortunately, and through the incredible work of many to preserve them, they can be seen in all their majestic glory in the wild.

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Another interesting fact about the condors. One of the reasons that they neared extinction is that they are not fast at reproducing. They become sexually mature at about 6 years, and live pretty long for birds: around 40 years. However, with this lifespan comes a slow reproduction rate. Mating pairs produce one egg every other year at best. In addition, condors mate for life, and do not always find another mate if the first dies. These all combine to make them extremely vulnerable to any factor that results in their deaths. If they don’t live for a long time, they can’t have enough babies to survive.

There are plenty of pictures and videos of condor mating rituals and courtship. The fact that - like humans - they tend to make long term bonds, makes the tender (literal) necking really sweet.

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I already wrote about my night hike at Pinnacles National Park. Here are some pictures from our three days of day hiking. There is a lot more to see than just condors at Pinnacles.

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I didn’t have the aid of a hiking companion with a professional-level camera to get pictures this time. So, all of these are from my little Sony compact. I have included some other fauna as well. 

 This is probably my best shot of the day. The red bald head is clearly visible. 

 The distinct white markings of a California Condor came out pretty well on all the pictures. 

 I’m pretty sure this one is a juvenile, due to the darker head.

There were six total condors flying on this morning between 10 and noon.

 Garter Snake. My older son spotted it first.

 Northwestern Alligator Lizard.

I’m rather proud of this shot.

 Wild turkey.

 Another butterfly shot.

This rattler was better than three feet long. 

The California Condor - Part 3

Two years ago, I wrote about the California Condor, on the occasion of my first chance to view them in the wild. In a follow up post, I added a few pictures taken by my second cousin, Heather, who has mad photography skills.

This year, the kids and I re-visited Pinnacles and were able to see more condors. When we visited before, Pinnacles was a National Monument. In 2013, however, it became our newest National Park. The main change appears to be an increase in the number of rangers to staff the park. I must say, it would be nice if the rest of the Federal Government was as helpful as the National Park Service.

Again, I would like to make a plug for Pinnacles as an unknown gem, kind of in the middle of nowhere (at least by California standards), and full of beauty. The heart of the park is an eroded core of a long-extinct volcano. It also happens to be located on the San Andreas Fault, the boundary between the North American Plate, and the Pacific Plate. On average, the fault moves laterally at the rate of 1.3 inches per year - the same rate as the growth of fingernails. Over the course of many thousands of years, the bulk of the volcanic core has moved north, leaving the sliver of the eastern side 195 miles to the south, in northern Los Angeles County. (That part is called the Neenach Pinnacles.) Hiking is the main attraction, as it is in most National Parks, but there are also talus caves to explore, plenty of wildflowers in most springs, and some spectacular views of the Salinas Valley, and the coastal mountain ranges.

And also condors.

For a bit of history on the California Condor, see my previous post.

If anything, we had an even better condor experience this time.  

First, we were able to get a great view of one from the High Peaks Trail. This is Condor #444, aka “Ventana.” Her biography can be found here.

I was able to get a sequence of photos of her as she left her nest and flew to an outcropping. 

Although I did get some of her on the rock, my cousin-once-removed Judy got a better picture. (With her superior camera. All my photos are with my subcompact Sony Cybershot. Nice and light, but limited.)

Condor #444 “Ventana.” Photo by Judy Whitworth. Used by permission.

Later that evening, back at our campsite, we watched no fewer than five condors circling over the ridge. Pinnacles (and indeed the entire western United States) has hundreds of turkey vultures, but it is possible to distinguish them by their flight patterns. Turkey vultures tend to wobble, and they have a bit of a “V” shape to the wings. Condors don’t turn fast, and they soar with wings straight out. The definitive test, though, is the feather color. Condors have a distinctive white patch forward on the wings, while turkey vultures have white on the trailing edge of the wing. 

With binoculars, we were able to catch a good flash of the distinctive white when the condors would turn at the right angle to the sun. Endlessly and effortlessly circling, higher and higher, until they were dots in the sky. (For a bird with a nine foot wingspan to become a dot, I expect they were pretty darn high in the sky.) 

