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Canyon’s youngest condor is thriving

“When it does fly, it looks great,” he said. “(The chick) also has become quite skilled at landing in caves and other hard-to-get places. It simply doesn’t seem inclined to fly any more than absolutely necessary.”

The condor, the first born in the Arizona wild in possibly a century, spends its nights in a cave, often the nest cave, and hasn’t yet ventured far from the immediate area nor has it flown on foraging trips with its parents.

“It otherwise appears healthy and active, and it seems to be getting enough food from parents,” Olsen said. “We expect to begin seeing more flying from 305 as (the weather) warms up.”

Biologists believe that two condor pairs are close to laying. Condors 119 and 122 appear to be favoring a return to the Battleship cave where they made two unsuccessful nests in as many years. Also, according to biologist Sophie Osborn of the Peregrine Fund, the condor “quad” of 114, 126, 162 and 133 which had nested unsuccessfully in Vermilion Cliffs last year went separate ways over the winter, and condor 114 has paired off with condor 149. Olsen said the pair is locked in on a site just south of the release site on the Vermilion Cliffs.

“We also have two other pairs that are associating with one another, but eggs seems unlikely at this point,” Olsen said.

In mid-December, 10 juvenile condors were transported to the release site at Vermilion Cliffs. There are 51 condors in Arizona, 41 of them free-flying


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