California Condors in the Pacific Northwest

by Jesse D'Elia, Susan M. Haig

“The re-creation of a viable population of condors in the Northwest would constitute an achievement of substantial importance…This book goes a long way toward justifying such an effort.”   —Noel Snyder, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of condor research in the 1980s and lead author of The California A Saga of Natural History and Conservation

Despite frequent depiction as a bird of California and the desert southwest, North America’s largest avian scavenger once graced the skies of the Pacific Northwest, from northern California to British Columbia. This important volume documents the condor’s history in the region, from prehistoric times to the early twentieth century, and explores the challenges of reintroduction. 

Jesse D’Elia and Susan Haig investigate the paleontological and observational record as well as the cultural relationships between Native American tribes and condors, providing the most complete assessment to date of the condor’s occurrence in the Pacific Northwest. They evaluate the probable causes of regional extinction and the likelihood that condors once bred in the region, and they assess factors that must be considered in determining whether they could once again thrive in Northwest skies. 

Incorporating the newest research and findings and more than eighty detailed historical accounts of human encounters with these birds of prey, California Condors in the Pacific Northwest sets a new standard for examining the historical record of a species prior to undertaking a reintroduction effort. It is a vital reference for academics, agency decision makers, conservation biologists, and readers interested in Northwest natural history. The volume is beautifully illustrated by Ram Papish and includes a number of previously unpublished photographs.

Genres: Science, Birds

184 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Matt Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I'm extremely biased on this one. I'm an ornithologist, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I have a great new graduate student who is a member of the Yurok tribe, is actively engaged in the work to return Condors to the Klamath region, and Jesse D'Elia will be on her thesis committee. So this unique book is right in my wheelhouse. With all that said, the book is fascinating. The authors do a wonderful job of convening museum records, tribal creation stories and oral tradition, and other sources of information to depict how things might have been for this wondrous bird in the past. And their objective analysis of what could be done to bring them back is both readable and detailed. It's the beginning blue print for a reintroduction effort that is now underway. If you're interested in Condors, the Pacific Northwest, or the environmental justice of tribes in the Klamath watershed (or all three!), I highly recommend it!

[Gail Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by condors ever since I was a little girl, and this book was a perfect way to get to know more about them. It is well-organized, well-written, and sticks to the facts. It explains the predicament of this endangered species as well as the heroic efforts to save it. The book's purpose is to inform the process of considering whether to reintroduce the bird to the Pacific Northwest. Toward this end, the authors provide insight into the historic range of the condor, factors contributing most heavily to range contraction, and the potential cultural implications of the bird's loss. At only 129 pages (not including appendix and bibliography), it's a pretty quick and no-nonsense read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reviews the historical evidence for the presence of California Condors in the Pacific Northwest and evaluates the likely causes of their disappearance from the region. It is a scientific monograph but very readable. It should appeal to readers with an interest in the wildlife of the Pacific Northwest or in how a species becomes endangered.

[Cayla Naumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well researched and thought out resource about California Condors in the Pacific Northwest. The book is well laid out, with detailed responses and resources.

[Max Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book from the gift shop in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. I’ll write a review since is a niche book with few reviews.

The purpose of this book is to provide evidence that the Pacific Northwest was once home to California Condors and that it may be a good idea to release condors in this region to create California Condor populations in addition to where condors have already been released. This will maximize the odds of long term survival for the species and hedge against extinction.

The book effectively argues this point. At the time of this review the book is about 10 years old and a few years ago the Yurok Indians began reintroducing California Condors into the Redwoods. I do not know if that is the only reintroduction in the NW, but I imagine the research presented in this book and the authors in a more general way played a role. The book also briefly mentioned a proposal by the Yurok which at least in some form came to fruition.

The focus of this book may be a little more narrow than my ideal read on California Condors, but it is a short read and I learned a lot, much of which can be attributed to all California Condors, including a lot of basic information on their habitat and way of life (e.g. how this massive bird soars with updrafts and cannot sustain flapping flight for long!)

Some of the key take aways from this book are that secondary poisoning (Strychnine) is likely the largest contributor to the decline (at one point in the 1980s only 25 left, all in captivity) of the population as the birds ate the carcasses of poisoned wolves and other animals that were seen as a threat to livestock who arrived after the California gold rush and reached million+ a mere 20 years later. Additionally, lead poisoning from bullets and hunting or collecting of the birds were likely contributors.

Today the largest challenge for released condors is lead bullets, which are banned in California but are purchased and brought here from other states. As long as there are lead bullets used in the range of released California Condors the mortality rates of the birds are too high to be sustainable on their own and continuous reintroductions will be necessary. They may eat a kill that was never recovered or the contaminated guts of an animal that a hunter leaves behind. It seems to me the only way to truly save the California Condor in a sustainable way is for Congress to pass a national ban on lead bullets.

Overall, this is a well written book that anyone with a passing interest in California Condors will learn a lot from.

As a child in Los Angeles in the 1980’s and 90’s I remember hearing about the California Condors often. Maybe it is a blurred and inaccurate memory but I recall seeing California Condors on a field trip to the Los Angeles Zoo. Or maybe they were just discussed. Either way, it was nice to follow up and reconnect with what I remembered as a kid hearing about the plight of these grand birds.