6 California condors have died so far this year. What happened?

The free-flying flock of condors in Central California has lost six critically endangered birds, according to the Ventana Wildlife Society.

There were reportedly 91 birds at the start of 2022, the nonprofit organization said. Now the flock is down to 85 members.

The demise of at least one of the six giant birds, Hodor, resulted from the principal ongoing threat to the condor population: lead poisoning.

In its monthly Zoom presentation on June 30, the VWS reported that the fate of three of the birds — Artemis (No. 915) and Jan (No. 1038) from San Simeon and No. 828 from Pinnacles — will be not be established until after necropsies have been completed.

It is known that Pinnacles condor No. 1096 died of a bacterial infection, and another Pinnacles bird, No. 825, passed due to “undetermined” causes.

Meanwhile, Hodor (No. 837), released from the San Simeon holding pen in the fall of 2017, was “the largest and most mild-mannered” of the condors released from that cohort, VWS explains.

Named after a prominent character from “Game of Thrones,” Hodor was described by VWS as “endlessly entertaining … as he goes about his daily routine of flapping around the (holding) pen and playing around with his fellow condors.”

Jan, which was released from the mountains above San Simeon, was named after celebrated conservationist Jan Hamber, the biologist who captured the last free-flying condor, AC9, in the 1980s.

Hamber brought AC9 into captivity and hence, the successful captive breeding program was launched as part of the Condor Recovery Program.

Condor chicks in the wings

Waiting in the wings to emerge in a year and a half are three condor chicks still in nests. Once fully grown, they’ll have 9-1/2-foot wingspans, red-orange heads and the ability to fly to heights of 15,000 feet.

Those birds — No. 1145, No. 1174, and No. 1175 — will in time join four chicks that fledged in 2021. No. 1095, No. 1089, No. 1104 and No. 1077 are now flying free as part of the 85-member flock.

Additionally, the VWS recently announced the release of eight juvenile condors planned for this fall. Four of those will be released from the San Simeon site and four will fly free from Pinnacles.

For more information on the Central California condor flock, visit www.ventanaws.org.