California Condor

[Realbigtaco]

I was visiting my brother in St. George, Utah when we decided to drive to Zion National Park, which if you have never been need to go.  We were on the bus tour when the ranger said there were some Condors flying around the red rock cliffs.  Sure enough there were six condors flying around.  More impressive is that there are only 176 known California Condors in the wild, and here were six of them.  My brother was closest to the window so he technically got the shot, from a moving bus, out the window at a bird flying 1,500 feet overhead.  Quality is not that great...but hey just to say I have a picture of a wild Condor is pretty cool.

[SBGrad]

[Realbigtaco]

Awesome!  Where'd you get this?

[SBGrad]

Highway 1, Grimes Point, south of Nepenthe.  There are 3-4 turnouts, and it's just like Star Wars Canyon, you park and you wait until  a condor flies by.  I've seen condors on 2 of 4 trips there, but the longer you're willing to wait the better your chances are.   Best time is late morning to early afternoon.   The condors fly up and down the coast looking for dead marine mammals.  This guy decided to stop a while in the trees.  I missed a group of 3 that flew by just as I was getting out of the car, they just kept flying up the coast.

This video (not mine) was shot at the Grimes Point turnout.  If you see the house down the cliff, you know you are at the right spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbWHrqoYRg

[SBGrad]

This was Oct 2014, the turnout just south of Grimes Point, a place the locals call Sealion Cove.  Backlit, just like Miramar.  500mm.

[SBGrad]

[aero-engineer]

April 1, 2008 at the Grand Canyon during the Ranger led Condor talk.

Kevin
aero-engineer

[phantomphan1974]

Wow, can really see which one it is...Tag is big.

[Realbigtaco]

Yeah, i remember during the talk at the grand canyon (i might get this fact wrong) that the California Condor is the only bird in the world that scientist can account for every single one.