Grand Canyon National Park - Condor Update Archive: Past Updates (U.S. National Park Service)

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June 13, 2009 - Condor Update from Grand Canyon

Hello condor enthusiasts--

Sorry I haven't gotten out an update to some of you since April 1! There's been a lot of news since then, and many additions and deletions to the Condor Chart of March 24. As usual, for a short version just read what's in bold.

Download CA Condor Chart as of June 13, 2009 (100kb PDF File)

World Population Numbers from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as of May 31:

World Total: 358

Captive Population (not counting temporary recaptures): 166

Wild Population (counting temporarily recaptured birds): 192

In California: 98 (counting one chick which later died)

In Baja California, Mexico: 15 (not including a chick which was found since May 31)

In Arizona: 79.This counts our two wild chicks although one has not yet been visually confirmed. But it also counts three birds that have since been captured and are being permanently returned to captivity in Boise due to repeated behavioral issues. Our actual tally of wild condors in Arizona as of June 13 is 74 (counting one bird temporarily healing from a beak injury in Boise) plus two chicks (one confirmed, one suspected).

The California tally of 98 wild birds included nine chicks as of May 31, one of which has since apparently been eaten by a black bear. Interestingly, of the nine California chicks, four came from about-to-hatch ("pipping") eggs transferred from the captive breeding program into wild condor nests. Each egg replaced a dummy egg which had previously replaced the wild birds' own egg which had proved infertile, dead, or not properly incubated. Nest caves (and nest cavities in redwood trees) in California tend to be at least somewhat more accessible than ours in Arizona, and for this and other reasons, the program there is much more hands-on.

The nest swaps are done to give as many condors as possible the opportunity to be raised in the wild rather than in captivity, and to give the wild condors experience in raising chicks. Now that condor numbers have increased so much since the population low of 22 birds in 1982, the emphasis of the captive breeding program has shifted to quality rather than quantity. This means it's rare today that condor hand puppets are used to raise condor chicks in captivity. Nearly all young condors are either reared by foster parents in or out of captivity, or by their own parents. Wild chicks in California and Mexico are also closely monitored, and when possible each chick is vaccinated for West Nile Virus before it takes its first flight.

Here in Arizona each confirmed wild chick has made it to fledging successfully, so there seems to be less need to interfere. So our young wild birds don't get tagged or vaccinated until they follow one of their elders up to Vermilion Cliffs and get captured in the release pen there, many months after fledging.

Arizona news:

At one point this spring we had five active nests in Arizona: two in the Vermilion Cliffs, one in Marble Canyon, one below Buddha Temple, and one in the Deer Creek area about 45 miles downstream of Grand Canyon Village. Three nests have failed; two remain active with confirmed or suspected chicks. A chick has been seen in the nest cave of experienced breeders 114M/no tag and 126F/26 in the Vermilion Cliffs. Also, based on the behavior of condors 122M/22 and 210F/10 in the Deer Creek area, their as-yet-unseen chick seems to be doing well too. For more details, check out The Peregrine Fund's May 29 Notes From the Field at:

http://www.peregrinefund.org/notes_category.asp?category=California%20Condor%20Releases%20in%20Arizona

Also as reported in the May 29 Notes From the Field, condor 404F/E0, who was left off the March 24 condor chart since she'd been missing all winter, turned up alive and well! It's a good sign that even during the winter months a wild condor can find enough food to thrive without resorting to the proffered carcasses at Vermilion Cliffs.

I reported on April 1 that newly-released condor 372F/C2 had been killed by a coyote when she left her safe overnight perch during a night of bad weather. Since then all remaining captive-bred youngsters from the flight pen at Vermilion Cliffs have been released into the wild. Unfortunately one of these, four-year-old female 391/C9, was killed by a coyote too in early May.She'd flown some distance from the Cliffs and been grounded by high winds. Biologists camped nearby for her protection, but she apparently walked away from them during the night and became vulnerable to coyote predation. Another of these birds, 413M/13, injured his beak and is recovering well in temporary captivity in Boise, Idaho at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey. (Actually I'm unclear on whether 413 was ever released or if he hurt his beak while still in captivity, but he's expected to be released or re-released in Arizona soon after his return from Boise, so I'm counting him as part of the wild population.)

Condor 134M/tagless, who has not been seen since hunting season last fall, is now officially presumed dead. Likewise seven-year-old male 276/6, so I've now removed him from the chart.

