Condor chick born in wild flies from nest at Pinnacles National Park

[Aaron McDonald]

http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/my-planet/2016/10/12/condor-chick-born-wild-flies-nest-pinnacles/91944794/

Wow this is really cool!

[mynameismud]

Super Cool

[clink]

PAICINES (AP) — A California condor chick has hatched in the wild, survived and flown out of its nest at Pinnacles National Park for the first time since the 1890s.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports the female bird, born in April, is not the first chick to be born in the park. But it is the first to survive long enough to leave the nest and begin the path to adulthood.

The Pinnacles is a 26,000-acre park located in rural San Benito County about 80 miles south of San Jose.


Scientists say it's a success story for North America's largest bird as it continues a slow but steady path from near extinction.

California condors once ranged from British Columbia to Mexico. Habitat loss, hunting and lead poisoning led to a massive population dwindle.

Cool!

[Brad Young]

I suspect she's the only condor in the wild right now without a radio transmitter attached. Although it won't last, I kinda like that idea (may there be many more).

[Gavin]

I suspect she's the only condor in the wild right now without a radio transmitter attached. Although it won't last, I kinda like that idea (may there be many more).

Actually, there are at least a couple others in central California right now, and perhaps one or two in southern California as well. Some of the nest sites are so remote that we can't physically reach them while condor pairs are nesting, and we wait to place tags on them until the fledglings arrive at managed feeding sites with parents. Other nests are too challenging or dangerous - for the safety of the biologists, nestlings, or both - to safely catch and handle birds to place tags and transmitters in the nest sites. For the Pinnacles condor fledgling, the lack of a tag right now was due to the latter.

[Brad Young]

Actually, there are at least a couple others in central California right now, and perhaps one or two in southern California as well.

I did not know that. Fantastic.

Some of the nest sites are so remote that we can't physically reach them while condor pairs are nesting, and we wait to place tags on them until the fledglings arrive at managed feeding sites with parents.

You (not they) could reach them if you'd go backpacking in the San Rafael Wilderness with us. And tell the program managers I said that 

Other nests are too challenging or dangerous - for the safety of the biologists, nestlings, or both - to safely catch and handle birds to place tags and transmitters in the nest sites. For the Pinnacles condor fledgling, the lack of a tag right now was due to the latter.

Oh come on, what matter is the safety of biologists? Real scientists wouldn't bring that type of concern into the equation 

[clink]

 I support the Biologist Lives Matter movement. Whether Gavin does or not is yet to be determined. One or two recent run outs beg the question.