Hatchday: April 7, 2003
Hatch location San Diego
Sex: Female
Current Status: Died June 2011
Offspring: none
Location: Big Sur, CA
I found this information on the website mycondor.org. It is great to learn more about a bird that I encountered for all of 5 minutes one beautiful August day in 2009 on the Pacific coastline.
She was known as "Late Bloomer" but had recently shown us signs that she may want to nest. Her closest condor companions appear to be affected by her loss from the flock. We will never know what exactly she died from, but we will always remember her as "Late Bloomer" that was about to bloom before she died.
Female condor # 294 took a little longer to mature than the rest of her cohort, hence her nickname, "Late Bloomer". Her head was still a mottled pink and black when the others her age were nearly all pink. Despite her physical development, she has always been a very curious and opportunistic bird. Her ability to slide in to the feeding circle unbeknownst and get her fill is very amusing. Her social skills are quite honed and she is often seen with a group of other condors older than herself.
She split her time between the Big Sur coast and Pinnacles National Monument, where she enjoyed a new view and company. Since she was older than all of the birds released at Pinnacles, these trips give her a chance to exert her dominance and gain more self-esteem before returning home. When she would arrives back to the coast, she was often spotted soaring the coastline south of Big Sur, viewed flying gracefully along the cliffs.