Ventana Wildlife Society’s condor releases are a window into a species’ resurgence.

Until recently, it’s been a tough few years for California condors. The Dolan Fire, which burned over 128,000 acres in Big Sur in 2020, caused the death of 12 condors. This spring saw the emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, aka HPAI, which spread rapidly among the Arizona-Utah flock, killing more than 20.

But the Central Coast flock has thus far dodged the virus, and vaccines are being administered to condors raised in captivity. The nonprofit Ventana Wildlife Society is set to release 10 of them in the coming weeks – five on Nov. 28 and another five on Dec. 12 – which will bring the flock’s total number to 101, which is where it was at when the Dolan Fire was ignited.

The releases can be viewed by registering on the nonprofit’s website (ventanaws.org), and they offer anyone with an internet connection and time to spare the opportunity to see the moment a baby condor finds its wings. Of the 10 condors soon to be released, three are from the Los Angeles Zoo and seven are from the Oregon Zoo.

Joe Burnett, VWS’ senior biologist, says which birds fly on Nov. 28 will be the first five to walk into the release chamber, and they’ll take flight of their own volition. None of the condors are yet named, he adds – their personalities are only just starting to show.

This year has also seen four condor nests on the Central Coast – two in Pinnacles, two in Big Sur – and four chicks have fledged. The highest number of fledges in the flock since VWS has been tracking it is five.

The release will start with an hour-long presentation, and the condors will start taking flight around 10am, weather permitting.