#Condors

[corvidaemnit]

literally sooo fucking sick of bad vulture reputation so here’s some cute vultures to make all the vulture haters out there feel bad about themselves

(andean condor)

more below the cut off!

(california condor)

(egyptian vulture)

(black vultures)

(king vulture)

(bearded vulture/lammergeier)

(eurasian griffon vultures)

(turkey vulture)

(cinereous vulture)

(palm-nut vulture)

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: California Condor

Photo: Donna Pomeroy

"A holdover from prehistoric times, the great condor is one of our largest and most magnificent birds -- and one of the rarest. Soaring over wilderness crags, feeding on carcasses of large dead animals, reproducing very slowly, it was not well suited to survival in modern-day southern California. Headed toward extinction in the 1980s, the last birds were brought in from the wild in 1987, to be bred in captivity for eventual release into the wild again. The captive breeding program turned out to be surprisingly successful, and flocks of released condors are surviving in several areas of California and in the region of the Grand Canyon."

- Audubon Field Guide

[antiqueanimals]

California condor. Last Chance on Earth; a Requiem for Wildlife. Roger A. Caras. Illustrated by Charles Fracé. 1966.

Internet Archive

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Turkey vultures are the sharks of the sky; the have the largest olfactory system of any bird, and can smell a potential meal from over a mile away!

(Image: A turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) with a meal by Kevin Cole)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

[wachinyeya]

Quebracho and Condor Natural Reserve in the Cordillera de Laderas was created on Aug. 24 this year in response to the poisoning deaths of 34 Andean condors two years earlier.

The community of Ladera Norte pushed for their entire territory of nearly 3,300 hectares (8,150 acres) to be designated as a nature reserve, citing the importance of the condor as the national bird.

The reserve also protects the white quebracho, a tree species native to this region of Bolivia, which is threatened by the loss and fragmentation of habitat.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:

Two federal agencies have confirmed the cancellation of applications for permits proposed a decade ago to drill and frack eight new wells on federal public land in Los Padres National Forest. The announcement, made April 3, comes just weeks after California officials proposed a statewide ban on this extremely dangerous fossil fuel extraction technique.

Together, the two actions signal the end of the toxic era of fracking in the Sespe Oil Field. Fracking has occurred here for decades unbeknownst to the public, but when the polluting practice was uncovered through a series of Freedom of Information Act requests in 2012, a pause in fracking occurred amidst public opposition and an outpouring of scientific studies showing the dangers posed to human health and the environment.

The eight applications refocused the spotlight on the Sespe and the public health and environmental risks posed by fracking.

“This announcement closes the chapter on a toxic and dangerous legacy of fracking in the Sespe,” said Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch, one of the organizations that mobilized residents to oppose the fracking plan. “While fossil fuel extraction here continues to pose grave dangers to our public lands, communities and climate, today we celebrate this important step forward as we continue the transition to clean energy.”

“I’m relieved that these long-pending drilling and fracking applications have been cancelled, averting a major threat to condors and steelhead,” said Lisa Belenky, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Condors have suffered from oil wells and pipelines in this area in the past and steelhead critical habitat in Sespe Creek is downstream from the oil field, so this is a win for biodiversity. We can’t allow expansion of fracking and other oil and gas extraction on our public lands. Ending fossil fuel production is critical to reducing greenhouse gas pollution and supporting real climate solutions.”

Seneca Resources — a Texas-based oil company — filed the original drilling applications with the Bureau of Land Management in 2013, seeking permission to frack eight new wells in the Sespe Creek watershed along with the construction of nearly two miles of new pipelines, a 12,600-gallon tank, and other industrial facilities in this remote area upstream of the town of Fillmore. Carbon California, a Colorado-based company, eventually took over operation of the Sespe Oil Field.

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)

(Photo by Jorge Garcia)

Conservation Status- Vulnerable

Habitat- Andes Mountains

Size (Weight/Length)- 15 kg; 1.3 m; 3 m wingspan

Diet- Carion

Cool Facts- Combining their weight and wingspan, the Andean condor is the world’s largest flying bird. Eating almost exclusively carrion, their stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve bones and diseases alike. Due to their massive size, these condors have a difficult time getting off the ground. Using strong winds, they launch themselves into the air and glide on currents. Using their 3 meter long wings, Andean condors only have to flap their wings once every half hour to stay aloft. Adult Andean condors are almost always found as a pair with their lifelong mate, laying only one egg every few years. In 1970, the Andean condor was placed into a breeding program due to  poisoning and persecution by farmers. Almost 10 years before the reintroduction of the California condor, the Andean condor spread their wings and were brought back into the native habitat where they still fly strong.

Rating- 13/10 (I have a soft spot for vultures of all kinds.)

[micromys]

Went up 13,000 ft to Antisana volcano looking for Andean condors. There are fewer than 100 left in Ecuador, and we were absurdly lucky and saw at least 25% of them! At one point there were at least 11 of them feeding on a dead cow. What an incredible privilege to be able to see the largest bird of prey in the world in its native habitat.

[muttball]

Caught these California Condors while riding my harley at Big Sur.

[kt--extinction]

Been a bit extra depressed lately since I took down my bird feeder because the bird flu outbreak. My house seems kinda lonely without constant loud chirping and a host of little birds hanging out on the fence outside my window.

Then, yesterday i remembered nest cams are a thing and it IS the season.

I’ve been watching this one a lot:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/california-condor/

[adtothebone]

Queen Victoria the Andean Condor, part of The Birdman show at this year’s North Dakota State Fair.

[antiqueanimals]

California condor. These are Endangered; written by Charles Cadieux and illustrated by Bob Hines. 1981.

Internet Archive

[paddy-garcia-70]

https://ictnews.org/news/condors-are-coming-back-to-the-pacific-northwest