dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) (09/20/90)
The following "news" item may be of interest. I was not aware
of this.
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ANDEAN BIRDS TEST SKIES FOR CALIFORNIA CONDOR
The test release of Andean condors in California may pave the way for
the reintroduction of the state's native condors, now living only in
captivity and totalling 40 birds. The success of the program proved
that zoo-raised condors can survive in the wild.
Between 1988 and 1990, 13 South American fledglings, raised in
captivity in the U.S., were released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the Los Angeles Zoo on the 1.75-million-acre Los Padres
National Forest, near Santa Barbara. The vultures quickly learned
to soar; at maturity, their wingspan will reach 10 feet, slightly
wider than the California condor's. The young birds found the
food set out to aid their survival, and ten of them adjusted
successfully. They will eventually be recaptured to augment populations
in South America and to prevent crossbreeding after the California
condors are released.
The hatching this year of eight California condors has made
biologists optimistic that these giants may return to the California
skies by 1992."
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Source: National Geographic Magazine, "Earth Almanac" column,
October 1990, p. 140.
Copyright: National Geographic Society, 1990
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A.B.A. listers: If the California Condors are re-introduced in
1992, will we have to wait 10 years (introduced birds rule)
before we can count them for our lists again?
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David Mark
dmark@acsu.buffalo.edusandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu (Daan Sandee) (09/20/90)
In article <36871@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) writes:
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== ANDEAN BIRDS TEST SKIES FOR CALIFORNIA CONDOR
==
== Between 1988 and 1990, 13 South American fledglings, raised in
==captivity in the U.S., were released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
==Service and the Los Angeles Zoo on the 1.75-million-acre Los Padres
==National Forest, near Santa Barbara. ...
== .... They will eventually be recaptured to augment populations
==in South America and to prevent crossbreeding after the California
==condors are released.
Let's certainly hope so!
== The hatching this year of eight California condors has made
==biologists optimistic that these giants may return to the California
==skies by 1992."
As I understand it, one main cause for their disappearance was deaths due to
ingestion of lead shot from prey. This problem is not going to be solved
unless lead shot is banned. Anyone have any information on that?
==Source: National Geographic Magazine, "Earth Almanac" column,
== October 1990, p. 140.
==Copyright: National Geographic Society, 1990
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==
==A.B.A. listers: If the California Condors are re-introduced in
==1992, will we have to wait 10 years (introduced birds rule)
==before we can count them for our lists again?
This is a unique case - at least, I know of no other case of a native North
Amercian species extirpated in the wild and then reintroduced from captive-
raised birds. (There are plenty of cases where native species have been
locally reintroduced, like Turkey).
A.B.A. will no doubt treat it as a special case.
The general rule is : there must be a viable wild population. With a long-
lived, slowly maturing species like the condor, it may take a long time
before anybody can say with certainty that a viable (self-propagating)
population has been established. I assume that the ABA Checklist Committee
will spend the rest of the century fighting about it.
Also : if ABA finally gives the nod, in the year 2002, does that retroactively
validate sightings before that time? Or are all sightings invalid until ABA
says otherwise?
Finally, are they going to recapture all Andean condors as soon as the
California Condors are released? Otherwise, there will be innumerable fights
about which Condor it was we just saw there.
Daan Sandee sandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 (904) 644-7045sandra@pyrtech.pyramid.com (Sandra Macika) (09/21/90)
In article <729@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> sandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu (Daan Sandee) writes: > > == The hatching this year of eight California condors has made > ==biologists optimistic that these giants may return to the California > ==skies by 1992." > As I understand it, one main cause for their disappearance was deaths due to > ingestion of lead shot from prey. This problem is not going to be solved > unless lead shot is banned. Anyone have any information on that? I spoke with Mike Wallace, the Curator of Birds at the Los Angeles Zoo, on 7/23/90. He has been involved with the Adean Condor project for many years. He is also involved with the California Condors at the LA Zoo. He is a very nice man with a lot of interesting stories, and he was willing to talk to me for quite some time. I understood that "lead shot" wasn't really the problem. There are three main reasons the Condors came so close to extinction. 1. Poisoned carrion. Ranchers often left out dead meat to kill Coyotes and other preditors. They have come up with "spring loaded sent traps" that spray cyanide when triggered. The vultures go only by sight, not smell, so they don't get killed. The cyanide does not affect the vulture because the coyotes inhale it, and they don't ingest it. Mike told me that education was the biggest key to avoiding this problem, and he explained that much progress had been made. 2. Target Practice. Vultures are very curious birds, and make good target practice. Again, education is the key. 3. Lead Bullets. (I didn't know that this was different than lead shot until Mike explained) If the vultures eat the guts from a hunters kill or eat an animal that ran away from a hunter and died, they may ingest the bullets. Lead is EXTREMELY bad for the bird. It completely shuts down it's digestive system. Mike described a new type of Copper Bullet that hunters can use. These bullets are actually better for the gun. (Lead bullets cause more wear) Mike told me that the bullets sell so fast they can barely keep them in stock. Again, education is important. >Finally, are they going to recapture all Andean condors as soon as the >California Condors are released? Otherwise, there will be innumerable fights >about which Condor it was we just saw there. Mike assured me that this was the case. Only male Andean's have been released, and they keep track of their every move. (as best they can any way) Sandra