We knew we would be in condor country…

Biologists sometimes release captive-bred California condors at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument — a sweeping, impressive desert landscape in a remote stretch of northern Arizona.

Prior to our June roadtrip to AZ/UT to celebrate our 30th anniversary, I learned everything I could about this huge bird, which hovers close to extinction. I read biology notes and watched wildlife videos. And I got my hopes up.

Quick facts: 

• This critically endangered species is the largest bird in North America, with a wingspan of up to 9 1/2 feet!
• In 1982, only 22 California Condors were left in the world. Thanks to captive-breeding programs, they now number over 400. Approximately 200 are flying free in the wild throughout the Southwest.
• They can travel hundreds of miles in a day.
• They live up to 50 years.

Despite the odds, I hoped to see this rare raptor. 

Only 77 California condors are free-flying in northern Arizona and Southern Utah. According to a March 2015 update by The Peregrine Fund, only 8 of these birds are wild-hatched.

I got my wish and saw a condor — she is one of the few born in the wild!

Condors have been seen at Navajo Bridge, which
spans the Colorado River at

Marble Canyon (downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and upstream from Grand Canyon). Mike and I stopped for lunch at the small visitor center there. We planned to find shade. We hoped to see a big bird.

Just as I stepped out of the car, a shadow swept over me. “It’s a condor!”

I grabbed my camera: click, click, click. So majestic! So thrilling!

Later, we searched the tag number and, according to The Peregrine Fund, “my” condor is a 2-year-old female that was born in Marble Canyon, right where we saw her.

In all, we saw THREE condors!

The next day, we bumped along a gravel road to the release site at the base of the Vermilion Cliffs and waited … and waited. Finally a condor soared over us, high above our heads, then disappeared to the east. A moment later, another condor came into view from the west, spiraling on an updraft. It was high overhead, but the markings were unmistakable.

If you’re planning a roadtrip to northern Arizona/southern Utah, keep your eyes peeled… 

With only 77 condors in the wild in this part of the country, you don’t want to miss seeing this majestic, rare raptor. And give me a call. I’m happy to share trip notes and directions to our lucky condor-viewing sites!