Condor numbers below Grand Canyon Village are lower than they have been in past years, probably because the water pipeline below the rim there has been repaired and no longer offers a free drink or shower. Still a few condors often do roost in that area overnight and occasionally by day, so it remains a good place to look for condors, especially late in the afternoon or early in the morning. Condor talks take place daily at Lookout Studio at 3:30 p.m. On the North Rim they take place daily at 4:00 p.m. on the porch of the Grand Canyon Lodge.

Last year's two fledglings, 472 and 476, are frequently seen along with their parents below Grand Canyon Village. 476 (from last year's Grandeur Point nest) has been caught and is now wearing tag H6. When 472 (from last year's Salt Creek nest) has shown up at Vermilion Cliffs a few times and is captured in the release pen there, he or she will probably be given tag H2.

Condors 327F/A7, 378F/78 and 380M/C0, after repeatedly being recaptured for behavioral reasons, are all being sent back to captivity in Boise. Two of them may become display birds there at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey.

California and Mexico condor news:

The hard-core condor enthusiasts among you may be interested in this link to a Condor Blog which includes photos of this year's Baja chick at approximately 45 days, when it was vaccinated for West Nile Virus:

http://cacondorconservation.org/content/blog/2009/06/

Likewise here's a link to the Ventana Wildlife Society's "Notes From the Field" for the Big Sur area. It details what became of their two wild condors that were found early this spring to be suffering from BOTH lead poisoning AND having been shot with a shotgun. (One bird has been successfully returned to the wild; the other died recently at the L.A. Zoo despite the best efforts of veterinarians there.)

http://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors_fieldnotes/

--Marker

Ms. Marker Marshall
Park Ranger--Interpretation
Grand Canyon National Park

Mar. 14, 2009 - Condor Update from Grand Canyon

Hello Condor Enthusiasts--

Here is the most recent Condor Tag Chart
(151KB PDF File)
As of 3/24/09 -- 72 wild condors in this area

From the Peregrine Fund's web site, http://www.peregrinefund.org:

On March 12 Field Manager Eddie Feltes posted a new "Notes from the Field" at: http://www.peregrinefund.org/notes_category.asp?category=California%20Condor%20Releases%20in%20Arizona

For those who don't have time to read the whole article, the gist is as follows, with the most important information in blue:

--Nearly-13-year-old male #134/tag 34 is missing and presumed dead. His former mate, female #210/tag 10 has paired up with male #122/tag 22 who previously lost his mate, female #119. They seem to be incubating an egg in the same area and perhaps the same cave that 210 & 134 used in 2007, in the vicinity of Tapeats Creek, 40-some miles downstream of Phantom Ranch.

--Nearly-3-year-old female #404/tag E0 is also missing and presumed dead.

--4 eggs are believed to have been laid in Arizona as of March 12. One was Marble Canyon by #253F/tag 53 and #223M/tag 3; this egg has been broken but the pair could possibly lay again. The other 3 eggs have not been visually confirmed, but are strongly suspected by the behavior of the mated pairs. Besides the Tapeats Creek nest, this includes two nests in the Vermilion Cliffs. One is the previously successful breeding pair of male #114/no tag and female #126/tag 26, using the same cave they've used before. The other is the same pair that failed in their nesting attempt in the same area but a different cave last year, male #158/no tag and female #195/tag 95.

From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's monthly California Condor Status Report:

The following numbers are adjusted to include previously released birds now being held in temporary captivity, and to reflect the presumed death of condors 134 & 404.

California condor numbers as of Feb 28, 2009:

World Total: 319
In California: 90
In Baja: 18
In AZ/UT: 69 on Feb 28, plus four more birds released on March 7 makes 73 since the March 7 release.
In Captivity (including 6 young condors in the flight pen at Vermilion Cliffs awaiting their first release): 138 since the March 7 release.

Around the South Rim:

Condor Talks are taking place daily once again, meeting at Lookout Studio at 3:30 p.m. Condors are sometimes being seen either during or after the program, but no guarantees! There do seem to be condor sightings reported from the south rim or the South Kaibab, Bright Angel, or Plateau Point trails just about every day, but the birds don't always make it to the program.

--Marker

Ms. Marker Marshall
Park Ranger--Interpretation
Grand Canyon National Park

Dec. 10, 2008 - Condor Update from Grand Canyon

Hello Condor Enthusiasts--

Condor numbers have changed since my Condor Update of Nov 29.

Unfortunately, there have been three fatalities reported since then. One is an Arizona bird, 3-year-old #384M/tag 84. He was killed by a coyote near the release site at Vermilion Cliffs. This was the first instance of coyote predation in our birds since 2002. The other fatalities were of a condor temporarily in captivity in Baja and another in captivity in Boise.

