May 29, 2006
Condor Update as of 25 May 06
Update forwarded by Marker Marshall, Grand Canyon Interpretive Ranger
California Condor numbers as of mid-May:
Still no official numbers from the California Department of Fish and Game, but "around 300" is a safe guesstimate for the total population, as the majority of the year's chicks have usually hatched by the end of May, typically over 30 chicks total.
In Arizona the official number of the wild population is 60. The 60 DOES include the two birds (122 & 134) being treated for lead poisoning at the Phoenix Zoo, and DOES include #196 who has not been seen since April. It does NOT include the chick we suspect has hatched in a nest cave on the
North Kaibab Plateau, where male 187 and female 136 are acting like they may well have a chick although it's too early to be sure. Also it does NOT include the 8 one-and-two-year-old condors still awaiting release in the flight pen at Vermilion Cliffs.
California has about the same number, and Baja has around 14.
California has had 5 wild nests this year, 4 in southern CA and finally one in the Big Sur area in a redwood tree. Four nests are still active, but in southern CA the nest of AC-9 and his mate failed right around the expected hatching date, during a rainstorm. (AC-9 was the last condor brought into the captive breeding program back in April of 1987. Now 26 years of age, he's been back in the wild since May 1, 2002.)
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Other Condor News from Kathy Sullivan of the Arizona Game and Fish
Department:
California Condor AZ Update - 15 May 2006
This condor update is provided solely for the purpose of disseminating information to project cooperators and other interested parties. For media requests, please contact me directly at 928-214-1249 or ksullivan@azgfd.gov.
Condor Breeding
Condors 133 & 158 are still incubating their egg in a cave on the North Kaibab Forest, though it appears their nest has failed. The egg was due to hatch in early May. Since the egg in this cave is visible, Peregrine Fund biologists confirmed that the egg did not hatch. This pair will eventually abandon their nest, and likely try again next year. It is common for a pair’s first nesting attempt to result in a failed nest.
Condors 187 & 136 are also tending to their nest on the North Kaibab Forest. This is their second nesting attempt – their first nest failed last year. Biologists cannot see inside this cave, so all observations are based on the pair’s behavior. This nest was due to hatch the second week of May. The pair’s behavior indicates the possible presence of a chick, but we won’t know for sure for a few more weeks.
Condor 119 abandoned her Grand Canyon nest in early April after her mate, condor 122, was transferred to the Phoenix Zoo for lead exposure treatment. Peregrine Fund biologists tried to aid 119 by placing supplemental food
near the nest cave, but incubating an egg solo proved to be an insurmountable task. Condors 119 and 122 were proven breeders and produced a chick in 2004.
Condor Lead Exposure
Condors 122 and 134 are still being treated at the Phoenix Zoo for lead exposure. Both are showing signs of improvement and hopefully can be re-released some time in the future.
Condor Movements
Condor 196 (seven-year-old female) went missing in April. Her last know location was in southern Utah. Aerial telemetry flights have failed to pick up her transmitter signal, which possibly could have failed. She has not returned to the release site in several weeks, though her mate has.
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the current hot spot for condor viewing. Several birds have also resumed their seasonal visits to the Kolob Canyon area in Utah. Condor sightings at Navajo Bridge have declined recently. As summer approaches, sightings on the Kaibab should
increase.
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The latest Condor TAG Chart for looking up any condor whose tag number you see in Arizona follows below.
Most of the information comes from the studbook records compiled by Michael Mace of the Zoological Society of California.)
Notes on reading the chart:
-Each bird was released at Vermilion Cliffs, except if it says Ventana or Pinnacles it was first released in California, and Hurricane refers to the
Hurricane Cliffs north of the western part of Grand Canyon. Hurricane Cliffs turned out to be disadvantageous since the birds released there lacked the potential mentors they would meet at Vermilion Cliffs, where releases had been going on since 1996.
-Rearing in the captive breeding program can be by the chick's own parents, by a condor hand puppet with another condor always in sight in a nearby cage, or by foster parents if there is a mated pair available without a
chick of their own to raise.
-Those birds that have a GPS satellite transmitter on one wing (recognizable by the little solar panel!) wear a radio transmitter on the other wing. The rest of the birds generally have radio transmitters of different frequencies on each wing Or if the skin at the bird's elbow has been torn (as in 114 and 158) and can no longer hold a tag or transmitter, then a transmitter is placed on a tail feather instead.
Current California Condors in Arizona by Tag #
Updated as of mid-May, 2006
SB# Tag# Age in 06 Sex Bred At: Hatch Date 1st Release Rearing Has GPS Pairings and/or other info
114 None 11 M SDWAP 4/9/95 5/26/97 Puppet ’05: with 126, sired 389 at VC. ’04: with 149, sired 342 same cave. ’03: quad w/ 133, 126, 162. Has lost both tags.
