California Condors in the wild in AZ/UT by Tag #
As of 5/5/10: ? 72 wild condors in AZ/UT, not counting 413M/13 or 442F/F2 or any chicks.
Birds currently in captivity or of unknown status in italics, breeding or formerly breeding birds & wild-hatched birds in bold.
Tag# SB# Age
in '10 Sex Bred
At: Hatch
Date Released
/Fledged Rear
-ing Nesting history, additional points of interest
Note: 210F/10 means female with studbook number 210 & tag 10
None 114 15 M SDWAP 4/9/95 5/26/97 Puppet '10: suspected chick w/126F/26 in usual VC cave, due to have hatched ~ 4/12/10. '09: fledged 515 (who died late winter). '08: 2 eggs w/ 126 -1st broke; 2nd never hatched. '07: w/ 126 fledged 459M/59. '05: w/ 126, fledged 389F/89. '04: w/ 149F (who died in March '06), fledged 342M/42.
None 158 13 M SDWAP 4/7/97 11/20/97 Puppet '10: Failed nest w/195F/95 on N. Kaibab. '09: Failed nest w/ 195 in VC very near release site. '08: egg w/ 195 in VC, failed. '07: eggs w/ 133F/33 (confirmed) AND w/ 195 (suspected) in 2 different caves both failed.
A3 343 6 F WCBP 5/13/04 10/12/05 Foster
A4 334 6 M WCBP 4/23/04 9/12/06 Puppet
A6 346 6 F WCBP 5/17/04 10/12/05 Parent
A9 349 6 M WCBP 5/22/04 3/1/05 Foster
C1 381 5 F WCBP 5/10/05 3/15/08 Puppet
C4 393 5 F WCBP 6/9/05 2/14/09 Foster
C6 366 5 F WCBP 4/16/05 3/3/07 Puppet
C7 387 5 M WCBP 5/21/05 9/12/06 Foster
E0 404 4 F Portland 4/15/06 3/15/08 Parent Re-appeared after having been presumed dead in March of '09.
E1 414 4 F SDWAP 5/4/06 11/7/08 Parent
E3 423 4 M LAZ 5/24/06 10/7/07 Parent
E6 426 4 F LAZ 5/30/06 5/20/09 Foster
F1 441 3 M TapeatsCr ?4/28/07 By 10/24/07 Wild Chick of 134M/34 & 210F/10. Tagged 4/20/08.
F2 442 3 F WCBP 4/30/07 3/6/10 Foster Recaptured after a few days in the wild, tending to roost on ground in high winds with danger of predation. To be re-released most likely in September.
F4 454 3 M SDWAP 5/28/07 5/20/09 Parent
F5 453 3 F LAZ 7/27/07 5/20/09 Foster
H4 466 2 M WCBP 4/9/08 11/2/09 Parent
H6 476 2 M Grandeur ?4/21/08 By 9/24/08 Wild Grandeur Point chick of 133F/33 & 187M/87. Captured and tagged June '09.
-7 287 8 M SDWAP 5/17/02 12/20/03
Pinnacles Parent Released in CA, recaptured (behavior), released 8/9/05 at VC.
-6 296 7 F WCBP 4/10/03 3/20/04 Puppet '10: suspected egg or chick w/ 162M/62 in VC, due to hatch 5/6/10.
-4 314 7 F WCBP 5/15/03 2/4/05 Puppet
-3 293 7 M WCBP 4/4/03 10/16/04 Puppet
-0 350 6 M Battleship ?5/22/04 11/25/04 Wild Wild chick of 119F (who died of lead 12/06) & 122M/22. Raised in Battleship nest visible from Hopi Pt. Tagged 10/25/05. Grandson of AC-9 through 122.
02 302 7 F WCBP 4/21/03 2/4/05 Puppet
03 203 11 M WCBP 4/23/99 12/7/99
Hurricane Puppet Siblings 210F/10, 243M/43 & 297F/97.
3 223 10 M WCBP 4/18/00 12/29/00 Puppet '10,'09, '08 & '07 (all failed nests): See 253F/53. Brother to 187M/87.
4 234 10 M WCBP 5/11/00 12/29/00 Puppet '09 & '08 (failed nests): See 280F/80.
9 409 4 F SDWAP 4/23/06 11/7/08 Foster
10 210 11 F WCBP 5/23/99 12/29/00 Puppet '10: Suspected egg near Tapeats Creek w/122M/22, laid~3/26/10. '09: chick 527 (never fledged) near Tapeats w/122, 134M having disappeared the previous winter. '07: fledged 441M/F1 w/134M in different cave, same area. Siblings 203M/03, 243M/43 & 297F/97.
13 413 4 M SDWAP 5/3/06 Late '08 Parent At WCBP due to a beak injury, now held there as mentor. Will return soon.
16 316 7 F WCBP 5/19/03 10/16/04 Puppet '10: Courted some by 123M/23 & 187M/87 (while 133 in PHX) but no nest.
20 420 4 M Portland 5/13/06 3/15/08 Puppet
22 122 15 M LAZ 5/17/95 5/26/97 Puppet '10 & '09: see 210F/10. '06: nest w/119F failed when he was treated for lead poisoning at PHX Zoo 3/25/06-10/19/06. 119 died of lead poisoning in Dec '06. '04: sired Battleship chick 350M/-0 with 119F. Father is AC-9.