So cross out Tag 84 from your condor charts. Unless there is other bad news that has not yet been reported, that makes current numbers as of today (including temporarily captive birds as wild):

World Total: 324
In California:   87
In Baja:           19
In AZ/UT:      68

Two recent news articles relate to the lead issue:

1. California's ban on hunting large game with lead ammunition in condor country has now been expanded to include non-game species. For more details, see this L.A. Times article at

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-condors4-2008dec04,0,1706424.story

2. The other item regards a small study of blood samples taken from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, indicating that their blood lead levels tend to become elevated during hunting season. It is not known whether the raised lead levels have affected the health or development of the grizzlies in any way. The article can be found at

http://www.jacksonholenews.com/print.php?art_id=3892&pid=news

Regarding the Grand Canyon fledglings and other Arizona/Utah birds:

Both fledglings continue well as of their last sightings. Their parents are seen from time to time flying below or occasionally above the south rim, but the rest of the condors are spending their time mostly on the North Kaibab National Forest, up in southern Utah, or around the release site at Vermilion Cliffs. Eddie Feltes reports that The Peregrine Fund biologists have been trapping condors at the release site lately and testing them for lead. A number of condors have tested high for lead and been held for a week of chelation (two shots per day with a calcium compound that bonds with the lead and gets it out of their system). The rest, depending on their lead levels, were re-released immediately or the next day.

By the way, "fledgling" is defined in The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds as "a young bird that has recently left the nest; is feathered; and still depends on its parent for food. It is a fledgling from the time it leaves the nest until it is independent of all parental care (Berger, 1961)." By that definition, these two Grand Canyon youngsters will be classified as fledglings throughout this winter and probably well into 2009. Fledglings from the nest cave in the Vermilion Cliffs have become independent of their parents much faster thanks to their proximity to the dairy calf carcasses provided every few days near the release site. But that nest produced no chicks this year.

Have a great holiday and winter! I'll be back February 25; until then contact Ranger Pat Brown with any questions, and follow condor news as desired at The Peregrine Fund's
"Notes from the Field."

--Marker

Ms. Marker Marshall
Park Ranger--Interpretation
Grand Canyon National Park

Nov. 29, 2008 - Condor Update from Grand Canyon

Fellow Condor Enthusiasts

Sorry this is both rather late and long! All information is up-to-date as of November 12, 2008; it's taken me a while to revise the chart and get this out! For skimming the information below, I've put key info in bold.

California Condors in the Wild in AZ/UT by Tag # 2008-11-12
(108kb PDF File)

Condor Population Stats:

The California condor population stats from the USFWS as of October 31 are out, as follows (including birds temporarily in captivity):

World Total: 327

In California: 87
In Baja: 20

In AZ/UT: 67 (69 since the release on 11/7/08)
This includes #327F/tag A7, who is still on time out at Vermilion Cliffs)

Grand Canyon National Park Condor News:

Both of this year's wild chicks in Arizona have fledged! The Grandeur Point chick (now officially #476) of 133F and 187M was seen 60 meters below its nest cave in the Redwall Limestone on September 24. Since then it's been seen making short flights in that area. The Salt Creek chick (now known as #472, offspring of 127F/tag 27 and 123M/tag 23) was seen below its nest cave on October 16, also taking short flights. This fledgling is the younger sibling both of #305 (deceased and hanging in the Visitor Center at Canyon View Information Plaza) and #392M/tag 92, doing well in the wild. This brings us to 8 free-flying condors that were raised in the wild here in northern Arizona.

Read the December 4, 2008 news release from the Southwest Condor Working Group:
Two More California Condor Chicks Flying Free at Grand Canyon (86kb PDF File)

The 69 AZ/UT birds includes two that were released for the first time on September 11: 383F/tag 83 and 384M/tag 84, both raised at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. Also two more released on November 7: 409F/tag 9 and 414F/tag E1, both raised at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Not a lot of condor sightings from the rims lately, and the regular Condor Talks have finished until March 1. Condors are sometimes being seen in park, mainly by inner-canyon hikers. The majority of the population, as is usual at this time of year, have been up on the North Kaibab National Forest and in southern Utah. Its hunting season! Once snow covers the gut piles, the condors will start congregating around the Vermilion Cliffs.

