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Notes from the Field, January 2003
Adult condors B64 (male) and B71 (female) appear to be the first pair bond this season. We have witnessed these two together everywhere they go; they are almost inseparable. Ventana Wildlife Society founder and field observer, Sal Lucido, observed B64 and B71 conduct an elaborate courtship ritual on redwood tree branch, which led to an eventual copulation attempt. Although these two have never attempted to nest, there is still a fair chance they could pull it off this year. The only other potential pair bond in Big Sur exists between condor Y94 (female) and B70 (male). Field team member, Jennifer Gamber, observed B70 courtship display, with wings out and head down, to Y94 in a redwood tree close to the release site, but observed no copulation attempt. Condor B68 (male) is still in the picture; he has been seen grooming with Y94, but has not been observed courtship displaying to her. An even crazier twist to the 'love triangle' is that Y94 recently conducted a courtship display to adult 'mentor' condor, R63, at the release pen. It seems Y94 still hasn't made up her mind among these three males. This month was very eventful for the red tags, the latest additions to the Big Sur flock (released Dec. 12, 2002). One-year-old female R56 made a lengthy flight from the release site to the Big Sur Valley. A group of older condors, led by Or4 (a three-year-old male), showed her the way. Condors R36, R42, R54, R60 are feeding well and have made significant flights in and around the release site, but have yet to journey far from home. Condor R51 finally returned to the release site after spending 47 days at the base of the canyon below the release site. He spent most of those days just sitting in a redwood tree and making very short flights, never climbing above to join the other condors that were very close by. The older condors would fly by and keep company on occasion, but he was on his own most of the time. Then one day at the end of January he took flight from the base of the canyon and finally decided to follow the other condors back to the release pen. We were able to recapture R51 shortly after he returned, using the double door system. We will keep R51 in the release pen until he fully recovers from his 47-day adventure. If all goes well, we will re-release R51 some time next month. The best condor viewing can be found at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Good luck and until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Notes from the Field, February 2003
The field crew observed more condor breeding behavior this month, the majority of which was observed between condors B64 and B71, who are still the most active adult pair. Field team member Ryan Smith observed courtship/display behavior this month by two younger condors, Or99 and Or4. These two 4-year old males still don't have a complete understanding of breeding behavior and seem to be mimicking the adults. As for other breeding behavior, 5-year old female Y94 has yet to choose a mate. Two adult 6-year old males, B70 and B68, are still battling to win her over. The red-tag condors, released December 12, 2002, are adjusting fairly well to their Big Sur home. Young females, R36 and R56, have been surprisingly aggressive at feeding sites and get their fair share of the carcass. Prior to release these two females weren't nearly as aggressive in the flight pen, but have stepped up in post-release life. Male R42 has definitely established his presence in the Big Sur flock, taking flights with the older condors. The same could be said for male condor R54, who also spent a lot of time flying with older condors. This can be dangerous for young, inexperienced condors whose lack of flying experience and skill can quickly get them in trouble. This was the case this month for condor R54, who followed the older condors into "experts only" flying terrain below the release site. While navigating this difficult flight terrain R54 collided with a power line and was electrocuted and died. A bitter loss to the Big Sur flock, R54 was a very promising young condor. We are currently working with the local power company to reduce power line collisions by placing visual markers to the lines so condors can see them before it's too late. This was the third condor from the Big Sur flock to die after colliding with a power line. Another sad story from southern California's condor flock. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, working closely with California Department of Fish and Game, is investigating the senseless shooting and killing of AC-8 (Adult Condor #8), one of the last California Condors taken into captivity in the 1980s and a matriarch of the captive-breeding program. AC-8 was found dead on February 13, and a subsequent necropsy determined she died of gunshot. Just before returning to the wild, AC-8 served as a condor mentor to the orange tags here in Big Sur. We were honored to have such an incredible bird be a part of our rearing program. We called her "Grandma" because she was the matriarch to half our condor flock. She also carried with her the ancient knowledge of the original wild flock and we hoped to have her pass on that valuable information to the new generation of condors. A sad way to go for such an incredible and beautiful condor. If you any information regarding AC-8's death, please call 916-414-6664 (reward offered). Young males R51 and R60 remained in the release pen with the adult mentor, R63, for the entire month. Both condors were brought in from the wild temporarily for health concerns related to their lack of feeding. Both of these condors have fully recovered and will be re-released in early March. The condor crew recently acquired two new field staff. Nora Toth came all the way from Hungary to assist with the prerelease monitoring and rearing of condor chicks. Ted Coriell, from Pennsylvania, just started as a field intern. Ryan Smith, from Iowa, continues as our senior intern and Eric Stover, from California, is our senior field assistant. We would like to thank Jonathan Carpenter and Erin MacDonald for all their hard work as interns over the last year and wish them luck in their future endeavors. The best condor viewing can be found at Pfeiffer Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Both Parks offer a wide range of hiking trails to get you to great vistas where condor viewing would be the best. Try Ewoldsen or Buzzard's Roost trails. Good luck, until next time... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
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| Notes from the Field, March 2003 March showers slowed a majority of condor movements this month, but they didn't keep the entire Big Sur flock grounded. Condors Or4, Or9, Or199, Y94, B68, W22, and W31 made flights south, well out of the Big Sur homerange. W31 and Or99 returned to Big Sur after flying to San Luis Obispo, but the remaining condors continued on to join up with the southern condor flock at Hopper Mountain Wildlife Refuge.
