Calif. Condors Nesting in Big Sur

Calif. Condors Spotted Nesting in Big Sur


For the first time in more than 100 years, California condors were
spotted nesting in the northern part of the state, scientists said.

The condor couple was found Monday displaying typical nesting behavior
inside a hollowed-out redwood tree in Big Sur, a mountainous coastal
region south of Monterey, the Ventana Wildlife Society said Tuesday.

"For the past 10 years when this sort of thing came up, it turned out
to be just in my dreams," Kelly Sorenson, the group's executive
director. "Now it is a reality."

The male and female took turns guarding the nest every two or three
days, never leaving the nest unattended for more than several minutes,
the scientists said.

"Although the view into the cavity is very limited and we can't
actually see the egg, we strongly suspect they have an egg based on
their behavior at the nest site," said Joe Burnett, a wildlife
biologist.

Scientists have worked for years to bring the condor back from the
brink of extinction.

Ventana, a nonprofit group, began releasing condors into the wild in
1997 and now monitors a population of 38 condors in Central
California.The last known condor egg in Northern California was
collected in 1905 in Monterey County.

The condor recovery effort has increased the number of birds tenfold
over the past two decades. But about 40 percent of released condors
have died from attacks by golden eagles and power lines, among other
causes.

Biologists said the mortality rate of condors in Big Sur is much lower.

___

Information from: San Jose Mercury News, http://www.sjmercury.com




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