Greetings everybody,

Its been an exciting and adventurous weekend on the Lookout, with lots of condor
movement in all directions. For the past few days, Gretchen from Hopper has been
mobile tracking around the Carrizo, Black Mt., Castle Crags, and the Calientes.
We’ve spent a bit of time overworking our cell phones and attempting to
triangulate on birds along the La Panzas, north from Atascadero to the Carrizo,
and east over Lion Canyon and the Sierra Madre. My opportunities for this sort
of trackng have been few this summer and I must say its a whole lot of fun.
Comparing notes with Tessa at Hopper, the three of us surmise that B-155, a
nesting female, may have spent as little as 1 hour in the last 3 days on the
Refuge (where her nest is).

On Friday eve I was joined at the Lookout by VWS intern David Harpee. We woke up early on Saturday and drove over the La Panzas to meet Gretchen and hopefully
get a glimpse of B-155 and Y-213. Along the way on Pozo Rd, we encountered four
Tule elk, a few Mule deer, and a gigantic badger. The sun was just getting up
and the canyons were still cool and quiet. We spent most of the afternoon
driving the rats nest of roads in the La Panza wilderness, constantly scanning
with the omni and stopping for directional signals at high or open spots. We had
intermittant signals for Y-213 and B-155, and ended up following 155’s signal to
Hwy 58 and Bitterwater Rd. Looking across an endless fenced plain, hundreds of
cattle and hogs milling about in the dust while 2 TV’s idly picked at a withered
cracass, we stopped to have lunch on an oven baked shoulder. A white pickup
pulled up and Gretchen approached the vehicle. About 40 min later, thinking
Gretchen needed to be rescued, David and I also approached the truck and began
to listen in on the conversation. To make a long story short, the man was Darryl
Twissleman, nephew of legendary condor activists Eben and Ian McMillan. As a
child he traded vulture eggs he collected with Karl Koford. He spoke with a deep
understanding of his land and a lifetime of condor memories. As he talked (and
talked, and talked), B-155 moved to our south, then past us to the north and out
of range. We never saw her but it felt like we had touched a piece of Condor
history out on that dusty road. David and I made it back to the Lookout before
sunset. By 2335 I still had signals for Or-212, Y-190, and Y-192 on the back of
the cuesta ridge or somewhere near Atascadero. What a day….

As you’ve already read in previous postings, there have been many condor
sightings in SLO county during the last week and a half. Nick Todd’s tracking
efforts today confirm a suspicion I’ve had since Roger Zachary’s Atascadero
sighting last week. Based on the strength and direction of my signals from Hi
Mt. on those two days, it is safe to say that a group of at least 5 Ventana
birds has been spending a fair amount of time within the Atasadero city limits
this summer. Could they be tuning in to the roadkill along the 46 and 41?
Anyone who drives these roads frequently can attest to the numbers of deer
carcasses. In any event, I hope that this area will continue to be monitored, be
it from Hi Mt., mobile, or both. Atascadero is a crowded place and I worry for
these birds.

Seems like this Lookout project is really rolling along now and its been
wonderful being a part of it this summer. I never get tired of waking up on Hi
Mt., wondering which birds will pass by or stop to roost on a nearby ridge line.
I feel like I’m really finding my niche up there right now and my internship
ends next weekend. It will be strange going back to a normal life, not knowing
where the condors are; not having that better than average shot at seeing a
black dot rise on the horizon, turning slowly and stiff winged, as my Telonix
goes beep, beep, beep, beep……..

Thanks to all the friends and volunteers (especially Bill Bouton) who’ve chipped
in to beautify the Lookout lately. It should be in good form by the Grand
Opening on October 12.

Thank you for your continued support and interest,
Paul Andreano

Another hot and gusty day on Hi Mt. Winds hard from the SE to 32mph and temps in high 80’s by 0730! First signals were at 0807, when I had Y-125 strong and directly off of Black Mt. He continued to soar in this area until about 0930, when I lost his signal. At 0807 I also had some strong and close signals from Y-190, Y-194, and Y-192 at 320ºNW. I felt like they could be down near Atascadero and at times I would lose their signals for a few minutes, eventually regaining them in the same location. At 1042 I had a few strong and consistent signals from R-111 at 100ºE, then lost her altogether. At 1230, Nick Todd called from Atascadero. He had been mobile tracking and found Y-194 perched in a pine at the intersection of Capistrano St. and Sycamore Ave. He also had signals down there from Y-192 and Y-190. At 1330, Nick called again to say that 194 had taken flight and was headed SE of him. Betweem 1430 and 1910, Y-194 , Y-190, and Y-192 continued to alternate soaring and perching between 320ºNW and 340ºN/NW,often seeming to move over Creston and Shandon. I began to get some signals from B-155 at 1405, in the direction of the Sierra Madre at 100ºE. Y-125 was sending distant, weak and inconsistent signals to my NE. By 1529,Y-15 and B-155 were both strong at 80ºNE, hading north, possibly toward the Calientes. By my last round of signals at 1910, I had lost Y-125 to my NE, B-155 had turned south and was faint at 120ºSE, and Y-192,Y-190, and Y-194 were strong and broad on the back side of the Cuesta Ridge. They could have been anywhere between Cerro Alto and Santa Margarita. -PDA