23 123 15 M LAZ 5/20/95 5/26/97 Puppet '10: Missed breeding after death of 127F/27 of lead. '08: fledged 472F/H2 (died of lead) in Salt Creek. '07: suspected egg in Dana Butte cave, failed. '05: sired 392M/92 in Salt Creek, '03: fledged 305M (died) in same cave.
26 126 15 F SDWAP 5/2/95 5/26/97 Puppet '10, '09, '08, '07 & '05: See 114M/tagless at top of chart. Sister to 195F/95.
31 331 6 M WCBP 4/19/04 3/1/05 Puppet
33 133 14 F LAZ 5/22/96 12/12/96 Parent Missed breeding '10 to be treated for lead poisoning from 1/5/10 to 4/24/10. '08: see 187M/87. '07-'04: see 158M/none. Last survivor of 1st AZ release.
37 337 6 M WCBP 4/30/04 3/2/06 Foster
41 241 9 F WCBP 4/13/01 12/9/02 Puppet '10: Suspected egg on east Kaibab Plateau with 193M/93 AND 243M/43, laid ~ 4/2/10. '08: Courted by 193M/93, but no known nest.
42 342 6 M VC ?5/10/04 11/23/04 Wild Wild chick of 149F-now dead-& 114M/tagless, 1st VC chick. Mother 149 was sired by AC-9.
43 243 9 M WCBP 4/22/01 2/16/02 Puppet '10: See 241F/41. Siblings 203M/03, 210F/10 & 297F/97.
46 246 9 M WCBP 4/29/01 2/16/02 Parent
47 447 3 F Portland 5/6/07 3/7/09 Foster
52 352 6 F WCBP 5/29/04 3/1/05 Foster
53 253 9 F WCBP 5/11/01 9/25/02 Puppet '10: failed nest w/223M/3 in Marble Canyon.'09: 2 failed nests w/223 same area.'08: courted by 223, but no nest. '07: suspected egg w/ 223, nest failed.
54 354 6 M WCBP 6/13/04 3/2/06 Puppet
55 455 3 F Portland 5/30/07 3/7/09 Puppet
57 257 9 M WCBP 5/20/01 9/25/02 Parent
59 459 3 M VC 6/6/07 By end Nov '07 Wild 3rd VC chick, of 114M/tagless & 126F/26. Gradually fledged by the end of Nov, independent by late that winter. Tagged 4/21/08.
62 162 13 M LAZ 4/14/97 11/20/97 Puppet '10: suspected egg or chick w/ 296F/-6 in VC nest cave, due to hatch~5/6/10. '09: unpaired. '08-suspected egg w/ 281F in March, failed after 7 days. 281 died later that spring of zinc toxicosis from ingested coins.
65 265 8 M SDWAP 3/9/02 1/5/04
Pinnacles Puppet Originally released in CA, recaptured for behavior; released at VC on 10/7/07.
66 266 8 M SDWAP 3/28/02 1/5/04
Pinnacles Puppet Originally released in CA, recaptured for behavior; released at VC on 5/25/05.
67 367 5 F Portland 4/18/05 3/15/08 Foster
68 368 5 F WCBP 4/18/05 3/3/07 Puppet
70 270 8 M SDWAP 4/10/02 11/5/04
Pinnacles Parent Originally released in CA, recaptured for behavior, released at VC on 8/19/05.
71 371 5 M WCBP 4/26/05 9/12/06 Foster
72 272 8 M WCBP 4/12/02 3/3/03 Parent
73 273 8 M WCBP 4/18/02 11/29/03 Puppet
74 274 8 M WCBP 4/21/02 3/3/03 Foster
75 275 8 M WCBP 4/22/02 10/4/03 Puppet
79 379 5 M Portland 5/9/05 3/7/09 Parent
80 280 8 F WCBP 5/3/02 11/29/03 Parent '09: failed nest w/234M/4 in cave below Buddha Temple. '08: same story.
83 383 5 F WCBP 5/11/05 9/11/08 Foster
84 484 2 F SDWAP 5/2/08 3/7/10 Parent Newly released; doing well in wild.
87 187 12 M WCBP 4/22/98 11/18/98
Hurricane Parent '10: missed breeding since mate 133F/33 treated for lead poisoning. '08: Sired 476M/H6 w/ 133F/33 in Redwall cave below Grandeur Pt. Former mate 136F (eggs '05 & '06) died May '07 likely of zinc. Brother 223M/3.
88 388 5 M WCBP 5/22/05 4/30/09 Puppet
89 389 5 F VC ?5/28/05 11/30/05 Wild 2nd VC chick: parents 114M/none & 126F/26. Tagged late March 2006.
92 392 5 M Salt Cr ?6/5/05 Dec 22 or 23 Wild 2nd Salt Creek chick: parents 123M/23 & 127F/27.
93 193 12 M WCBP 5/30/98 11/18/98
Hurricane Puppet '10 & '08: see 241F/41.
95 195 11 F SDWAP 2/19/99 11/8/99
Hurricane Puppet '10, '09, '08 & '07: failed nests; see 158/tagless. Sister to 126F/26, who nests nearby.
97 297 7 F WCBP 4/10/03 2/4/05 Puppet '10 & '09: unpaired. '08: courted by 122M/22, but no nest. (He paired w/ 210F/10 in '09 after her mate died.) Siblings 203M/03, 210F/10 & 243M/43.
99 299 7 M WCBP 4/17/03 3/20/04 Foster

