Condors share their nest life on
camera
By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 12.09.14
Word Count 578
A 2013 photo released by the Los Angeles Zoo shows a California condor in its habitat at the zoo. Photo:
AP Photo/Tad Motoyama
FILLMORE, Calif. — A new reality show is set in a cave in California.
The story is addicting. A baby California condor — a type of large bird — is
home alone. He is waiting in a cave for his parents to return with food.
He tosses feathers and bones in the air with his beak. He pounces on them with
his claws.
He stares at his toes, lifting each one as if playing a piano.
Meanwhile, scientists watching through a hidden video camera were fascinated.
They had put the camera in the nest to keep an eye on the California condors, a
type of vulture.
California condors are the largest flying bird in North America. Their wingspan
can stretch to 9 1/2 feet across. They have razor-sharp beaks.
We're Back!
These huge birds almost died out completely 30 years ago. Now they are slowly
coming back.
Using the cameras, scientists now have a full picture of the condors' home life
for the first time.
Until now, the condors were observed only from very far away through
binoculars. Scientists could only guess what was going on. Condors live in
isolated caves and hollowed-out redwood trees. They lay only one egg a year.
To see into nests, scientists would climb down cliffs and actually enter the
caves.
The scientists say the camera can also help many other endangered species.
Another camera was placed this year in a albatross nest on the Hawaiian island
of Kauai. Scientists now have a better understanding of the danger of plastic.
Adult albatrosses eat the plastic and then feed it to their chicks.
Making Life Easier
Cameras are even helping humans. In Montana, cameras in an osprey nest help
figure out what kind of fish they are catching. The goal is to discover the location
of lead, that can also poison humans.
At the condor’s nest, the view has not always been happy.
“Some of the footage is heartbreaking to watch,” Molly Astelle said. She works
at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
In July, the father condor was killed. The mother began flying up to 150 miles a
day in search of food for her baby.
The video also helps to makes life safer for birds and scientists alike.
Before the video camera, scientists entered condor nests every month. They
collected harmful trash the condors brought home. The garbage includes bottle
caps, broken glass and wire.
Now scientists can watch the video to decide whether to enter the nest, said
Joseph Brandt. He is a condor biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Scientists hope to one day stream real-time video of the condors online. For
now, the public can watch video clips on Facebook.
Free-Flying Condors
Condors have been in danger since the 1950s. Construction disturbed the
condor habitat. Some of the birds were shot or died of lead poisoning.
Today, there are 128 free-flying condors in California. The condor population
around the world is 433.
Recently, Brandt and Astelle released three adult condors into the mountains.
Two of the birds had been treated for lead poisoning. The other had an
operation on an injured wing.
The three condors were brought to a mountain in large dog crates. When they
were freed, they took a quick look around. They raced on foot toward the edge
of a cliff. With black-and-white wings flapping hard, they rose into the brilliant
blue sky.
They had been fitted with number tags and radio devices. These will allow
scientists to track them.