Condor Conservation

California's Crucial Cleanup Crews

By Kevin Corrigan, corrigk@miamioh.edu

Curious about Condors

I am an avid hiker and birdwatcher based in the San Francisco Bay Area, so it was only a matter of time before I made a trek down to Pinnacles National Park, home to the California Condor. I was immediately impressed by the sheer size of this majestic birds which soared above. These creatures serve an important role for their environment but remain critically endangered due to looming threats that brought them to the brink of extinction.

After seeing a few individual condors in person at Pinnacles, I decided to focus my project on this unique bird. I interviewed Ellie Cullip, an animal keeper at Santa Barbara Zoo who specializes in condors and other raptors, to learn more about the California Condor and conservation efforts. In the site below, I will go over some of the information on these unique birds as well as what the average California citizen can do to help preserve their feathered neighbors.

History of Condor Conservation

California Condor numbers had dropped as low as 27 individuals in 1987 when all wild condors were taken into human care for the purposes of establishing breeding programs.

Condors suffered greatly from lead poisoning as a result of eating flesh from animals that were killed by lead bullets. Additionally, buildup of micro-trash and litter in condor habitats are dangerous for condors who could ingest glass or other harmful trash pieces thinking they are rocks, which they regularly ingest for their natural digestive system.

Conservation efforts to reestablish wild condor populations are essential as condors play a crucial role in playing the role of nature's clean up crews by helping to deal with carrion and decaying carcasses that could otherwise carry and spread diseases.

Currently, a group of zoos and animal care facilities are working together to hatch, house and release condors through collaborative breeding program. Condor numbers are rebounding slowly but surely thanks to the efforts of condor keepers, scientists and volunteers who help raise and research this amazing scavengers.

Oregon Zoo California Condor Population Chart. https://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/california-condor

Identifying Condors at Pinnacles

Condor #943 spotted and photographed by Kevin Corrigan at Pinnacles National Park.

California Condors are truly inspiring to see in person, and I have been lucky enough to spot them on multiple trips out to Pinnacles National Park. What makes it even more exciting when spotting a wild condor is the ability to identify each individual using their tags and online databases. The image to the left was taken in February 2020. Using the website condorspotter.com, I was able to match the light brown tag labeled "43" to the condor and learn that he was a male born in 2018 at the Oregon Zoo. You can click on the picture to learn more about Condor #943 and some of the other natives of Pinnacles!

I wanted to help others get the same chance to experience condors in the wild, so I created a basic trail map using AllTrails that shows two possible routes to a peak at Pinnacles that I have had much success spotting Condors along the way. My hope is that the experience of seeing a condor in its natural habitat will continue to inspire the same level of curiosity and awe that drove me to learn more about them. You can find my AllTrails map HERE

Social Media Outreach

Part of what I love about birdwatching is sharing the stories and photos of my trips with others. Thats why I started an instagram account solely for posting pictures I took of birds (and other assorted wildlife). I decided I want to use this account (@kevkevbirdwatcher) to make a post sharing what I have learned and linking informational sites for those interested in learning more. I hope the post will inspire others to read more about condors and strive to help conserve the incredible birds that soar above us. I will be able to track the engagement of the post by looking at the number of likes and comments on the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdKa9vvufBn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

A bird nerd posing in front of a condor at Pinnacles National Park.

How can you help Condors?

A condor soaring over Pinnacles National Park. Using the tags seen on his wings, I was able to ID this condor as Condor #726, a female known as "Little Stinker". Spotted over Pinnacles National Park in February 2022

I asked Ellie Cullip, a condor keeper at the Santa Barbara Zoo, about the best way to help California Condors and she replied that the answer is pretty straightforward - don't litter. As mentioned before, the accumulation of micro-trash in the condors' environment can lead to unfortunate ingestion of harmful materials so its up to the people who live near and around condors to help keep their environment clear. Additionally, a growing push to switch to copper bullets over lead bullets is another step in the right direction as copper does not spread through the carcass of whatever was shot as easily as lead does which is what allows it to be injested to a dangerous level by scavenging condors.

Ellie mentioned that a big part of her job is educating the public that condors are actually very cool! They are sometimes perceived as gross or misunderstood as their role of scavengers is looked down on but really they serve a vital role in our ecosystem and they are complex, curious creatures which continue to amaze the more you learn about them!

References

California condor. CDFW. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Birds/California-Condor

California condor. Oregon Zoo. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2022, from https://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/california-condor

Condor spotter. condor spotter. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.condorspotter.com/

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Condors with tan tags. National Parks Service. Retrieved April 16, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/pinn/learn/nature/condors-with-tan-tags.htm