Condor soaring on the thermal. Photo by Judy Whitworth. Used by permission.

I am reminded of the description in the various Thornton Burgess books of “Ol’ Mistah Buzzard,” who would soar “up, up, up into the blue, blue sky, until he was just a little speck.”

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Just a few more photos, because I can't resist. 

Condor #444. Iphone through a spotting scope. Photo by Heather Leigh. Used by permission. 

My second daughter on the trail. Photo by Heather Leigh. Used by permission.

I LOVE this photo. 

 

The kids. Picture by me.

 

More Condor Pictures

My second cousin Heather was able to get some great shots of a condor in flight at Pinnacles National Monument. I am posting these with her permission.

For more information on the California Condor, see my previous post from Pinnacles.

The California Condor

I remember the first time I heard of the California Condor. I would have been age 10 when the last wild bird, AC-9, was captured in 1987. At that time, there were a mere 22 surviving individuals, and it appeared that the Condor would probably become extinct.

For those unfamiliar with these birds, they are a large relative of the vulture. They too are scavangers, eating dead mammals and birds. Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that they prey on living animals. This misconception was a contributing factor in their near extinction as ranchers killed them believing them to be predators. DDT was probably the biggest cause of their decline, and once the numbers went below a critical amount, their slow rate of reproduction and vulnerability to lead caused their numbers to dip even further.

The Condor’s range once encompassed most of the American Southwest, but had been reduced to a small area north of Los Angeles. It saddened me at the time that an animal could go extinct during my lifetime. Particularly one that lived relatively nearby.

Fortunately, the breeding program was a success. Beginning in 1991, captive bred condors were released into the wild. The population has continued to grow in captivity, where most breeding still occurs. However, in 2002, the first wild-born chick in over a decade was born. Others have been born since – a good sign for the future.

The year 2002 also saw another milestone. AC-9, who had fathered many chicks while in captivity, was re-released to the wild. He is alive today, and has been spotted by observers in locations from Big Sur to the Grand Canyon. 

 Condor AC-9 takes flight as he is re-released into the wild. Photo from the Los Angeles Times, 2002.

Today, there are more than 400 condors, with about 200 of those living in the wild. California and Arizona are the main habitats, with a small population in Baja California as well.

Yesterday, the kids and I and my relatives Kevin and Judy visited Pinnacles National Monument, one of the California nesting sites. I would also list it as one of the best kept secrets of California – a truly beautiful place, filled with interesting hiking trails. While hiking the Condor Gulch trail in the mid-morning, we happened upon a couple of volunteers with the condor recovery program. They had a radio receive and large antenna, and also a spotting scope. There were two condors in the area, one off flying somewhere out of sight to the southeast. The other was sitting on one of the rocks of the “high peaks” across the gulch. Since he was about a mile away, all we could see with the naked eye was a black dot on top of the rock. However, with the spotting scope, we were able to see him well enough to see the markings on his tracking tag. 

 The High Peaks at Pinnacles. The condor is near the left edge of the rocks on the right. Picture by me.

This bird is #411, and is a notorious homebody, preferring to stay at Pinnacles rather than roam around California like the more adventuresome birds. 

 Condor #411 at Pinnacles National Monument, March 30, 2012. Picture by Judy Whitworth.

California Condors are still a critically endangered species. Although the recovery program has been a success, there are still ongoing issues. The worst is the tendency of Condors to get lead poisoning. Apparently, they have unusually strong digestive juices which dissolve lead pellets or bullets found in the carcasses they eat. Every year, several birds are sickened, and have to be recaptured and treated, only some successfully. Still, there is good reason to hope that the Condor will continue to survive and increase in numbers.

I, for one, am thrilled that I was able to see one of these magnificent birds in the wild. I am even more glad that my children were able to have this opportunity. 

For more information on the condors at Pinnacles: http://www.nps.gov/pinn/naturescience/profiles.htm  I highly recommend visiting Pinnacles. Bring a flashlight so you can go through one of the talus caves. It is best to visit during the cool season, as the rocks seem to magnify the heat, and there is little shade.