Condors nesting for first time in 100 years in Northern California
Breaking news from the Yurok Tribe: Strong evidence suggests the birds may be incubating an egg in an old-growth redwood tree.
Editorâs note: Weâve just received this breaking news from the Yurok Tribe, reprinted here word-for-word:
A free-flying pair of condors in the Pacific Northwest recently established the regionâs first nest in more than a century.
Based on a series of behavioral changes and an analysis of flight data, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program determined that condors A0 (Ney-gemâ âNe-chween-kah) and A1 (Hlow Hoo-let) may have started tending to a newly laid egg in early February, although actual confirmation of an egg is impossible due to the remoteness of the nesting site. A0 would have deposited the egg within a cavity of an old-growth redwood in the Redwood Creek drainage after months of searching for the ideal location.
âThis is a huge moment for our Northern California flock,â said Chris West, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program manager and Yurok Wildlife Department senior biologist. âIt is important to remember that these are wild birds. We trap them occasionally for health monitoring, but if they nest, and how successful they are, is totally up to them, with as little interference from us as possible.â
NCCRP is thrilled by this development, although much can still happen between now and the potential hatch day. In wild populations, the initial egg produced by a breeding pair of condors frequently exhibits low survival, due to the adultsâ lack of experience with the incubation and care process.
âI have been waiting for this moment since the first condors arrived in 2022,â said Yurok Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen. âAs a scientist, I know I shouldnât get my hopes up too high, but that doesnât mean I canât cheer for these young parentsâ success.â
Condors A1 (studbook 969), and A0 (studbook 973) will incubate the approximately 10âounce, lightâblue egg for 55 to 58 days. These large scavengers engage in biparental incubation, with the male and female alternating incubation duties and brooding and care of the chick once it hatches.
NCCRP staff are closely monitoring the breeding pair using data collected from wing transmitters and field observations. Changes in the adult condorsâ rates and timing of feeding can be used to determine how the nest is doing, hatching of a chick, and various stages of the chickâs development. The NCCRP is also currently working through the logistics for potential use of an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone for visual confirmation of the nest.
Free flying since 2022, A1 and A0 were among the first condors reintroduced to the Northern California/Southern Oregon area. Currently, 24 condors reside in the wild within Yurok ancestral territory. With a goal of establishing a self-sustaining condor flock, NCCRP plans to release at least one group of birds every summer for at least 20 years.
A0 or Ney-gemâ âNe-chweenkahâ which translates to âShe carries our prayersâ, was the only female in the first released NCCRP cohort. She is 6 years and 10 months old and was bred at Oregon Zoo before being transferred to NCCRP for release in 2022.
A1, nicknamed âHlow Hoo-letâ which means âAt last I (or we) fly!â, is also 6 years and 10 months old and was bred at the World Center for Birds of Prey.
Condors are slow to reproduce, with females laying only one egg at a time, and usually nesting only every other year. Young condors take months to learn to fly and rely on their parents for more than a year. They reach sexual maturity around 6 years old.
Most commonly, condors stay paired with mates for successive years, although a new partner will be sought if one dies. If condors fail to produce a chick, they may split up, but they will typically remain as a pair if successfully fledging chicks.
In general, condors begin breeding between 6 and 7 years old and can live more than 50 years. The next oldest male and female condors under NCCRP management are 5 year and 11-month-old male A2 (studbook 1010) Nes-kwe-chokw, and 4 year and 8-month-old female A7 (studbook 1109) He-we-chekâ.
Northern California Condor Restoration Program
The Northern California Condor Restoration Program is a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks. The program has received funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Administration for Native Americans, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Global Conservation Fund, Redwood National Park Foundation, and many small donations from the public. The Yurok Tribe initiated the condor reintroduction project in 2008 as part of a longâterm effort to heal the landscape within Yurok ancestral territory, a landscape to which the health and wellâbeing of the Yurok people is inextricably connected. The restoration of California condor, prey-go-neesh in the Yurok language, is a vital part of this environmental and cultural revitalization effort. Alongside condor recovery, the Tribe is also undertaking largeâscale fish and wildlife habitat restoration throughout the Klamath River, its tributaries, and the surrounding region.
If youâd like to support the Yurok Tribeâs condor restoration work, please visit - https://www.yuroktribe.org/condor-conservation-donor-information
Finally, our plea from Earth Hope: PLEASE DO NOT USE LEAD BULLETS WHILE HUNTING IN AMERICA! This is what caused condors to reach the brink of extinction by the 1980s and still is their number one threat. Scores of bald eagles and hawks also die every year from lead poisoning.
Find lead-free ammo near you: https://ammoseek.com/rifle-ammo?ekw=frangible&ikw=lead-free
Hunting with Non-Lead: https://huntingwithnonlead.org/
Hunting or dispatching animals with lead is illegal in California as of 2019. Target practice and use in personal firearms is still legal.
State of Michigan flyer: Lead Bullets and Venison: What Every Family Should know
Earth Hope has previously written about condors and the Yurok Tribe here:
About Earth Hope
Earth Hope is a solutions-based journalism project that highlights environmental success stories to inspire action. Iâm Amanda Royal, a former newspaper reporter and current eco-news junkie. Read more about this project and what inspired it. I aggregate news under my âhopeful headlines,â conduct original reporting and interviews, and share occasional personal narratives. Visit earthhope.substack.com for more stories. To understand why I write about hope, please read âAs I went down in the river to pray âŚâ
This story made my day/week/month! This so much for sharing. And more importantly, thanks for sharing the info at the end about lead ammunition. That lead is still allowed is ridiculous, knowing what we know about it. We have the gun industry to thank for that.
Great news! I'll never forget the awe of seeing one perched on a bridge over the Colorado River.