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Big SurFast FactsLocation: Highway 1 South of CarmelHabitat: Coastal Scrub, Coastal Redwood Forest Key Species: California Condor Big Sur is a region located along the central coast of California which is a truly extraordinary natural habitat. Combined with the amazing California coastal scenery, Big Sur has an amazing amount of wildlife. The Big Sur region incorporates several California State Parks, including Point Lobos State Reserve, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and Andrew Molera State Park. Big Sur also incorporates the Ventana Wilderness. Andrew Molera State Park contains a bird-banding station and an interpretive center co-administered by the Ventana Wilderness Society, providing information about the wildlife and natural history of the region. The VWS website keeps up yearly tallies from the bird-banding station, helping keep track of the bird species of Big Sur.  WildlifeBig Sur is home to a wide variety of animals. Mammals include Bobcats, Coyotes, and Grey Foxes, and also the very elusive Mountain Lion. As for birds, Big Sur can be a birdwatcher's paradise. For example, Andrew Molera State Park has over 350 different species of birds on its checklist, and every once in a while something rare or unusual turns up. The real treat of the Big Sur region is that it is one of the few homes of the reintroduced California Condor. In 1987, the US Fish and Wildlife Service approved the capture of all wild condors in an effort to halt their decline at the hands of lead poisoning. Some 26 birds were captured. After a captive breeding effort by the San Diego Zoo, the US Fish and Wildlife Service began reintroduction. Today, over 75 birds thrive in California, and some 150 total live in the wild, reintroduced in other locations such as Arizona or Baja California. Big Sur remains one of the best locations to see these magnificent birds. Links
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