158 None 9 M SDWAP 4/7/97 11/20/97 Puppet Pair w/133. ‘06: egg on N. Kaibab, didn’t hatch. ’05 & ’04: pair but no nest. ’03 - Possible 3-some w/ 136 and 176.
392 None or 92 1 ? Salt Cr ≈6/5/05 Fledged
Dec22-23 Wild 2nd Salt Creek chick, not yet tagged. Parents 123 & 127.
343 A3 2 F WCBP 5/13/04 10/12/05 Foster Yes
334 A4 2 M WCBP 4/23/04 Puppet Not yet released—one of two left from 2004 cohort.
353 A5 2 F WCBP 6/7/04 3/2/06 Parent
346 A6 2 F WCBP 5/17/04 10/12/05 Parent
327 A7 2 F WCBP 4/11/04 Puppet Not yet released—one of two left from 2004 cohort.
349 A9 2 M WCBP 5/22/04 3/1/05 Foster
366 C6 1 F WCBP 4/16/05 Puppet Not yet released.
387 C7 1 M WCBP 5/21/05 Foster Not yet released.
287 -7 4 M SDWAP 5/17/02 12/20/03
Pinnacles Parent Originally released in CA, re-captured for landing on power poles. Re-released 8/9/05 at Vermilion Cliffs.
296 -6 3 F WCBP 4/10/03 3/20/04 Puppet
314 -4 3 F WCBP 5/15/03 2/4/05 Puppet Yes
293 -3 3 M WCBP 4/4/03 10/16/04 Puppet Yes
350 -0 2 M Battleship ≈5/22/04 Fledged 11/25/04 Wild Yes Wild chick of 119 & 122, Battleship nest visible Hopi Pt. Fledged Thanksgiving Day, 2004. Tagged Oct 25, 2005
302 02 3 F WCBP 4/21/03 2/4/05 Puppet
203 03 7 M WCBP 4/23/99 12/7/99
Hurricane Puppet Yes Captured 4/14/00, re-released 3/12/01 from VC. Siblings 210 and 243. Treated for lead in PHX summer ’03.
223 3 6 M WCBP 4/18/00 12/29/00 Puppet Yes Brother to 176.
234 4 6 F WCBP 5/11/00 12/29/00 Puppet
276 6 4 M WCBP 4/23/02 10/4/03 Puppet
227 7 6 M WCBP 4/28/00 12/29/00 Puppet Yes
210 10 7 F WCBP 5/23/99 12/29/00 Puppet Yes ’06: pair with 134 until 134 sent to PHX; no nest. Siblings 203 and 243.
316 16 3 F WCBP 5/19/03 10/16/04 Puppet
119 19 11 F SDWAP 3/15/95(oldest in AZ) 5/14/97 Puppet Pair w/ 122. ’06: laid egg in new Battleship cave, failed after 122 sent to PHX. ’04: mother of Battleship chick 350. ‘02 and ‘03 – egg fragments found both years—unknown if either egg hatched. ’01: threesome with 123 and 127, first egg in wild (broken).
122 22 11 M LAZ 5/17/95 5/26/97 Puppet Pair w/ 119. ’06 sired egg then sent to PHX Zoo for lead treatment; nest failed. ’04: sired Battleship chick 350. Father is AC-9.
123 23 11 M LAZ 5/20/95 5/26/97 Puppet Pair w/ 127. Sired 305 in ’03 and 392 in ‘05.
324 24 2 M WCBP 4/8/04 3/1/05 Puppet
126 26 11 F SDWAP 5/2/95 5/26/97 Puppet Yes ’05: Pair w/ 114, raised 389, 2nd Vermilion Cliffs chick. ’04: held at V.C. to protect 114 & 149’s pair bond. ’03: quad w/ 114, 133, 162. Sister to 195. Re-released ‘99.
127 27 11 F SDWAP 3/31/95 5/14/97 Puppet Yes Pair w/ 123. Mother of male 305 in ’03 (died March ‘05) and 392 in ’05, both in same Salt Creek cave. ’02: egg at Dana Butte, unhatched after 3 months incubation.
329 29 2 M WCBP 4/17/04 10/12/05 Puppet
331 31 2 M WCBP 4/19/04 3/1/05 Puppet
232 32 6 M WCBP 4/30/00 12/29/00 Puppet Re-released ’02 .
133 33 10 F LAZ 5/22/96 12/12/96 Parent Pair w/158. ’06: egg on N. Kaibab didn’t hatch. ’05 & ’04: pair w/ 158 but no nest. ’03: Quad w/ 114, 126, 162 - either #133 or #126 laid an egg that got cracked in Vermilion Cliffs cave.