Progress on the Coin Issue:

There has been progress on the problem of people tossing coins from stairways such as the ones at Mather Point. This is a condor issue since pennies are almost 98% zinc and we've now lost one for sure [281F this spring] and quite likely two [136F last spring] breeding-age female condors due to zinc poisoning from coins. (Of course we do not know where the condors actually picked up those coins.)

On September 27, National Public Lands Day, three rescue teams volunteered their time to the project under a Special Use Permit: the Arizona Mountaineering Club, the Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association, and the Southern Arizona Rescue Association. Some of these folks come annually to pick up trash below the rim. This year they made a special effort to collect coins from below Mather Point, along with coins and trash below Lookout Studio and Grand Canyon Village generally.

The result was about 7 gallons of coins retrieved, totalling 28,010 coins from 22 countries plus the European Union, valued at $580.95! This includes all the most obvious coins on the rocky outcrops as well as considerable headway toward removing the large numbers of coins at the bottom of the cliffs. It was an impressive day-and-a-half-long effort, for which park staff and condor enthusiasts everywhere owe them a big thanks!

Clearly one weekend a year is not sufficient to keep on top of the coin problem, or the trash below the rim either. In fact the group did not have time to attack the area around the stairway by Yavapai Point (another problem area) at all. Todd Nelson, the park's Volunteer Coordinator is looking into getting together equipment for a group of people already skilled in climbing and technical rescue who might be willing to go below the rim on a monthly or bimonthly basis to keep on top of the coin problem. If you have the skills and are interested, please contact him.

We also now have 14 small "Coins Can Kill" signs ready to be mounted on railings down the stairways at Mather Point, Yavapai Point, and Lookout Studio, and a couple of sandwich boards with the same graphics already located at the top of both stairways at Mather Point.

Excellent article on lead in venison, its effects on condors and possibly on people:

Check out this link to a great article by John Moir:

John Moir is also the author of the very readable, highly recommended book Return of the Condor: The Race to Save Our Largest Bird From Extinction.

More recent news on lead ammunition:

The following "Blood Lead Level Study Results" fact sheet is from a North Dakota Department of Health web site. It explains their recent, controversial recommendation that pregnant women and children under age 6 should avoid eating wild game killed with lead bullets:

For Hunters:

For anyone still debating a switch to copper bullets, the following video on Lead Bullets vs. Non-lead Bullets is from Pinnacles National Monument, and is quite persuasive. In this video, Wildlife Biologist, Jim Petterson, and a group of other hunters compare the performance of lead and non-lead bullets. He also discusses the potential impacts of lead bullet fragmentation on wildlife and humans.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/bullet_study.htm

News and information from California:

I've been asked on occasion what to call a group of condors, and are condors territorial?
Here are some answers from condor biologist Jessica Koning as posted in the Ventana Wildlife Society's Notes From the Field, September 2008.

As Interns join the Condor Recovery effort, they come to see every condor as an individual. With just over 300 condors in the world and only 40 condors in the wild here in Monterey County, it is impossible to observe these birds every day and not notice that each condor marches to their own drummer. Collectively, condors live life at a relaxed pace. They spend most of their time idling in treetops, or riding gentle updrafts in slow circles in friendly groups of around 8 individuals. Since they are so social, groups of condors routinely meander up down and around the Big Sur coast, like they are riding a gigantic carousel. It is no wonder that the official name for a group of condors is a party. The biologists on the condor project log many hours documenting this slow social whirl. Occasionally, we see behaviors that we don’t expect, and cause us to re-evaluate how we view the life of a condor. Life isn’t always a party, and these giants are not always gentle.
Most of this month, we have noticed our adult condors beginning the breeding cycle, which will reach a fever pitch this January. Most of the year, condors are not territorial, but during the breeding season a pair of mated condors will vigorously chase away any intruders from their nest. Our condor flock is young, and most of our adults have mated only recently. In some cases, the boundary between one pair’s nesting territory and their neighbors is under dispute. Condors who genuinely enjoyed dining on dead sea lion together last month are now grappling viciously in midair, and appear to be earnestly trying to harm one another. It turns out that good fences make good neighbors whatever species you belong to.

Also this sad news (despite the law restricting the use of lead ammunition in California, which went into effect July 1):

The Deer Hunting Rifle season in Monterey County ended on the 22nd of September. We plan to trap the entire flock to test for lead poisoning early in October, but intervention did not come soon enough for Pinnacles National Monument condor #336, who died of lead poisoning on September 7th. Observers in the field could see she was ill and assisted Pinnacles biologists in capturing her in Big Sur for veterinary treatment. Veterinarians in Monterey and at the Los Angeles Zoo did all they could to assist her recovery, but she was too weak to recover from the toxic level of lead in her system. The official necropsy report is still pending…

And in case you've ever wondered what a condor smells like...

