Since 1967, the California condor has been protected as an endangered species by federal law. At present, about 160 condors remain in California; over the weekend, 15 of those condors made themselves comfortable at Cinda Mickols’ home.
Mickols’ daughter, Seana Quintero, took to Twitter Tuesday to post photos of the condors that had “descended on” her mother’s home.
The birds, taking a liking to the property, decided they would hang out for a bit.
“So, those that know her will all agree she is one of the strongest women ever,” said Quintero of her mom. “But I’m even more in awe knowing that my tiny little mom was staring down a bunch of birds half her size from less than 10 ft away trying to shoo them away.”
According to National Geographic, California condors are the largest flying bird in North America. Condors typically grow to be 3.5 feet - 4.5 feet wide, with a wingspan between nine and 10 feet. Most adult condors weigh between 18 and 31 pounds. Up close, the birds can be pretty terrifying.
According to Quintero’s tweets, the birds spent much of Tuesday perched on the railings and the roof of Mickols’ home. The Guardian reports that while Mickols was “in awe” of the birds, she was also “very annoyed.” Because the birds had already caused a huge mess on the property, Mickols’ hopes were for the birds to flock to the trees, where she could admire them from afar.
Thankfully, Quintero’s initial tweet, which has over 50,000 likes and more than 18,000 retweets, caught the eye of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
The USFWS explained to Quintero via Twitter that her mother’s home is located in a “historical condor habitat where natural food sources occur.”
To “preclude them from causing damage,” USFWS recommended safe methods of hazing, such as yelling, clapping or spraying the birds with water.
On Thursday morning, Mickols took the advice of the USFWS and gave two of the condors a “shower.” The group has since flocked to the trees.
“Good morning to everyone, especially my mom who gave these two condors on her roof a ‘shower’ this morning with a hose,” tweeted Quintero. “Now they’re back chilling with the rest of the flock on her tree. Watching. Waiting. Doing condor things.”