134 34 10 M SDWAP 4/2/96 1/19/97Ventana Puppet ’06 pair with 210 until sent to PHX Zoo due to lead poisoning.’03 - Courted 149. Originally released s. CA. Recaptured 6/4/97, re-released Hurricane Cliffs 11/18/98.
136 36 10 F LAZ 5/12/96 12/12/96 Parent Yes Pair w/ 187. ’06: NESTING on N. Kaibab. ’05 same nest failed just before hatching. ’04: paired w/187 but no nest. ’03: Possible 3-some w/ 158 & 176.
337 37 2 M WCBP 4/30/04 3/2/06 Foster
241 41 5 F WCBP 4/13/01 12/9/02 Puppet
342 42 2 M VC ≈5/10/04 Fledged 11/23/04 Wild Yes Wild chick of 149 & 114, 1st V.C. chick. Surgery at Phx Zoo to remove foreign objects (stones, sticks) from gizzard Jan ’05, nearly 20 days captivity. 149 (died) sired by AC-9.
243 43 5 M WCBP 4/22/01 2/16/02 Puppet Siblings 203 and 210. Re-released 12/9/02 & 10/4/03.
246 46 5 M WCBP 4/29/01 2/16/02 Parent Yes Surgery at PHX Zoo for “infectious mass” Feb ’05.
248 48 5 F WCBP 5/8/01 2/16/02 Parent Yes
250 50 5 M WCBP 5/9/01 12/9/02 Puppet Yes Held for approaching people from April 19 to Nov 29, 2003.
352 52 2 F WCBP 5/29/04 3/1/05 Foster
253 53 5 F WCBP 5/11/01 9/25/02 Puppet
354 54 2 M WCBP 6/13/04 3/2/06 Puppet
257 57 5 M WCBP 5/20/01 9/25/02 Parent
162 62 9 M LAZ 4/14/97 11/20/97 Puppet ’04 -held at Vermillion Cliffs to protect 114 & 149’s pair bond. ’03 - Quad w/ 114, 133, 126. Re-released 1/19/06..
266 66 4 M SDWAP 3/28/02 1/5/04Pinnacles Puppet Originally released in CA, re-captured for landing on power poles. Released Vermilion Cliffs 5/25/05.
368 68 1 F WCBP 4/18/05 Puppet Not yet released.
270 70 4 M SDWAP 4/10/02 11/5/04Pinnacles Parent Originally released in CA, recaptured for landing on power poles. Released at Vermilion Cliffs 8/19/05.
371 71 1 M WCBP 4/26/05 Foster Not yet released.
272 72 4 M WCBP 4/12/02 3/3/03 Parent
273 73 4 M WCBP 4/18/02 11/29/03 Puppet
274 74 4 M WCBP 4/21/02 3/3/03 Foster
275 75 4 M WCBP 4/22/02 10/4/03 Puppet
280 80 4 F WCBP 5/3/02 11/29/03 Parent
281 81 4 M WCBP 5/4/02 3/3/03 Parent
282 82 4 M WCBP 5/5/02 1/9/04 Puppet
383 83 1 F WCBP 5/11/05 Foster Not yet released.
384 84 1 M WCBP 5/15/05 Foster Not yet released.
187 87 8 M WCBP 4/22/98 11/18/98
Hurricane Parent Yes Pair w/ 136. ’06: NESTING on N. Kaibab. ’05: likewise, same cave, failed. ’04 – paired but no nest. Brother to 176 and 223.
389 89 1 ? VC ≈5/28/05 Fledged
11/30/05 Wild Wild chick of 114 & 126: 2nd VC chick. Tagged late March 2006 but still waiting on DNA results for sex.
193 93 8 M WCBP 5/30/98 11/18/98Hurricane Puppet
195 95 7 F SDWAP 2/19/99 11/8/99 Hurricane Puppet Captured 4/11/00, re-released at VC 2/16/02. 126 is sister.
196 96 7 F SDWAP 3/20/99 12/7/99Hurricane Puppet Yes Captured 4/15/00, re-released at VC 3/12/01. Missing: last seen in southern Utah in April.
297 97 3 F WCBP 4/10/03 2/4/05 Puppet
299 99 3 M WCBP 4/17/03 3/20/04 Foster
Has GPS = wearing GPS satellite transmitter as of 5/2/06 (subject to change).
LAZ = Los Angeles Zoo. SDWAP = San Diego Wild Animal Park. WCBP = Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. VC = Vermilion Cliffs.
Tag Backing Colors
119-227 - white or yellow (6 – 11 year old birds)
232-257 - orange (5 and 6 year old birds)
272-282 - green (2002 cohort; 4 year old birds)
291-316 - purple (2003 cohort; 3 year old birds)
324-353 - light blue (2004 cohort; 2 year old birds)
389 – white (rest of 2005 cohort undetermined as yet)