In Big Sur, Condors B64 and B71 kept the entire field crew on edge this month as we await a first possible nesting attempt by this pair. Still no guarantee on what this pair will do this year, but by the looks of their breeding behavior, a nesting attempt is a definite possibility. Considering that these birds have a life span of 50-60 years and B64 and B71 are only 6 years old, they still have quite a bit of time to perfect their nesting skills. Our youngest and newest members to the flock, the red-tags, continue to follow the lead of their wild mentors. Condor R56 joined condors Y79, W19, and Or99 on flight approximately 25 miles north of the release site along the coast range. The northern route is less traveled by the Big Sur flock and this was indeed a challenging and notable flight for young R56 to embark on. R36, R42, and R51 continue to rise to the occasion and battle it out with the older condors for food. Not only is it difficult for these young condors to locate a carcass, but after they find it they have to wait for their turn to feed. Condor R60, the youngest of the red tags, was not adjusting well to the later part of this feeding equation and is still being held temporarily in the release pen until he builds up more feeding confidence. In the release pen R60 is able to feed and build confidence with R63, the adult condor mentor. We plan to re-release R60 back into the flock after his feeding performance is that of other red tag condors, hopefully by early April 2003. The condor field crew continues to manage and observe the Big Sur flock around the clock. Our newest condor intern, Morgan Abbott, from Santa Cruz, California, started this month and is adjusting well to life in the field. Eric Stover (Field Assistant), Nora Toth (Rearing Assistant), and Ryan Smith (Lead Intern) round out the rest of the crew and continue to care for the condors day or night, rain/snow or shine. The best condor viewing opportunities this month can be found at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Two spots within this State Park could yield good results -- 1) at the entrance of the park looking east along the coastal ridges, or 2) the upper exposed portions of the Ewoldsen trail. Good luck, until next time... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
The wild flock did not allow April showers to dampen their large-scale movements to southern California. Condors B61 and Y92 remained down south the entire month as they did in March. Condors B70, B71, Y79, Y90, Y94, Or99, Or4, Or9, W19, W22 and W31 made the journey to southern California, approximately 200 miles (one way). The most notable journey was flown by condor B71. This flight away from Big Sur confirmed her attempt to nest with condor B64 was not going to happen this season. If they were incubating an egg she would not necessarily wander so far from their territory. Still quite young at six years in age, B64 and B71 have just begun their breeding life together and like other species, they will have to grow more mature and gain more knowledge before they can successfully raise their own young. The southern flock has one pair (see Pair 4 below) currently incubating an egg. Here is the March/April 2003 nesting update from the southern California flock, provided by US Fish & Wildlife Service: Pair 1 (unpaired female #108): #108 remained unpaired following the loss of her previous mate (#100) in Sept 2002. During March male #107 displayed and copulated with her on a number of occasions. Pair 2 (#98 & #155): Although male #98 and female #155 had been spending more and more time in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, by the end of the March it appeared likely that the pair were going to skip breeding in 2003. Few displays and no copulations between the pair were documented. Pair 3 (#107 & #112): Male #107 displayed and copulated with #112 throughout the month of March as well as attempting copulations with females #108 and #156. However, the pair was spending relatively little time in and around their breeding area in the latter half of the month. Pair 4 (#125 & #111): The new pairing of male #125 and female #111 produced the first and only egg of the season on Mar 6-7. This pair continues to incubate and the egg is due to hatch in early May 2003. The best condor viewing in Big Sur for May 2003 can be found at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Highway one pull-offs between Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Julia Pfeiffer Burns are also a good bet. Good luck and until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
West Nile Virus (WNV) is spreading west across the nation and may show up in California this summer. (For background information on West Nile Virus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control's West Nile Virus web page, www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/). WNV is potentially life-threatening to condors, and in response, the Condor Recovery Team has decided that all condors need to be vaccinated for protection from the WNV. We successfully recaptured seven condors (B64, B71, W19, R36, R42, R51, R56) from the Big Sur flock at the end of May. These condors will be held for seven days, receiving an initial vaccination upon capture and then a second 'booster' vaccination upon release back into the wild. We will continue recaptures until the entire wild flock is protected from WNV. The best condor viewing can be found along the Big Sur coast at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The summer conditions are very conducive to condor flight and your best bet is to watch the ridgeline east of the coast and Highway One. Good luck and until until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Notes from the Field, June 2003
