[pct-l] California Condors

[jeffmoorehead1 at cox.net (Jeff Moorehead)]

The release sites in So Cal are mainly limited to areas in Big Sur and 
Ventura County. I took a trip into the Dick Smith Wilderness near the Ojai 
area to sneak a peak at any of the truly wild condors. No luck there.  This 
area is one of several sites where wildlife biologists expect to see the 
expansion of the wild condor population. It is a beautiful area-- real wild 
chaparral country. Hopefully one day we'll see condors flying in this and 
other preserves in southern California.
The condor recovery program has been an outstanding success. It was a real 
triumph to witness how it worked out as planned-- despite the objections of 
many polticians and anti-environmentalists who felt it was a fictional 
notion initiated by tax-hungry lunatics.
 Go condors!!


> Has anybody seen California condors from the PCT in Southern California?
>
> I had the joy of seeing most of the newly-released condors near their 
> Vermillion Cliffs release site in Arizona a few years ago.  A similar 
> release of captive-bred birds has taken place in Big Sur, California.  I'm 
> wondering if some of those birds have ventured far enough inland to be 
> seen from the PCT.
>
> For more information on the California captive release program, see:
> <http://www.ventanaws.org/condors.htm>
>
> For my 2006 NOBO PCT hike, I've just purchased a monocular, which has 
> almost as good optics as my fanciest and heaviest binoculars.  It's the 
> Brunton Macroscope:  Wide Angle 7 X 40, with focus adjustable from 18 
> inches to infinity.  I'll carry it around my neck on the PCT, except in 
> tricky situations like fording or when the sky is falling.  I will also 
> carry a small REI Ultrapod II tripod, which I can attach to a trekking 
> pole with its velcro tape.  That will hold either a camera or the 
> Macroscope.
>
> Gizmo
>
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