Pinnacles N.M. condor release set for April 21

The folks at Pinnacles National Monument have much to cheer about these days. After all, the wildlife biologists who give countless hours to the California Condor Recovery Program have been able to successfully manage a critical transition from the captive breeding and release of six juvenile condors three years ago to today’s monitoring of 13 condors. And now, this program is about to release at least two more condors (and possibly as many as five) on April 21st. The public is invited to witness the moment.

There are currently thirteen free-flying condors in Pinnacles National Monument. Six have been living in the wild since October 2004, and the other seven were released in September 2005. They have now ranged as far as Livermore to the north, near Paso Robles to the southwest, and west to the Big Sur coast.

From the National Park Service’s Pinnacles website:

During the event, up to two condors will be released into the wild. We will be doing a “soft release”, which means that the condors will leave the flight pen on their own, without human intervention. In a corner of the flight pen, there is a double-door trap. Once a condor that is eligible for release enters the trap, the inner door is closed and the door to the outside is opened. The condor can then fly out of the flight pen.

The disadvantage to this method is that it’s difficult to predit exactly when the birds will be released, or if they will fly out at all. It is by far the best method for the condors, though, because it minimizes the stress of human interaction.

The event will begin at 9:30 am. Condors may be released as early as 10:00. The latest that condors may be released is 1:00.

I venture to Pinnacles every Spring because it’s often a peak season for a myriad of California wildflowers before they hit their peak in the San Francisco Bay Area. In late March, the bat caves are often open, too, allowing thrilling moments of exploration. But each year I’ve camped there, I’ve seen the condors from my camp, high above the western ridge. With an adult wingspan of nine feet - three times larger than the more common turkey vulture - these magnificent birds are really something to see.

If you’re going, also be sure to check out Léal Vineyards for a tasting on your way home.

Read more about this condor release and the Pinnacles Condor Program.

~winehiker

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2007 at 11:07 am and is filed under grape squeezins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.