4 young condors are being released into wild in SLO County. Here’s how to watch

Four juvenile California condors will be released into the wild from their holding pen high in the craggy mountains above San Simeon on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The four giant endangered birds — two males and two females — are each about 2 years old. They were raised in captivity at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Ventana Wildlife Society field staff previously transported the young condors from their captive breeding site to the flight pen.

Before they’re released, the young birds are provided with stillborn calves for safe nutrition, and are monitored “for at least several weeks in the pen to ensure they are adjusting to their new environment and are well-prepared for life in the wild,” according to the VWS website.

The birds — North America’s largest land birds — are equipped with numbered wing tags, and GPS transmitters are attached to their huge wings for identification and tracking.

As adults, they can soar to heights of 15,000 feet and cover a hundred miles in a day.

Juvenile condors don’t reach maturity or get their red-orange head coloring until they are about 5 years old. That’s also when they reach breeding age.

The males to be released are No. 1085, also known as Wild Bill, and No. 1087, also known as Buckwheat. The females are No. 1099 (Yarrow) and No. 1100 (Madrone).

Juvenile condors have been released annually each fall and winter season from San Simeon since the initial cohort was released in 2015.

You can view the dramatic release online at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 5.

To sign up for the two-hour livestream of the release, visit the Ventana Wildlife Society’s website, ventanaws.org.

The next monthly Ventana Wildlife Society Zoom chat will be Thursday, Nov. 17.

For more information on the California Condor Recovery Program, and to view the Zoom chat, visit ventanaws.org.