Condors do not have a reputation for great personal cleanliness. They eat food that we find stinky, and biologists who have held condors in order to give them a medical check up can tell you that they have a strange musty odor that is not entirely pleasant. However, we can tell you that condors really do enjoy bathing, especially in hot weather. It must be hard to be covered in black feathers when it is 95 degrees outside. They generally bathe in groups, and it brings out their playful natures.

As always, you can also keep updated on the condors in Arizona/Utah by checking the Peregrine Fund's Notes from the Field.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful winter!

Ms. Marker Marshall
Park Ranger - Interpretation
Grand Canyon National Park

May 2008 - Condor Update from Grand Canyon

Condors are being seen regularly around the South Rim and are showing up most days for the Condor Talks at Lookout Studio at 4:00 p.m., so enjoy!
(Note that there are no Condor Talks May 6-8 during our Spring Staff Training.)

We are currently at 63 wild condors in Arizona/Utah. (That includes one bird, #327/tag A7, currently on "time out" in the flight pen at Vermilion Cliffs after sitting unconcerned right next to the busy South Kaibab trail a few weeks ago. Also #250/tag 50, who is currently at the Phoenix Zoo being treated for a dislocated wing.) The number went from 61 to 65 with the release of 4 juveniles from Vermilion Cliffs on March 15. Since then, male 282, having been recaptured twice for approaching people, has been transferred to California for a fresh start there. Then on April 23, 6-year-old female 281 was found dead at the release site. Sadly, she'd nested unsuccessfully with 162 this spring and might have become a mother in the next few years. No necropsy results yet, but she had some trash including coins in her digestive tract which may be related.

Breeding is going well! Study of the birds' behavior along with perusal of the calendar (58 days from lay date when incubation began) leads the biologists to suspect that we have two chicks below the South Rim (neither visible from the Rim unfortunately), and two eggs in the Vermilion Cliffs! Specifically:

--Male 123 (tag 23) & female 127 (tag 27) are nesting in their old cave in the Redwall in Salt Creek drainage (between Hopi & Mohave Points), where they've successfully raised chick 305 (who later died) in 2003 and #392 in 2005. Eddie reports they are "showing signs of tending to a chick that should have hatched on 15-April."

--Male 187 (tag 87) and female 133 (tag 33) are new breeders in a cave way down in the Redwall below Grandeur Point (just west of Yavapai Point). They are acting consistent with the hatching of a chick on or about April 21.

--Male 158 (no tag, seen sometimes at the South Rim) and female 195 (tag 95) are incubating an egg in a cave near the release site in the Vermilion Cliffs. It's due to hatch May 10 if all goes well.

--Male 114 (no tag, and rarely seen at the South Rim) and female 126 (tag 26), after breakage of their first egg this year, laid again in their usual cave in the Vermilion Cliffs on April 25 and are incubating. This egg should hatch 58 days later if all goes well--something like June 23.Last year's two chicks were both captured, tagged & blood-tested, and immediately re-released, on April 21 & 22. Both seem unphased and have been back to the release (and capture!) site since. In fact both seem to be independent of their parents already and are mingling with the flock, though they may occasionally still beg from and get fed by a parent. The Tapeats Creek chick, #441, is currently wearing blank black tags since his or her capture came up rather suddenly, but they'll soon be replaced by tags marked F1. The Vermilion Cliffs chick, #459, got tag number 59.

Eddie Feltes expects to have his Notes From the Field column at www.peregrinefund.org updated within the next few days, so look for more details there.

The latest overall population numbers I have from the US Fish & Wildlife service are from March 31. Eggs have no doubt hatched since then, plus we've had a mortality here, but at least as of March 31 the numbers were: 299 total, 80 in California (counting 5 in temporary captivity and one wild Southern California chick), and 14 in Baja (counting 7 in temporary captivity). Besides the one chick, there were 6 other eggs being incubated in California as of March 31.

Attached below is the latest version of the Condors by Tag # chart. One change: I've freed up a little space by removing the column for GPS satellite transmitters. Eleven birds are currently wearing one, including at least one member of every breeding pair. You can recognize the GPS transmitters by the little solar panel they use for power, unlike the radio transmitters which use enclosed batteries.

California Condors in Arizona by Tag # (157MB PDF File)

Ms. Marker Marshall
Park Ranger - Interpretation
Grand Canyon National Park