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Flock of rare condors descends on California woman’s home — and wreaks havoc on her deck

A California woman found the deck of her house overrun with endangered condors.

Cinda Mickols said when she returned to her home near Tehachapi on Monday after being gone for the weekend, at least 13 condors were on her deck and more were on the roof, according to The New York Times.

“When I arrived home Monday, I was both amazed and angry at the condors,” Mickols said, the publication reported. “To have that many condors on my house was surreal; they can be destructive and messy. Nature is amazing!”

Mickols’ daughter, Seana Lyn, tweeted Tuesday about the flock that “absolutely trashed” her mother’s deck, and she posted photos of the destruction.

By Wednesday, she said, the birds left the house but “they’re still hanging out ominously on one of her trees.”

There are only about 160 condors in Southern and Central California, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mickols’ daughter was apparently aware of the just how endangered the birds are.

“There’s only 160 of these birds flying free in the state and a flock of them decided to start a war with my mom,” she wrote.

About 80 California condors are in Arizona and Utah and more than 30 are in Mexico, according to wildlife officials.

It has been illegal to kill California condors for about 100 years, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded to one of the daughter’s tweets, saying that Mickols’ “home is located in historical condor habitat where natural food sources occur...unfortunately they sometimes perceive houses and decks as suitable perch locations.”

“If this happens again, hazing to preclude them from causing damage and habituation is encouraged. This includes using methods that will not harm them such as water hoses, yelling, clapping, shouting or using other preventative measures such as scarecrow sprinklers,” the wildlife service said.

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