Towheeblog

There are now enough California Condors living in the wild to entice researchers into watching and studying them. After World War II nearly all condor attention was focused on simply trying to keep the species from extinction. Now the species’ conmplex social interactions are finally being understood by humans. One condor expert told me a few years back that the youngsters are very visibly and deliberately schooled by older condors in the wild. Listen to what your elders tell you. Don’t land on roofs. Stay away from lakes. Don’t go into town. Now if they could just learn to spit out lead shot in deer carcasses…

Here’s summary of some recent condor society research.
Here, again, are the condor photos I got last September while leading a trip for Partnership for International Birding in Northern California. This was a father-son pair of condors that soared over our gaping mouths and clicking cameras as we stood along Highway 1 in Big Sur. The largest wingspan of any bird in North America (White Pelican is #2 by a skoosh).