Pinnacles National Park reported this week that Condor #330, whose transmitters stopped working three years ago, has been spotted recently — once by a member of the public.
“We are happy to report some recent sightings of Condor #330,” Pinnacles officials posted to the park’s Facebook account. “His transmitters stopped working in 2011 and tracking his movements has become very difficult. Reports from the public can greatly enhance our knowledge of the condors’ movements.”
Park officials are encouraging visitors to report any condor sightings that they make.
“Our new Condor Crew e-mail, pinn_condors@nps.gov, is a great way for everyone to share their sightings and to get more information on the birds they saw,” officials said. The park’s website says that all condor sightings “are useful information to the condor biologists, particularly if you see condors outside the Pinnacles boundary.” People reporting a sighting should include a date and time of sighting, detailed description of location, and any description of the condors they see (adult or juvenile, right wing tagged, left wing tagged, or both wings tagged, and the color/number on the tags).
The park’s website says there are 27 free-flying adult and juvenile condors managed by Pinnacles National Park. They have commingled with the 32 condors in the Big Sur flock and have effectively become one central California flock. For tips on how to spot condors, click here.
For more information on how to report condor sightings, click here.