5 California condors prepare to spread their wings in SLO County. Here’s how to watch

Devotees of the California Condor Recovery Program were dismayed to learn that the condor flock flying free in Central California declined from 102 birds in December 2020, to just 81 in August.

Tragically, nine of those condor deaths resulted from lead poisoning.

Condors, which are critically endangered, dine on carrion. When a deer or other animal is shot with lead ammunition, the condor that eats that animal often gets sick — and many perish.

But there is heartening news for fans of the giant birds with 9/12-foot wingspans.

Five juvenile condors raised in captivity at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Idaho will be released this fall from their holding pen in the steep, rock-strewn mountains above San Simeon.

The young birds arrived at Ventana Wildlife Society’s Central Coast sanctuary on Sept. 7. They are all outfitted with radio and GPS transmitters, and can be identified by bright orange wing tags listing their numbers.

The condors will be released in two groups. Two or three will fly free on Tuesday, Nov. 2, and the remaining birds will exit the pen on Saturday, Dec. 4.

Also slated for release from the holding pen are four juveniles that will be transferred next spring to Northern California. Those birds will be under the stewardship of the Yurok Tribe.

Condor chick Iniko, who has been recovering at the Los Angeles Zoo after surviving the destructive Dolan Fire in Big Sur in 2020, will arrive at the San Simeon holding site in mid-October. Iniko will be released in December.

According to the Ventana Wildlife Society, five condor chicks are likely to fledge from their nests in October — and one has already fledged.

Assuming all goes as planned, the condor flock in Central California is projected to increase to 92 birds.

Ventana Wildlife Society names birds after conservationists

Interestingly, all five juvenile condors waiting for release are females. The birds are all between 1/1/2 and 2 years old, and are considered fully grown — although they lack the bright orange heads they will show at 5 years of age

Ventana Wildlife Society, which administers the condor flock in San Simeon, Big Sur and Pinnacles, decided that the birds should be named after noteworthy female conservationists.

After receiving nearly a thousand entrees from condor enthusiasts nationwide, VWS selected Rachel Carson, Dr. Jane Goodall, Rosalie Edge, Jan Hamber and Dian Fossey as appropriate names for the juveniles.

Carson’s illuminating book, “Silent Spring,” revealed the maliciousness of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, and other pesticides. She is credited with launching a worldwide environmental movement.

Goodall, an internationally revered primatologist and anthropologist, has conducted 60 years of groundbreaking work on species conservation.

In 1934, Edge founded the world’s first preserve for birds of prey, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near Kempton, Pennsylvania.

Hamber, an ornithologist, is credited with a major role in condors’ survival. She tracked down the last known condor in the wild, leading to the successful captive breeding program.

Fossey, the renowned primatologist, studied mountain gorilla groups in the forests of Rwanda from 1966 to 1985, until she was murdered.

How to watch condor releases live

Want to watch the release of the juvenile condors from their holding pen in November live?

Ventana Wildlife Society will include a link to the livestream video as part of its monthly Zoom chat on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m.

Visit www.ventanaws.org to register for the Zoom chat. An email will be sent to you with the link.