A lonely cave on a cliff in the rugged Pinnacles National Monument is the setting for a story of two love birds who found one another despite unimaginable hardship and decided to bring new life into a world that almost destroyed them.

They are, of course, giant corpse-munching vultures, but wildlife biologists could not be more thrilled if they were Romeo and Juliet.

The lovers in this case are California condors and together they have built the first condor nest in the Pinnacles in more than 100 years, a pivotal moment in the effort to bring back the majestic birds from the brink of extinction.

"Condors historically called the Pinnacles home, but because of the declining population the birds have not nested in the park in 100 years," said Carl Brenner, the chief of interpretation and education for the national monument, which is in the Gabilan Mountains about 30 miles south of Salinas. "Forty years ago there were no condors in the park. This is a milestone for the park recovery program."

iHartMK wrote:Very cool! I love Pinnacles, need to go back up before it gets too hot.

For the first time in more than 100 years, a condor chick has hatched at Pinnacles National Monument — a milestone that reflects efforts to bring the condor back from the brink of extinction.

The first-time parent condors are behaving normally — regularly feeding and incubating the new nestling, according to a news release by the National Park Service.

rhyang wrote:http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_14833984

For the first time in more than 100 years, a condor chick has hatched at Pinnacles National Monument — a milestone that reflects efforts to bring the condor back from the brink of extinction.

The first-time parent condors are behaving normally — regularly feeding and incubating the new nestling, according to a news release by the National Park Service.

Biologists at Pinnacles National Monument celebrated the milestone announced Wednesday in the slow recovery of the birds.

But their enthusiasm was tempered because the egg did not belong to any adult birds in the park.

A pair of condors there had conceived an egg in March that biologists then took for safekeeping and replaced with a plastic egg. Biologists later discovered the embryo had died seven days into its development.

"It wasn't surprising the egg wasn't viable," said Daniel George, manager of the condor program at Pinnacles. "That can happen with first-time breeders."

The pair in Pinnacle later hatched an egg that was slipped into their nest after being produced by a pair of condors in the San Diego Wildlife Park captive breeding program.

The chick emerged from its grapefruit-sized shell on March 24. Its sex will be determined soon with blood tests done when it receives its West Nile Virus vaccine.

"It's a good step forward for the program," said biologist Joe Burnett of Ventana Wilderness Society, a partner in the recovery program.