Lookout History

I received a phone call several weeks ago from Avice Nolan. She was
excited to have seen the newspaper article in the Tribune about Hi
Mountain Lookout, telling me that her stepfather and mother had staffed
the lookout station in 1942, and she had found some old photos of Hi
Mountain lookout and the surrounding viewpoints in her photo album (they
are probably from the 1970’s, because Lopez Lake is in one of the
photographs- I will be making copies of the photos).

Yesterday, 11/9, I stopped by Avice’s trailor park residence in SLO to
talk with her about her recollections. She is a vibrant, talkative 80
year old woman with flaming red hair, raised five children, and is the
keeper of memories for her family, with numerous photographs framed and
in photo albums at her home. She was pleased to be able to tell me more
of what she knew about the lookout history and to show me the photos.
Avice has an interesting history herself…she was originally an Indiana
farmgirl, danced with the soldiers from Camp San Luis during the war at
the USO in SLO, was married twice to military men who both died in
aircraft crashes, and for a period of time lived on a turkey ranch at
Pozo in the early 1950’s.

Avice’s stepfather and mother Elmer and Goldie Thornton apparently
staffed the lookout during World War ||, sometime around 1941-42, as a
vantage point to watch the coast for possible enemy submarines and
aircraft. Although I was somewhat unsure at first if it was really the
Hi Mountain site, she says it had to be a lookout with a view of the
coast and remembers the access was out of Pozo.

Elmer was a foreman of Peerless Bakery in SLO on Higuera St., having
arrived from Indiana in Jan., 1941. Avice’s mother once became very ill
while stationed at the lookout and was brought down by horseback to get
her to medical care (maybe the road at times got bad for vehicles back
then too!). Anyway, this was interesting history and perhaps we can find
out more…records on file somewhere from the war years? I would
appreciate more help from anyone interested in uncovering more early
history of Hi Mountain Lookout. There must be more folks out there who
could be interviewed and records somewhere in storage, waiting to be
found.

Steve Schubert

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Condors fly over the Lookout!!

On Sunday, October 20, at about 2:50pm Condors Y-194 & OR-208 passed directly over the Lookout on their way to the Southeast. Tracking had been slow Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. The only bird we were picking up for the past two days was Y-194 possibly flying somewhere east of the Santa Lucias maybe over the Paso Robles/Atascadero area. When we went to check signals at about 2:30 Sunday afternoon we picked up Y-194 strong and wide. The signal was coming from all directions and even a walk around the perimeter of the lookout couldn’t narrow down the direction of the bird. My chest started pounding and at first I couldn’t believe it. This bird was right on top of us! I thought either me or the telonix was malfunctioning, for it was just an hour ago that we last took signals and weren’t picking up any birds. But there was no malfunction and I alerted the Cal Poly crew to start searching the skies. Lisa Andreano, Paul’s sister, was on the spotting scope and within minutes located the bird heading for us soaring just North of the lookout. The bird continued to soar a few hundred feet above the lookout for a few minutues checking the area out and watching us watch it. Quickly it then began heading east over Trout Creek and then Stoney Creek in the direction of Branch Mountain. It was very hazy and just as we lost visual contact with Y-194, OR-208 flew by the east side of the lookout at nearly eye level on a heading south over Hi Valley. From there it moved East possibly over Pine Ridge, and then off towards the Branch Mountain/Cuyama Valley area. I eventually lost 194s signal, but continued to get 208 on into Sunday night and Monday
morning. Maybe 208 spent the night somewhere in the mountains surrounding Cuyama Valley. The wind, unlike the few days prior, was steady out of the NNE Satuday night and all day Sunday. I wonder if it was a factor in the birds decision to make the long trip South, and if the steady North wind pushed them South over the lookout instead of what usually seems to be their normal route over the East side of the La Panza’s.

Mike

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28-Sept-2002 Field Notes

The thickest, most dense shroud of fog has engulfed and drenched the Lookout. Gusty winds to 20mph and visibility to less than 6′ at times. It is drizzling and muddy, I’m discovering many leaks and drafts in the Lokout today, which should help us get her ready for winter. Have heard that the fog stops about a mile down the mountain. Radio telemetry in this kind of fog is surreal, like doing it with your eyes closed. I had some strong signals from Or-212 and Y-192 beginning at 0950 at 320ºNW. By 1130, B-170 was also strong at 320ºNW, where the three birds remained until 1330 when I lost them altogether. Hard to think what they do on a foggy day like this. I wonder if they stay below it or way above? I had signals in and out from B-155 between 100ºE and 120ºSE intermittantly throughout the morning. She semed to be fairly localaized in that area until I losther around 1310. I wonder why she is so attracted to Lion canyon, the Calientes,and the La Panzas right now, when she has a nest to attend to in Southern California? Fog perseveered all day with no breaks. Lookout is soaked and dripping as I turn on the heater and zip up my bag for the first time this summer…. -Paul Andreano

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23-Sept-2002 Field Notes

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. -Paul Andreano

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Still more Atascadero Condors

Hi all,

It was a busy weekend for California Condors in SLO, with at least 5 confirmed sightings that I know of since friday. A few of the Hopper birds have been hanging around the Castle Crags/Queen Bee area and have been seen by Gretchen/ USFWS (since Neil’s reported sighting of B-155 and Y-213) over the Carrizo Plain and La Panza and Machesna wilderness areas.

Seems that a few of the Ventana birds have taken a liking to Atascadero of late. After several cell calls and some dilligent searching, Nick Todd (a true condor crusader) was able to get visuals on Y-194 in the vicinity of 41E and the Salinas river bridge this afternoon around 1310. He watched as the bird perched in a foothill pine just above some major road consruction. As of late this evening, Y-194, Y-190, and Y-192 were still perched somewhere in the vicinity of Atascadero.

If you’re in the north county tomorrow, please pay some extra attention to
those kettles of TV’s. You just might see N. America’s largest bird.

Cheers,
Paul Andreano

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Adventures in Condor County

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

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