Egg-laying season starts at California condor breeding sites

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150220/us--condor_eggs-69f51092ab.html

Feb 19, 7:46 PM (ET)

By KEITH RIDLER
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Egg-laying season has started at four breeding facilities for captive California condors, North America's largest bird.

As of Thursday, the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey near Boise has four eggs among its 16 breeding pairs.

The Oregon Zoo has three eggs, the Los Angeles Zoo four, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has two. Egg-laying season can go through early April.

Marti Jenkins, condor propagation manager at the Idaho facility, said geneticists there recommended some changes so there are only 16 rather than 18 breeding pairs this year, and three of those pairs are new together.

FULL story at link.

[hunter]

1. Go condors!

These are awesome birds.

They are extremely sensitive to lead bullets in carcasses they eat.

Lead is bad for people too.

Lead bullets are banned in the California wilderness, anyplace a condor might be, but Fish & Wildlife services are extremely understaffed and can't be on the scene to inspect ammunition every time someone fires a gun in the forest. I'd like to see lead ammunition banned entirely.

Another problem for condors is power lines. Condors born in captivity are trained to avoid power lines using mock power lines that deliver a painful, but non-lethal electric shock.

But the best way to deal with power lines is to put them underground. It's just another infrastructure improvement that would provide excellent entry level jobs for young adults, and be of more benefit to our nation than our bloated military.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18693443