"Return of the Condor," by Kathy Sullivan
It’s a beautiful spring morning in northern Arizona. The air is already beginning to warm as I sit at Badger Point admiring the view. The Colorado River rushes between narrow canyon walls beneath me. Earlier this morning, three peregrine falcons entertained me with their aerial battle. All is quiet now as I sit in solitude waiting for my workday to commence.
Suddenly my tranquil surroundings are disrupted by a series of loud beeps from the radio receiver sitting next to me. Even before I can stand and get my bearings, I am treated to a sight one must see to truly appreciate … a condor soaring just a few feet away. It’s taking advantage of the thermals, slowly gaining elevation out of the canyon after spending the night perched on a cliff below. The transmitter attached to its wing is emitting the signal now blaring from my receiver.
Three more condors suddenly appear. For the next half hour, these four take turns soaring through the canyon in front of me. Then, as quickly as they appeared, the condors disappear to the southwest, following the river to the Grand Canyon.
So Close to the Edge, But Then …
I consider myself lucky to have witnessed this scene, especially since California condors would no longer exist in the wild if biologists, wildlife advocates, agency staff and many others had not joined together to save these magnificent birds. Condor recovery efforts have experienced many successes, along with several obstacles, but those of us who work with these birds have little doubt the condors will persevere and thrive again in the wild someday.
Back in the Pleistocene Era, condors soared from Canada to Mexico. Mass extinctions of large mammals about 10,000 years ago caused the first significant reduction in condor numbers. A second major decline started in the late 1800s, which coincided with the settlement of the West. Toxins, shootings, specimen collecting and habitat encroachment contributed to the second decline. By the mid-1900s, the condors’ range had shrunk to a small region in California. By 1982, only 22 condors remained in the world. The population was close to extinction.
Biologists intervened, capturing the remaining wild birds and starting a captive-breeding program. When captive breeding succeeded, wildlife agencies started releasing condors back into remote areas of California in 1992. Releases into historical condor habitat in northern Arizona followed four years later. In 2002, a third condor release program was initiated in Baja California, Mexico.
Captive-reared condors fared well in the wild. The learning curve for the first released birds was steep, but they quickly learned to avoid predators and forage for carrion. Some young birds occasionally let their natural curiosity get the better of them, investigating campsites or perching on man-made structures, but this behavior always seemed to diminish and eventually disappear with age.
As we anticipated, by age 5 many of the birds began forming pair bonds, and by 7, most of them started breeding. Five wild-hatched condors have been produced in Arizona since 2003. Four are still thriving in the wild. Thanks to recovery efforts, condor numbers have soared worldwide from a low of 22 birds, to a current population of almost 300. Sixty-one of these birds are in the Arizona population. Recently, the Arizona birds have expanded their range into southern Utah. Condors are likely to nest and produce chicks in Utah soon.
Voluntary Efforts Pay Off
Although condors are doing well in the wild, the recovery efforts have experienced one significant obstacle. Lead exposure has been identified as a problem in the condor population, and lead poisoning has been identified as the leading cause of death for condors in Arizona. Four years of studies determined the majority of this lead comes from spent ammunition found in animal carcasses and gut piles on which condors feed. Lead shot and bullet fragments have been removed from condors’ digestive tracts. Lead isotope studies have concluded that the lead found in condor blood and digestive tracts matches the lead from ammunition. Studies also show that condor lead-exposure rates are highest during hunting seasons. Radiographs of hunter-killed deer demonstrate that lead bullets fragment into hundreds of pieces that remain in game carcasses and gut piles left in the field.
Prior to these studies, Arizona sportsmen and hunters did not know about the relationship between condors and lead. The Arizona Game and Fish Department now makes it a priority to inform hunters about the issue and ask for their assistance. The department provides educational material to each hunter drawn for big-game hunts within condor range (northern Arizona Game Management Units 9, 10, 12A, 12B, 13A and 13B). The department also encourages these hunters either to use non-lead ammunition voluntarily, or to remove all game carcasses and gut piles from the field.
With their long tradition of wildlife conservation, hunters have been happy to help. Local sportsmen’s groups — including the Arizona Deer Association, Arizona Antelope Foundation, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and the Arizona chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation — also are asking hunters to take voluntary lead-reduction actions when hunting in condor range.
These cooperative efforts have been successful: In 2005, condor lead exposure rates declined by 40 percent. We expect to see continued decreases in condor lead exposure in 2006. This is a significant accomplishment for which the hunting community should be recognized. Voluntary efforts are making a difference.
Soaring in the Skies
We’ve come a long way in the 10 years since the first condors were reintroduced to Arizona, and we’re grateful for all the public support that the condor program receives. The reintroduction efforts also succeed thanks to the cooperation of many organizations and agencies. The Peregrine Fund heads these efforts by rearing, releasing and monitoring the birds. Other partners, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, also are instrumental in the success of the condor recovery program.
The department receives state lottery revenue from the Heritage Fund to aid condor recovery efforts, thanks to an initiative passed by voters in 1990. Support from Arizona residents makes this program work, ensuring condors will soar in the skies of Arizona for years to come. Anyone who sees these birds in person understands why this recovery effort is so important.
This article was published in the November-December 2006
issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. To subscribe or give a gift, order online or call (800) 777-0015.
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