Condor B70, a six-year-old male, was examined by veterinarian staff upon arrival to LAZ and his x-rays revealed no lead particulate in his digestive tract, which was great news. Results from different blood tests were still pending and B70's health condition appeared to be good. On June 15, 2003, LAZ staff went to check on B70 in the morning and found him dead on the floor of the holding pen. B70's untimely death was a shock to the entire recovery program and indeed a tremendous loss for the wild flock. Cause of death is still unknown at the moment and we are awaiting necropsy results. Condor B70 had a distinct personality and will be remembered for setting the pace for the entire wild flock we now have in Big Sur. B70 and the other four blue tags were the 'Condor Dream Team.' They were the first condors released into Big Sur back in December 1997 and proceeded to pave the way for all the condors that followed. Condor B70 was a true survivor and his will to the live inspired us all. He will be missed. Activity in the release pen has heightened with the presence of wild condors Or99 and Y79. Both Or99 and Y79 are being held temporarily for high blood-lead. Condor mentor R63 and the six young condor chicks have adjusted very well to the two newcomers. Feeding behavior amongst the chicks has been noticeably more aggressive since Or99 and Y79 joined them. There are no longer any free meals; all the of the chicks have to muscle their way in for a piece of the carcass. Condors Or99 and Y79 were attached with the first Solar-powered GPS tracking tags. The GPS tag attaches to the condor wing exactly like the radio tag. The GPS tags could potentially revolutionize how we track condors. The GPS tag will obtain eight locations per day as well as the elevation and heading/direction for each location. Every third day the GPS tag uploads the stored locational data to a satellite, which then transmits the information to a base station. The base station then sends that information via email to Ventana Wildlife Society's field office in Big Sur where biologists can then download and map out the locations and determine condor movements. The GPS tag locational data is accurate to less than 10 meters and will provide the most efficient data to date on condor movements. The Big Sur Condor Field Crew kept busy this month observing and managing the wild flock. Crew Notes: Ryan Smith joined the condor crew as an Intern in September 2002 and became Lead Intern in March 2003. Ryan finished up his lead internship at the end of June and is moving on to work as kayak/nature guide in the Monterey Bay. We wish Ryan the best of luck in his future endeavors. Our newest crew member, Melanie Banville, started as an intern in June. Jessica Steffen is our new Lead Intern, Nora Toth is our Rearing Assistant, and Eric Stover is our Field Assistant. The best condor viewing in Big Sur can be found at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Try the hiking to the Water Fall (light hiking) or head up Ewoldsen Trail (moderate hiking). Don't forget your binoculars. Until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Notes from the Field, July 2003 July was a hot one as temperatures soared into the lower 100's at the Big Sur release site. The field crew kept a watchful eye on the captive flock in the release pen, providing ample water on the extremely hot days this month. During these heat spells we also provide ample amounts of supplemental water to the wild flock. We built a naturalistic rock pool for the wild birds near the release site to provide them a year-round source of water. Condors can withstand 2-3 weeks without food, but can only last a week or two without water.
Condor R36, a two-year old female, is currently being held in the release pen with the captive flock, acting as a wild mentor to the six young condors. She has already become very social with the captive flock, including adult condor mentor, R63. We plan to re-release R36 in early August. Pinnacles Update: Construction of the new condor release pen is underway at Pinnacles National Monument. We plan to transfer the six condors being held at the Big Sur release pen to the Pinnacles pen in mid-September 2003 and release them in mid-December 2003. The Pinnacles condor release site is collaborative effort between Ventana Wildlife Society and the National Park Service. We are currently midway through the construction of the release pen and we have almost completed the water system that will supply the release pen with water. We plan to complete construction of the new release pen by the end of August. Condor Viewing in Big Sur Try the Ewoldsen Trail in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park or the Highway One Vista Point pullout a mile north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP. Watch the ridgelines closely and don't forget to bring some binoculars or a spotting scope. Until next month.... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Notes from the Field, August 2003:
The satellite GPS transmitters attached to condor Or99 and 179 are functioning as planned. Condor Y79 has remained very close to the Big Sur release site since receiving his GPS tag. The GPS locations for Y79 have been able to reveal very precise movements within a small area, something previously not possible. Condor Or99, on the other hand, was a bit more adventurous and decided to head south. His GPS locations revealed a distinct flight path down to southern California. This is the most accurate tracking of a condor's movements in the state of California to date. Initial GPS data on both condors has incredible implications for long-term management of condors and their land use. We will keep you posted on the performance of the GPS tags throughout the test phase. The remainder of the wild flock is predominantly in southern California. Condors Y79, Or8, Or9, B64, and