Condor Comeback
Monday March 9, 2009
Though nearly extinct in the mid-1980s, California condors have steadily made a comeback thanks to captive breeding programs. Today, approximately 160 wild condors soar the skies in the West, including four newly freed birds that were released in northern Arizona on March 7.Two 2-year-old and two 3-year-old birds were released by the Peregrine Fund in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument just south of the Utah border, according to a story in the Salt Lake Tribune. The birds are tagged with transmitters that will allow their movements to be closely monitored, and the four released birds readily joined nearly 30 other condors in the area to feast on crow carcasses.
Have you seen wild California condors? Share your experiences in the comments!
California Condor
Photo © Jerry Thompson
Comments
In 1980 while hicking up river in the Los Padreas National Forest a California Condor landed next to me. It was the most beutiful creature I,ve ever seen and it left me in awe. I was only about fifteen years old at the time so you could imagine how excited I was, little did i know but I just witnessed one of the last remaining Condors.