A baby born in remote Santa Barbara County earlier this year has sparked hope among those involved in the California Condor Recovery Program, especially after the endangered chick met its first milestone — taking flight from its cliff-side nest.
The chick, known as condor 933, hatched in late April and was raised by a 6-year-old female condor and a 38-year-old male condor, popularly known as AC-4.
Last month, the young condor fledged from its nest in the northern Santa Barbara backcountry of Los Padres National Forest.
“This is cause for celebration for everyone dedicated to saving California condors, but is particularly rewarding for us at the Santa Barbara Zoo, as the chick fledged in our ‘backyard,’” said Santa Barbara Zoo CEO Rich Block.
“Having condors successfully nesting in the Santa Barbara backcountry and flying over Santa Barbara skies is just great news,” Block added.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is a huge partner in the condor recovery program, supplying biologists to help with releasing and monitoring the birds and developing educational programs.
The condor population dropped drastically in the mid-20th century, leading federal officials to designate them as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Scientists say lead poisoning prompted the population decline due to condors feeding on carcasses containing lead bullet fragments. Legislation and campaigns have encouraged hunters to use copper bullets, but lead exposure remains .
In addition to its nesting location, the new chick represents a milestone in the condor recovery program as the first second-generation wild fledgling in Southern California.
The chick is also AC-4’s first offspring to successfully take flight from its nest in the wild.
The new chick’s dad fledged from the Santa Barbara backcountry in 1980, and is one of 22 wild condors captured decades ago in an effort to save the species by creating a captive-breeding programs.
The dad returned to the wild in 2015 after siring 30 chicks later released into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and including several organizations.
It made sense for the new chick’s parents to pair up since the mom became an adult about the same time AC-4 returned to the wild, according to Joseph Brandt, supervisory wildlife biologist with the Service’s Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Brandt is familiar with the new chick’s mother since her nest was the first he climbed into and placed the program’s first nest camera six years ago.
“There’s kind of a special relationship we have with that mom,” Brandt said, joking that he feels like a parent or grandparent of the her first chick.
Scientists had to have patience when it came to her chick hatched in a Santa Barbara County, nest where access for humans proved tricky.
As part of the nest-management program, they routinely install cameras and check nests for chick development, and at four months try to install the first tag and transmitter so they can track the young condor’s development.
“This chick we didn’t do that, in part because of how difficult it was to access this particular cavity,” he said, adding they were concerned about safety for humans as well as causing the chick to leave the nest too soon.
“This pair fledged this chick really on their own, which is exciting,” he said.
Biologists hope to get their hands on the new chick for an exam and to install tracking equipment in mid-2019, Brandt added.
News of Santa Barbara County’s first fledgling comes a year after another condor chick faced danger from the Thomas Fire.
“We think based on our observations after the fire that chick took its first flight escaping the fire,” he said.
That chick, known as condor 871, was ready to fledge but remained in its nest as flames approached.
Singed feather tips proved just how closed flames came, but biologists have since trapped the condor twice to assess her heath.
“We are excited to see that she’s doing well,” Brandt added.
In addition to condors born in the wild, a captive-breeding program continues to boost the population.
“That’s still the most effective way to grow the wild condor populations, is through captive breedings,” he said, adding that 12 condors were released in 2018 in Southern California.
In all, between 30 to 40 birds are hatched and released annually thanks to programs at the Los Angeles Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Oregon Zoo and The Peregrine Fund.
Multiple condors continue to be released, helping boost the bird’s numbers, estimated to include 300 in the wild and another 175 in captivity. Brandt estimated they will top 500 birds in 2019, but scientists hope to some day see a few thousand condors flying in southwestern skies.
This year wraps up a successful season for California condors, with 12 nests recorded in Southern California.
“This record-breaking nesting season signals continued progress in the recovery of the California condor,” Brandt said. “We are seeing more condors and more nests in more places in Southern California than ever before.”
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
