Per Pinnacles Facebook page, there are two condor babies in the park this year, and they are doing well!

The Details:

There are currently two active condor nests in Pinnacles! Condors only lay one egg at a time, so each nest is home to a solo youngster being raised by its parents.

See photo gallery below!

Both nestlings recently had their first health checkups, and we're happy to report that everything looks great. During their checkups, the first nestling (condor 1215) was 44 days old, and the second nestling (condor 1238) was 68 days old. Condors typically aren't fully grown until about 6 months after they hatch, so these little ones still have lots of maturing to do before they are ready to take flight.

During both checkups, members of the condor crew used ropes to access the cliff nests. They safely secured the nestlings and placed modified baby socks over their eyes to help keep them calm and minimize stress. Then, the adorable fluffballs were examined by the crew and a veterinarian to assess their health. The crew took blood samples to determine sex (results of which are still pending) and to test for lead exposure. If the parents feed their offspring meat that was contaminated with fragments of lead bullets, the nestlings could become fatally lead poisoned. Thankfully, the blood lead levels for both nestlings were very low!

After getting a clean bill of health, both nestlings were placed back in their respective nests under their parents' watchful eyes. 1215 and 1238 are expected to take their first flights in early November.

Condor Photo Gallery

(photos by Gavin Emmons and Rose Fielding - copyright 2023)

2023 Condor Check-Up Photos (click images to enlarge) - Photos by Gavin Emmons and Rose Fielding ©2023
Rock climbing to reach the fledglings.	The two fledglings (1215 and 1238).
Check-up crew on the job.	Custom "sock" mask keeps fledglings calm.