Condor News for 12/2010

If you've been following the Condor posts in this blog, here is the latest update from the NPS.

December 2010 Condor Update from Marker Marshall, Grand Canyon NPS Naturalist Ranger

Population Numbers from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, as of September 30, 2010:

World Total: 373
Wild Population: 197
CA: 104 (including 3 chicks)
Baja: 19 (including 2 chicks)
Grand Canyon: 74 (counting one chick, now fledged)
In Captivity: 176 (counting birds in temporary captivity)

A new-born condor is seen preparing to take off
for the first time from its nesting area in this 2003 photo.

Hello Condor Enthusiasts--

I've revised the condor chart due to some recent changes. Specifically: Two new birds were released on November 26. Both are one-year-olds: male 520/J2 from the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and female 537/J7 from the Los Angeles Zoo. Also, the four birds missing since last winter or spring have been given up for dead. Those birds were 4-year-old females 404/E0, 414/E1 and 426/E6, and 3-year-old male 454/F4. All were captive-bred birds.

Eddie Feltes of The Peregrine Fund reports that condors are being trapped in the baited release pen at Vermilion Cliffs, as they come down from the high country when snow covers gut piles and carcasses. This trapping occurs every year to test the birds for lead poisoning at the end of deer and elk-hunting season. A number of the birds trapped thus far have shown elevated lead levels and are being or have been treated by chelation (shots of a calcium compound that binds and removes the lead, usually twice a day for a week).

As the weather worsens, many condors are rediscovering the low, south-facing cliffs and proffered carcasses around the Vermilion Cliffs release site. Others are still finding food on the North Kaibab National Forest, in the western portions of Grand Canyon, and in Utah. There have also been a few recent condor sightings at the South Rim and in Zion National Park. For those who really want to see a condor, in winter the Navajo Bridge on route 89A is one of the more likely spots to search, being low elevation and not far from the release site, and offering relatively close-up views. Of course people should always stay at least 150 feet away from condors, and report to The Peregrine Fund any condors that display a lack of caution toward humans.

Interested in more information on Condors in Grand Canyon? Check out this book from Amazon.

Condors in Canyon Country: The Return of the California Condor to the Grand Canyon Region [Paperback]

Sophie A. H. Osborn (Author)