SB# = Studbook number, sequential by hatch date. 114M/none means Male #114, no tag. LAZ = Los Angeles Zoo. SDWAP = San Diego Wild Animal Park. WCBP = Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. Portland = Oregon Zoo in Portland, OR. VC = Vermilion Cliffs. Hurricane = Hurricane Cliffs, a briefly-used 2nd release site north of the western part of Grand Canyon. "Captured for behavior" in AZ has generally meant approaching people, but for some birds originally released in CA the issue was landing on power poles. AC-9 (father of 122M/22, grandfather of 350M/-0 and 342M/42) was the last wild condor caught Easter Sunday 1987, released back into the wild in CA on May 1, 2002.

Condors in the flight pen at Vermilion Cliffs, awaiting first release:

As of 5/5/10: 3 not-yet-released birds.

Tag# SB# Age
in '10 Sex Bred
At: Hatch
Date Released
/Fledged Rear
-ing Pairings and/or other info
86 486 2 M SDWAP 5/5/08 Parent Not yet released
H9 496 2 F Portland 6/3/08 Foster Not yet released
?? 520 1 M SDWAP 4/27/09 Parent Not yet released

5/8/10

Hello Condor Enthusiasts-

Arizona/Utah news:
--Eddie Feltes has updated his Notes From the Field at www.peregrinefund.org as of May 5, with all the scoop on this spring's nesting plus several great photos. Here's one interesting tidbit:

The 5th confirmed nesting is that of a trio involving condors 241F, 193M, and 243M. These two males have been jostling for position to possess sole breeding rights to female 241 over the past few years, and based on observation, we believed 193M had finally succeeded, as the pair began incubating 241's first documented egg on 2-April-2010 in a small canyon on the east Kaibab Plateau. Then just a few weeks into the incubation cycle, 243M was permitted to incubate the egg, and all three have been sharing duties ever since. We are expecting this attempt to end up unsuccessful, but we are presently waiting and observing to document the outcome.

