Spot the Nest!

Can you see the nest for the trees?!

Take a careful look at the tree in the left side of the photo. The cavity is home to a new nest! 

 Beak Boy (condor #168) and his mate, Solo (condor #208), picked a new redwood nest tree this year, just a couple hundred feet from their 2009 nest tree. 

I watched in amazement as Beak Boy contortioned himself to get inside the redwood nest cavity, incredible flexibility for such large birds.  


This is our seventh nest in central CA this year (5-6 of which are still active, two with nestlings).  Big kudos to fellow condor crew members- David, Gaby, and Katie, for helping find this pair’s new nest…a real team effort.  

 ~Joe, VWS Condor Project Coordinator

Tragic Loss of VWS Biologist

In Memory of Mike Tyner... 

Mike Tyner was a wildlife biologist who dedicated the last six working for Ventana Wildlife Society, to save California Condors in Big Sur, CA. He was truly an exceptional individual who served as the field supervisor for Ventana Wildlife Society's condor recovery program.

Tragically, during high winds in Big Sur on November 30, a tree toppled causing his death. 

This loss is catastrophic, heartbreaking, and painful. As our staff mourns the passing of a remarkable friend, our hearts go out to his family. Mike will be greatly missed! Read More... 

Speed Dating!

Condor #204 & #222

Condor #204 "Amigo"

Condor blood test

Juvenile condor

The end of October brought with it the end of our fall trap up season. The effort went smoothly as the field crew found its groove. Ultimately, we were able to successfully treat the condors that came through with lead poisoning and observe some hopeful trends within our Central California Condor flock.

September and October have historically been the months when Big Sur's condors have had the highest levels of lead in their bloodstream. This was likely due to the use of lead ammunition for deer hunting in that time of year. Since the lead ammunition ban of 2007 this trend may be changing. This year we observed higher blood lead levels during our spring trap up than in the fall. Additionally, more birds were treated at the LA Zoo for high lead exposure earlier in the year. We are happy to see some positive steps being made in the realm of condor conservation and hope that the threat of lead poisoning continues to lessen for this flock. We are thankful to the recreational hunting community for their cooperation.

The four pre-release chicks (559, 566, 569, and 583) have been adapting well to their surroundings and the social hierarchy of the free-flying flock. The chicks had the equivalent of a speed dating opportunity this month as many of the wild birds spent some time with them in the flight pen. They appear to be eating very well and learning their place at the bottom of the condor totem pole. These four young ones will be released following the imminent completion of PG&E's removal of the Anderson Peak overhead power line. This important project will reduce the risk of electrocutions for condors and eagles. Our field crew has been monitoring construction efforts daily and working with helicopter pilots to ensure equipment and condor safety. We are excited to see such an effort made on behalf of endangered wildlife and look forward to introducing our chicks to the slopes of the Central California Coast.

Eventually, it appeared as though the Condors were fed up with our antics during trap up. At the end of this month most of our Big Sur birds headed east to spend some time around Pinnacles National Monument. Among those few who stayed behind was our ever-determined female 306. Only she remained in 251 and 222's territory. We may have a trio on our hands once again next breeding season, but recently, 222's old mate, 204, has been showing interest in a nearby canyon and possibly setting up a new territory, maybe 222 will join him, but it's still too early to say.

It has been a clear, sunny October which will be missed as the cold of November begins to set in. We will, however, take a collective sigh of relief when the fire season officially comes to an end.

Until next time,
The Condor Crew

Falling into a trap

Fall bird migration has started at Andrew Molera State Park, so that means fall trap-up is now in full swing for the central coast condor flock. The condors know the game and without hesitation the bulk of the flock became somewhat aloof once we started trapping. Although we have managed to trap more than half of the birds, it has been difficult to lure them back. Thus far we are fortunate to report that only two representatives trapped needed to be sent to the LA Zoo for lead exposure treatment: condors 242 and 251. We were quite surprised that these Big Sur locals were lead stricken since both regularly feed at our release site.

Meanwhile, as the vitality of our four pre-release chicks continues to increase, adult female condor 222 is assisting 499 with mentor duties in the flight pen while her wild mate, 251, is away.

VWS welcomed the generous contributions of a work team sent to us from the Santa Barbara Zoo early in the month. We were all extra motivated by their endless supply of energy and their "get'er done" work ethic, not to mention their authentic Mexican cuisine and down home sense of humor.

Since the Basin Complex fire of 2008 a sea of chaparral and ceanothus has engulfed the charred grounds around basecamp and the release slope trail has melted back into the earth from all the fallen trees and branch blow-downs. After two days of sweating it under the hot sun, among soaring condors and clouds of flies, we cleared a significant firebreak in the seemingly impenetrable chaparral and we completed a massive facelift on the release slope trail- laying over 30 steps. Big thanks to Santa Barbara Zoo crew! You made a real difference for the safety and efficiency of the work we do to keep condors flying high in Big Sur!

Also this month, VWS brought on intern Erin Brannon to replace the excellent work Alison Nevins did for us while completing her internship on the condor crew. Alison's positive outlook and "ready to work anywhere at anytime" mentality was an invaluable contribution and she will be missed. Good luck Allison!

So that about does it for yet another beautiful September in Big Sur. Keep an eye out for the big birds (and us!) along the coast…until next month.

–The Condor Crew

No room at the inn!

"Silent, inaudible, invisible flow. The very mountains flowing to the sea. The great heart of the hills sending its life down in streams. Mountains die that we may live." These words of John Muir depicting earthy cycles could have easily been written to describe Big Sur and its interwoven rhythms of beginnings and endings in the heart of Condor Country.

This month brought the end of another nest and the beginning of four new condors to Big Sur. During the first week our crew went to Pinnacles National Monument to assist with a 60 day nest entry only to find an injured chick inside. 317 and 318 were not long in abandoning the nest after the crew lifted the chick with a broken wing to get the medical help it needed to survive. Now, thanks to the specialized expertise of the LA Zoo the chick has a promising future.

Meanwhile, both the Pinnacles and Big Sur flight pens are now filled to the brim with freshly arrived zoo- reared chicks that are soaking up their temporary haunts like wide-eyed two year olds. Each day more and more wild condors stop in to check them out and criss-cross beaks through mesh to get to know these rookies. Our flight pens are specifically designed to facilitate this kind of socialization and the wild chicks seem particularly happy to strut themselves with the presence of the greenhorns since they are now no longer the lowest birds in the flock.

Big Sur has welcomed stud book numbers 559 (M), 566 (M), 569 (F) and 583 (F) all of whom hatched in April of last year at the Los Angeles Zoo, except 583 who hatched in May at the World Center for Birds of Prey. Our first wild fledged chick of the flock, 444, is currently serving as mentor for these younglings, but with fall trap-up just over the horizon "Ventana" could likely find herself replaced with an older bird.