Gypsy Jan
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California condors making a comeback in Mexico
From Fox News Latino
Published August 14, 2012
"A total of 23 California condors flying free and six other soon to be released are the basis of a project to reintroduce the species in Mexico's Baja
California state, the Environment Secretariat said.
The figures represent the results of an effort to bring the California condor back to the Sierra de San Pedro Martir mountains in the northwestern
state of Baja California, the secretariat said in a statement.
The first step of the program was in 2002 when the Los Angeles Zoo donated six birds as part of the joint effort by Mexico and the United States to
restore California condor populations to their native environments.
The project is "at the point of achieving the reproduction of California condors in the wild," with 1.5 million pesos ($114,123) being spent on the
program this year, Environment Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada said after visiting the area.
The money goes for equipment, management and rehabilitation, dealing with such problems as lead poisoning (often caused by the birds swallowing
bullets in animal carcasses left by hunters), and the training of specimens born in captivity for life on the wing in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir.
Also taking part in the project along with the Environment Secretariat are the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI, the National
Protected Natural Areas Commission, or Conanp, and other academic institutions, and Mexican and U.S. non-governmental organizaciones.
Since 2008 some 10 nesting sites have been found, the coordinator of the binational project, Juan Julian Vargas, said.
Since condors nest in caves, it can take hours to find them, despite the signals emitted by the radio transmitter attached to one of their wings,
Vargas said.
The "key to success" for the project of reintroducing the California condor in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir is "the combination and consistency" of
a number of elements like the state of conservation and the topographical characteristics of the mountains, the scant presence of humans and the
application of a rigorous management and monitoring plan for the birds in the wild, Vargas said.
The specialist praised the team of expert biologists, the coordination among Mexican and U.S. institutions, their understanding of the environment,
plus the unfailing financing provided by the governments of Mexico and the United States. EFE"
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/08/14/california-...
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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redhilltown
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But will the cartels switch to lead free bullets???? Just kidding. I hope the program works. I was lucky enough to see a condor that had strayed a
bit off course in the Inyo mountains some years back. We surprised it feeding and when it took off we were in awe...if you hike/camp/adventure you
know your birds and this thing was HUGE and could not be mistaken for anything else. I hope to see one again and if in Mexico, all the better!
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ncampion
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Oh boy, another buzzard in the Mexican landscape. Just kidding..........
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bufeo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by redhilltown...if you hike/camp/adventure you know your birds and this thing was HUGE and could not be mistaken for
anything else. .../quote]
In the spring of 1965 I was fortunate to have know Dick Smith, for whom the Dick Smith Wilderness is named in the Los Padres N.F. of the central coast
of California.
I was teaching at a school that owns nearly three thousand acres contiguous to the LPNF and someone had spotted a condor over part of the school's
property. We called Dick, who was a writer at the Santa Barbara News-Press at the time and a superb naturalist.
Dick responded fast and we acquired some offal from a local meat cutter and baited an open ridge and left it for a few days. I accompanied Dick before
dawn one morning to stake out the site from a grove of oaks about a hundred meters from the bait.
While we waited we talked in low whispers. I was a recent resident of California having lived most of my early life in the southeastern states, and I
had never seen a California condor in the wild...maybe not even in a zoo.
I asked Dick, "How will I know a condor from a turkey vulture"?
He whispered, "You won't have to ask."
As the day warmed and the thermals built over those foothills, turkey vultures began to appear and a few landed to feed.
Then Dick nudged my arm and pointed to one side and much higher in the sky than the vultures.
"Holy $h!+"! I muttered. The difference is extraordinary and redhilltown, you're correct. They cannot be mistaken.
I've been fortunate to have seen several condors in the wild, even had a photo picked up by AP "back in the day", and they are truly magnificent
birds. The most recent ones we've watched are along the Colorado River near Lee's Ferry. I managed to get several photos of those, but with tags on
their wings I don't esteem the pix as much as I do those from the '60s and early '70s.