--Eddie mentions a total of six nesting attempts in Arizona this spring, including two failures (one on the North Kaibab and one in the Marble Canyon portion of Grand Canyon). Besides the nest on the east side of the Kaibab mentioned above, the other three still-active nests are:
" 114M/none [that's Studbook# Sex/tag#] and 126F/26 in their usual nest cave in the Vermilion Cliffs. This suspected egg most likely hatched about April 12.
" 162M/62 and 296F/-6 in another nest cave in the Vermilion Cliffs area. This suspected egg was expected to hatch about May 6.
" 122M/22 and 210F/10 in the Tapeats Creek area, about 45 miles downstream of Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon. This pair nested in the same area last year but their chick apparently never fledged. They appear to have laid around March 26.

--Not counting any possible chicks, the number of wild condors in AZ/UT remains at 72. 14-year-old breeding bird 133F/33 was re-released April 24 after treatment at the Phoenix Zoo for severe lead poisoning. (She immediately rejoined her mate, 187M/87, but it's probably too late for them to breed this year.) But balancing that gain, one of the two young birds released for the first time in early March has been returned to the flight pen for another six months. She tended to avoid the high springtime winds by roosting on flat ground, which put her in danger of predation.

Other Condor News:
--In the Sierra San Pedro Mártir of Baja California, Mexico, as of May 7 biologists had confirmed one chick and suspect one more. Perhaps this will be the year the program in Mexico gets its first wild fledgling.

--A chick hatched March 24 in a cave in Pinnacles National Monument. This is the first condor chick to hatch in the Monument in over 100 years. The original egg laid there the first week of March by wild condors turned out to be non-viable, but it was replaced with a dummy egg and then with a soon-to-hatch egg from the San Diego Wild Animal Park. This will give that wild condor pair experience in raising young, and if all goes well it means that one more California condor will be raised in the wild instead of in captivity.

The full story and a photo of the pipping egg may be found at:
http://www.nps.gov/pinn/parknews/first-condor-chick-hatches-at-pinnacles-national-monument-in-over-100-years.htm

--The condor crew at the Ventana Wildlife Society report 5 condor nests in the Big Sur area this spring, 3 of them still active as of the end of April. The central coast of California is the only area where condors today commonly feed on marine mammals. This creates an issue we don't have here in Arizona/Utah, as described in their March Notes from the Field, in reference to one of their wild nests:

Their own egg was replaced by our Senior Wildlife Biologist, Joe Burnett, because of the unlikelihood that their natural egg would be successful due to possible eggshell thinning from DDE, a common contaminant that is likely accumulating in condors that feed on marine mammal carcasses. Although this is a problem now, we are hopeful that this issue will no longer be a problem in the near future and the condor will be able to make as good of a comeback as the Brown Pelican and Bald Eagle did, which both faced this same eggshell thinning problems in the past.

There has also been a problem in California with condor chicks being fed trash items by their parents. Biologists are trying to mitigate this by a combination of making bone fragments available as a safe calcium source, organizing volunteers for trash pick-up in areas frequented by condors, and spreading out the proffered carcasses to encourage the condors to forage more widely and spend less time finding trash. It's thought that condor parents in California may have fed trash such as bottle caps to their growing chicks while seeking calcium needed to produce condor bones, in the same way that breeding females in Arizona have themselves ingested coins, possibly seeking calcium needed to produce eggs. In Arizona too an effort has been made to remove coins from places like Mather Point at Grand Canyon, and bone fragments are scattered about near the release site at Vermilion Cliffs. But the condors here have always tended to range widely in search of non-proffered carcasses, and have not lost any chicks that we know of to the ingestion of trash.

--The biologists in central California also report that they continue to find elevated lead levels in condors, despite the ban on hunting big game with lead ammunition that went into effect in that area July of 2008. Clearly with or without a lead ban, hunter education and incentives remain key to making the switch to non-lead ammunition.

--One can follow the Ventana Wildlife Society's Notes From the Field at http://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors_fieldnotes/.

--Southern California reported their first wild egg of the season as laid on February 10, four days before our first egg in Arizona. They were expecting about five to seven nests this year, but I haven't heard any recent update.

Population Numbers from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, as of March 31, 2010:
(These numbers should all go up when the April 31 report comes out; it's hatching season!)

Total Population: 349

Captive (counting those in temporary captivity): 169

Wild: 180
In California: 91
In Baja: 17
In AZ/UT: 72

Until I have more news to share….

--Marker

Ms. Marker Marshall
Park Ranger--Interpretation
Grand Canyon National Park
P.O. Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
voice: (928) 638-7830
fax: (928) 638-7776