\n<\/p>\n
Condors A0 and A1 were close even as kids. Video: Yurok Tribe.<\/p>\n
###<\/p>\n
Press release from the Yurok Tribe:<\/p>\n
\nA
\nfree-flying pair of condors in the Pacific Northwest recently
\nestablished the region\u2019s first nest in more than a century.<\/p>\n
\nBased
\non a series of behavioral changes and an analysis of flight data, the
\nNorthern California Condor Restoration Program determined that
\ncondors A0 (Ney-gem\u2019 \u2018Ne-chween-kah) and A1 (Hlow Hoo-let) may have
\nstarted tending to a newly laid egg in early February, although
\nactual confirmation of an egg is impossible due to the remoteness of
\nthe nesting site. A0 would have deposited the egg within a cavity of
\nan old-growth redwood in the Redwood Creek drainage after months of
\nsearching for the ideal location.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis
\nis a huge moment for our Northern California flock,\u201d said Chris
\nWest, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program Manager and
\nYurok Wildlife Department Senior Biologist. \u201c\u201cIt is important to
\nremember that these are wild birds. We trap them occasionally for
\nhealth monitoring, but if they nest, and how successful they are, is
\ntotally up to them, with as little interference from us as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nNCCRP
\nis thrilled by this development, although much can still happen
\nbetween now and the potential hatch day. In wild populations, the
\ninitial egg produced by a breeding pair of condors frequently
\nexhibits low survival, due to the adults\u2019 lack of experience with
\nthe incubation and care process.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI
\nhave been waiting for this moment since the first condors arrived in
\n2022,\u201d said Yurok Wildlife Department Director Tiana
\nWilliams-Claussen. \u201cAs a scientist, I know I shouldn\u2019t get my
\nhopes up too high, but that doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t cheer for these
\nyoung parents\u2019 success.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nCondors
\nA1 (studbook 969), and A0 (studbook 973) will incubate the
\napproximately 10\u2011ounce, light\u2011blue egg for 55 to 58 days.
\nThese large scavengers engage in biparental incubation, with the male
\nand female alternating incubation duties and brooding and care of the
\nchick once it hatches.<\/p>\n
\nNCCRP
\nstaff are closely monitoring the breeding pair using data collected
\nfrom wing transmitters and field observations. Changes in the adult
\ncondors\u2019 rates and timing of feeding can be used to determine how
\nthe nest is doing, hatching of a chick, and various stages of the
\nchick\u2019s development. The NCCRP is also currently working through
\nthe logistics for potential use of an unmanned aerial vehicle or
\ndrone for visual confirmation of the nest.<\/p>\n
\nFree
\nflying since 2022, A1 and A0 were among the first condors
\nreintroduced to the Northern California\/Southern Oregon area.
\nCurrently, 24 condors reside in the wild within Yurok ancestral
\nterritory. With a goal of establishing a self-sustaining condor
\nflock, NCCRP plans to release at least one group of birds every
\nsummer for at least 20 years.<\/p>\n
\nA0
\nor Ney-gem\u2019 \u2018Ne-chweenkah\u2019 which translates to \u201cShe carries
\nour prayers\u201d, was the only female in the first released NCCRP
\ncohort. She is 6 years and 10 months old and was bred at Oregon Zoo
\nbefore being transferred to NCCRP for release in 2022.<\/p>\n
\nA1,
\nnicknamed \u2018Hlow Hoo-let\u2019 which means \u201cAt last I (or we) fly!\u201d,
\nis also 6 years and 10 months old and was bred at the World Center
\nfor Birds of Prey.<\/p>\n
\nCondors
\nare slow to reproduce, with females laying only one egg at a time,
\nand usually nesting only every other year. Young condors take months
\nto learn to fly and rely on their parents for more than a year. They
\nreach sexual maturity around 6 years old.<\/p>\n
\nMost
\ncommonly, condors stay paired with mates for successive years,
\nalthough a new partner will be sought if one dies. If condors fail to
\nproduce a chick, they may split up, but they will typically remain as
\na pair if successfully fledging chicks.<\/p>\n
\nIn
\ngeneral, condors begin breeding between 6 and 7 years old and can
\nlive more than 50 years. The next oldest male and female condors
\nunder NCCRP management are 5 year and 11-month-old male A2 (studbook
\n1010) Nes-kwe-chokw, and 4 year and 8-month-old female A7 (studbook
\n1109)\u00a0He-we-chek\u2019.<\/p>\n
\nNorthern
\nCalifornia Condor Restoration Program<\/p>\n
\nThe
\nNorthern California Condor Restoration Program is a partnership
\nbetween the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks. The
\nprogram has received funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
\nBureau of Indian Affairs, Administration for Native Americans,
\nPacific Gas and Electric Company, Global Conservation Fund, Redwood
\nNational Park Foundation, and many small donations from the public.
\nThe Yurok Tribe initiated the condor reintroduction project in 2008
\nas part of a long\u2011term effort to heal the landscape within
\nYurok ancestral territory, a landscape to which the health and
\nwell\u2011being of the Yurok people is inextricably connected. The
\nrestoration of California condor, prey-go-neesh in the Yurok
\nlanguage, is a vital part of this environmental and cultural
\nrevitalization effort. Alongside condor recovery, the Tribe is also
\nundertaking large\u2011scale fish and wildlife habitat restoration
\nthroughout the Klamath River, its tributaries, and the surrounding
\nregion.<\/p>\n