Watch the Lead Vs. Copper Bullet Video

In this video, Pinnacles N.M. 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.

Mar. 14, 2008 - 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 4:00 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)

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 Quicktime video on Lead Bullets vs. Non-lead Bullets found on Pinnacles National Monument's web site is quite persuasive:

http://www.nps.gov/pinn/naturescience/condor_video.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