The Majestic California Condor Takes Flight Again

Without help from conservation groups, there would be no condors left in California. My hope is that with time, condor populations will continue to rise.

January 04, 2021

By: Ian Shive

Show: Nature in Focus

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The California condor was once extinct in the wild, with only 27 individuals left in captivity as of 1987. From those few individuals, there are more than 500 condors today, both in the wild and in captivity. As a nature photographer, this is one of the most elusive species to photograph and working with the biologists, I've had an incredible opportunity to do so.

A California condor lands at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California, where condor recovery work is taking place.

While photographing at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California, a wild condor flew in to inspect the area where biologists with the US Fish & Wildlife Service were working. Their work is part of the multi-decade effort to help this almost extinct species recover.

A California condor spreads its wing just outside the cages where the bioligists conduct their health workups on the birds at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California.

California condors are big, powerful birds! Weighing up to 25lbs, their neck muscles and sharp beaks are powerful. The work of biologists earned my respect on this photo assignment, as they carefully worked with the birds, ensuring neither human nor bird is injured in the process.

At Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California, there is a caged area where trapped birds rest before a health assesment is done, but capturing a bird is never easy, even within the cage.

I felt like I had just enterd the lions den as I began photographing the effort to capture a condor inside the biologists enclosure. With wingspans approaching 10 feet and an average weight of 25lbs, they can be quite intimidating. Photographed at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California.

A California condor waits for a health check-up at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California. Condor recovery has faced many obstacles, but thanks to the US Fish & Wildlife Service and countless zoos, volunteers and other dedicated partners, they have been reintroduced to the wild and are on the rebound. They still face numerous threats though, including from lead poisoning.

California condors are scavengers, often eating prey that has already been killed. This has been part of the challenge for condors, though, as this includes animals killed by hunters bullets, leading to lead poisoning of the condor. Photographed at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California.

It often takes two people to restrain a condor while identifying tags are placed on their wings, blood tests are drawn and other critical health data is gathered. It's an intimidating process when a large bird like this begins to wriggle and hiss at you.

The California condor is a new world vulture and the largest North American land bird. It is also one of the longest-living, with a lifespan up to about 60 years. As a photographer, having the opportunity to photograph this rare species is truly a bucket list item!

This is the small field camp and research station at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California where important condor recovery work is taking place.

I found some irony in this moment as one of the rarest birds in the world landed directly on the tent where research about this extremely rare bird was taking place. Photographed at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California.

Many condors have tags on their winds to help identify individuals, which allows biologists to track the population numbers, health of the individual and range of the birds, among other important data sets.