It's gratifying to see this attempt to return the birds to the Sierra de San Pedro Mŕrtir.
Allen R |
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TMW
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Good news.
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MrBillM
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Baja Buzzard Bounty
I've Heard ...............
That they DON'T taste like chicken.
Which, for them, is good, I suppose.
I guess the more Carrion-Cleanup birds on hand, the better.
Although, I've never noticed a lack of Airborne Road-Kill Gourmets.
Having only lived a lifetime seeing the average Buzzards, I'm unsure what I've missed.
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Gypsy Jan
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Mr. Bill M
You are fimmy.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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captkw
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REDHILL
YEP,,THEY ARE BIG !! I GET TO SEE THEM OFTEN IN A NAT FOREST......INLAND OF BIG SUR CA. LOS PADRES NAT. FOREST (NORTH DISCTRICT) ONE OF THE MOST
AWESOME PLACE'S IN/ON THE PLANET....SORRY YOU CANT GOOGLE THIS!! WE PROTECT THIS JEWL(1) !!!!!! AND BTW THE CAMP HOST AT ONE OF THE VERY FEW BUILT
CAMPGROUNDS ALSO SPEND THE SEASON'S IN LA PAZ. B.C.S.,.ps (1) forgot the L the first time...LOL
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Graham
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Twice in recent years I’ve been fortunate to see California condors on my drive up to the San Pedro Mártir, including a group on the ground waiting
patiently at a sharp curve with a dangerous drop off to the west. I think they were hoping for a little road kill!
At a distance you might mistake a condor for a vulture if you see it from above, especially a juvenile.
But an adult from underneath is unmistakable.
Close up they are dramatic and impressive and sound like gliders as they pass overhead.
Now, I don't think there's a better place to see and photograph them than in the San Pedro Martir... and another six are slated to be released.
A wonderful story!
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bufeo
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Great photos, Graham.
Allen R
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astrobaja
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Cool shots Graham!! I think the spot you took the pics from is km 72 also know as the mirador. They like this spot as its a particularly good location
to catch rising thermals. The downside is that the condors used to like to get into the trash can here to until Gonzalo the park director put lids on
all of them.
Also bad is that sometimes people try to feed the birds, so Juan and Caty come down here often with their big dog to scare them away. Best thing to do
is take your pics and then shoo them away!
Biggest problem the condors face here is still lead poisoning from shotgun pellets. Sadly there is still a fair bit of poaching done by local ranchers
here in the park.
\"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened\"
Douglas Adams
our website: http://bajadarkskies.com |
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MrBillM
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Responsible Condor Hunters
Use Steel-Shot to avoid the Lead Poisoning problem so that the Buzzard dies healthier.
Or, so I've heard.
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astrobaja
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why don't you try it Bill let us know how it went
\"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened\"
Douglas Adams
our website: http://bajadarkskies.com |
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redhilltown
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
Use Steel-Shot to avoid the Lead Poisoning problem so that the Buzzard dies healthier.
Or, so I've heard. |
It appears old buzzards have acquired the ability to type...
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MrBillM
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No Buzzard-Banging Here
I DON'T (and have never) hunted animals. I DO, however, support the rights of those who choose to hunt.
Other than Illegally, of course.
While I wish the Bigger Buzzard all the best, I also know that its continued existence or disappearance is pretty meaningless in the overall picture.
Species go extinct all the time and, without a rationale for HUMAN health or economic benefit, I see no reason at all for
GOVERNMENT Dollars or special regulations to be used to their benefit.
It IS, however, the law, so that's that. Last word. Shoot and Suffer.
On a mostly (but not entirely) unrelated subject, I heard a GREAT line last night about Fishing. I guess
it's from a TV series that I don't watch, but it's the first time I've heard it:
"Fishing is very relaxing. It's like Yoga, but you still get to KILL something".
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