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Puff (219) is one of our largest condors, but that doesn't stop him from trying to look even larger by puffing out the air sacs in his neck. All male condors do this to intimidate other males or to impress females, but Puff (219) does this all the time. Even when he is being handled, his cheeks and throat are awkwardly inflated: he just doesn't seem to know how to deflate!
His tough outward appearance is mixed with a naïve nature and he has been known to get into some real scrapes. Trash along Highway 1 in Big Sur is a constant threat to condors and other wildlife, a lesson Puff (219) learned the hard way. Once, he got an aluminum can stuck on his lower mandible, which made his face swell-up even more than usual, preventing him from being able to drink! Amazingly, he flew back to the flight pen where he had been released in the Big Sur backcountry. We have a trap there that biologists use to catch condors for health checks and the condors are normally extremely cautious before entering this portion of the flight pen. However, with the can seemingly glued to his face, Puff (219) walked right in and waited patiently to be trapped, as if he knew this was where he could get some help with his predicament! Luckily, he recovered fully from the bizarre event, which served as a great reminder to all of us to clean up after ourselves and keep our natural areas trash-free!
Puff (219) was paired with Condor (310) and they split their time flying over the high mountains of Big Sur and at Pinnacles National Park. Together, the pair successfully fledged Nomad (574) in 2010, and Condor (745) in 2014. In 2020, Puff (219) paired with Wild 1 (231), and the two raised chick Eva (1033) together. Unfortunately, Wild 1 (231) passed away in May of 2020, and Eva (1033) had to be evacuated from her nest in August of 2020 as the devastating Dolan Fire threatened her safety. While in captivity, she was deemed genetically valuable and is currently part of the captive breeding program.
In 2023, Puff (219) paired with Miracle (538), who previously nested with Puff (219)'s son Nomad (574)! They had Penny (1229) who is now free-flying and learning the ropes of central California's condor hierarchy.
His tough outward appearance is mixed with a naïve nature and he has been known to get into some real scrapes. Trash along Highway 1 in Big Sur is a constant threat to condors and other wildlife, a lesson Puff (219) learned the hard way. Once, he got an aluminum can stuck on his lower mandible, which made his face swell-up even more than usual, preventing him from being able to drink! Amazingly, he flew back to the flight pen where he had been released in the Big Sur backcountry. We have a trap there that biologists use to catch condors for health checks and the condors are normally extremely cautious before entering this portion of the flight pen. However, with the can seemingly glued to his face, Puff (219) walked right in and waited patiently to be trapped, as if he knew this was where he could get some help with his predicament! Luckily, he recovered fully from the bizarre event, which served as a great reminder to all of us to clean up after ourselves and keep our natural areas trash-free!
Puff (219) was paired with Condor (310) and they split their time flying over the high mountains of Big Sur and at Pinnacles National Park. Together, the pair successfully fledged Nomad (574) in 2010, and Condor (745) in 2014. In 2020, Puff (219) paired with Wild 1 (231), and the two raised chick Eva (1033) together. Unfortunately, Wild 1 (231) passed away in May of 2020, and Eva (1033) had to be evacuated from her nest in August of 2020 as the devastating Dolan Fire threatened her safety. While in captivity, she was deemed genetically valuable and is currently part of the captive breeding program.
In 2023, Puff (219) paired with Miracle (538), who previously nested with Puff (219)'s son Nomad (574)! They had Penny (1229) who is now free-flying and learning the ropes of central California's condor hierarchy.
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