California Condor

California Condor #251 a.k.a "Crush" /  by Kitundu

Hatchday: May 10, 2001 Release Date: December 12, 2002 Hatch location San Diego Wild Animal Park Sex: Male Current Status: Unpaired Offspring: Foster father of #603 (2011) Current location: Big Sur, CA

This photo taken August 24th, 2009.

Condor #251 is called "crush" because he had his eye on a female that was already taken by an older male. He was seen lurking around their nest and trying to get the female's attention, and therefore was pulled into captivity during their initial breeding season. "Threesome" pairs are not uncommon in condors, however they will disrupt breeding when jealously becomes a factor.

After his stint in the pre-release pen, Crush returned the following fall with no problems. He did not attempt to hurt the chick and seemed to get along fine with the pair. However, his tendency to frequently visit the nest of female Cosmo requires that we watch him closely. Crush is in the middle of the dominance hierarchy, and feeds with ease amongst the flock.

Information from mycondor.org

California Condor #294 a.k.a "Late Bloomer" /  by Kitundu

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.