The first wild condor nest of the season was found on January 30 by the Santa Barbara Zoo nesting technician team. The nest is located in the vicinity of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Southern California. An interesting new pairing has formed this year between the young male condor No. 247 and the oldest free flying female condor No. 79 (Indian name Pitahsi) to produce this egg.

Condor 79 was released in 1992 as part of the “red cohort” (condors with red I.D. tags on their wings), and was caught again several months later because of behavioral problems which included landing on power poles. Three out of the six “red cohort” condors died shortly after release, mainly due to collisions with power lines. After more behavioral problems, the remaining three birds were eventually returned to conservation programs. No. 79 would spend the next 12 years in the Los Angeles Zoo, where she would produce three offspring. She was finally released at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge in November 2006.

In late fall of 2007, No. 247 began to show interest in Condor 79. No. 247 is a young male condor and a rising contender for dominance in the Southern California condor population. He was born at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park and released into the wild in August 2002. Other than being treated at Los Angeles Zoo in June 2003 for a leg injury, he has mostly remained a wild bird since his release. Condor 247 has come of age quickly and shown himself as a much more dominant bird in the last several years. This dominance has proved itself to be worthwhile with his courtship and pairing of the much older female condor 79.

Female condors are generally more interested in, and therefore more likely to mate with a more dominant male, which usually tends to be an older male. No. 79 is 15 years old and being the oldest female condor in the wild should have a wide range of males to choose from. Condor males usually don’t breed until their sixth year. Condor 247 is about six and a half years old, making this an unusual pairing between an older female and a young male.

Their first breeding attempt was successful by producing the first egg of this season in late January. Both birds have been sharing the duty of incubating the egg since being laid. Nest monitors from the Santa Barbara Zoo and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been intensely watching the nest since it was found with the hope of preventing any problems before they become serious. This strategy was successful in the 2007 nesting season, with the 100 percent fledging of four wild condors.

Both the Santa Barbara Zoo team and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hope that this first nest of the season is a sign of good things to come for the rest of the breeding pairs of condors in California.

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