B71 returned to Big Sur during August. Condor B71 arrived shortly before her mate, B64. We were excited to see this pair return to Big Sur, the next breeding season is just around the corner and these two could potentially nest and produce an egg in Spring 2004. The youngsters (R36, R42, R51, R56) in the Big Sur wild flock stayed close to home. They have made considerable progress with the absence of the older condors and have been able to build up their confidence at the feeding sites. Condor R56 made a short, but significant, flight north into the Big Sur Valley. Their movements should increase quite a bit by next summer as they join the older condors on the journey to southern California. Condor viewing in Big Sur -- The Ewoldsen Trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Good luck and until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Comparison Chart All California condors released by VWS are given identification tags placed on their wings so that field biologists can monitor their individual progress. The wing tags, also known as patagial tags, have different colors based on the date of their release: Blue - December 12, 1997; Yellow - January 30, 1999; Orange - March 4, 2000; White - April 5, 2001, Red - December 12, 2002. Individual condors are identified by the first letter of the color (or first two letters, in the case of Orange-tags), followed by a number. For example, Y92 is a yellow-tag and Or99 is an orange-tag.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any quieter in Big Sur, a whole slew of Big Sur condors returned from southern California. Returnees included condors B64, B67, B71, Y79, Y90, Or99, Or4, Or8, Or9, W19, and W31. Big Sur condors B61, B68, Y92, Y94, and W22 remained in southern California near Hopper Mountain Wildlife Refuge. The youngest in the Big Sur flock (R36, R42, R51 and R56) have yet to venture outside the Big Sur home range, but are very active within this area. As we have seen in the past with this established pair, adult female B71 shortly followed the arrival of male B64 this month. These two should slowly become more territorial over the next few months as we near breeding season. We are also seeing activity with some of the younger condors, but it still too hard to tell what will come of it until breeding season comes around this winter. Although we will be releasing condors at Pinnacles the next few years, Ventana Wildlife Society will continue to monitor the Big Sur flock and continue to evaluate the new GPS tracking technology being tested on two Big Sur condors. The best condor viewing continues to be on the Ewoldsen Trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Good luck and until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Notes from the Field, October 2003:
Fires fueled by Santa Ana winds continue to wreak havoc in the southern half of the condor range. A fire came very close to burning condor facilities at Hopper Mountain Wildlife Refuge, but fire crews were able to save all structures (hats off to the fire crews, great job!) Most of the condors from the Big Sur and southern flocks managed to steer clear of the Hopper fire. US Fish & Wildlife biologists are still looking for five condors from the southern flock that have been missing since the fires began. A small fire broke out in Big Sur on October 27, but was quickly extinguished by local fire crews. Luckily conditions were very calm when this fire started and crews were able to get on top of it quickly. Much to our relief Big Sur received its first rain of the season on October 31. Hopefully the rains will continue into November and put a big damper on the fire season until next summer. Condor 204, treated for lead poisoning last month, is still foraging at the Big Sur release site and recovering well. He has remained close to Big Sur with the exception of a small foray down to Atascadero/San Luis Obispo. We believe he was accompanied by the youngest condor in the Big Sur flock, 256, for most of journey. A few days later condor 204 returned to the Big Sur release site, but no sign of 256. We immediately became concerned for 256 and began to search for her location. After seven days and no luck finding 256, we sent an airplane up to locate her signal. The good news was that her signals were found 25 miles south of the Big Sur release site on the east side of the coast range in a very remote, rugged canyon. The bad news was that both her signals were in 'mortality mode' meaning that 256 had perished. An attempt to locate 256's body failed due to dangerous terrain that was not safely navigable. Another attempt will be made in early November using a different route with hopes of recovering 256's body to determine why she died. Condor 256 was released into the wild on December 12, 2002, and will be remembered by all those she inspired. The remainder of the flock, now at 19 condors, continues to do very well and can be seen in and around Big Sur. Try Cone Peak Trail for a great, but moderately strenuous, hike and good condor viewing opportunities. With winter fast approaching, check out the redwoods at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park for roosting condors and turkey vultures. Good luck and until next month... --Joe Burnett, Field Coordinator
Notes from the Field, December 2003: Frequent readers of the Field notes may notice that things are a little different this month. Joe Burnett, Condor Coordinator here at Ventana Wildlife Society has left for his new post as Assistant Condor Curator at the Oregon Zoo. I am Jessica Koning, the new Big Sur Condor Field Supervisor. I'll be doing my best to do as great a job keeping the Big Sur flock safe and free-flying as he did, and I will also be writing the Field notes from now on. Thanks for reading! |
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