The individual condors in Northern Arizona/Southern Utah are not given names – they get numbers. This is supposed to help the biologists not get too attached to individual birds, lest one of their favorites dies. It doesn’t work. I’m a photographer, not a biologist, but condors are my favorite subject. Whenever I hear one dies, I get choked up. That’s an understatement, I damn right bawl. I know most of these birds.
In 2014, I made it a goal to photograph every member of the AZ/UT condor population. At the time, there were just under 70 individuals in this population (there are other populations in California and Baja). It seemed a foolish quest – even with the help of biologists, finding every single bird in an area that stretched from the Grand Canyon to Zion seemed impossible. But I’m nothing if not stubborn, and within a year, I had photos of most of them.
Because all the wild condors wear number tags, I could tell the individuals apart and keep a running list of those I had yet to photograph. A year later, I had them all but Condor 203, who became my white whale. It would take me another year and a half to finally meet up with him during a dramatic sunrise atop the Vermilion Cliffs. Slate-gray smoke filled the valley below while the first rays of light bathed him in orange as he gorged at a carcass (left by biologists to provide safe lead-free meat for the birds). He put on a show that morning, and it was one of those experiences that went better than I had ever imagined.
When the news came out recently that the H5N1 avian flu strain had killed 15% of the population in the last month, I was utterly gut-punched. The virus is showing no sign of letting up and the situation is as dire as can be. Condors are tremendously social birds, and the virus is highly transmissible. The biologists are scrambling to save as many birds as possible. While the identities of the deceased have not been released, I’ve no doubt I’ve spent time with many of them.
To get an idea of how dedicated the biologists are and how hard they work, please view the attached video I made documenting the rescue of Condor 999 in 2022.
Now imagine that effort times 116 (the latest total population count before the virus struck) and you get an idea of the scope of the problem.
Very few people ever see a wild condor. Even fewer are lucky enough to photograph these majestic birds. The condors need our help – please, click on this link to join me in contributing to the emergency fund.
Every contribution goes a long way. With this, hopefully one day a condor will fly over your head, its wings stretched nine-and-a-half feet across, tearing the sky in half as your lens follows along and you capture the moment.
Clearly California Condors are condors or at least since 1931 the American Ornithologists Union has used the common name “condor” for this species. Easily confirmed on their website. avibase.bsc-eoc.org/speci…ersion=aou
Great to see an article from you, even if it is on a disturbing event in the life of these beautiful birds.
In one of Nasim’s fall workshop you had a picture that was taken in Arizona on the Marble Bridge I believe, and we had to guess where and what it was since it was a close up of a bird that gave very little detail. The picture once reveled was amazing.
Hopefully you will write more articles in the future.
Don’t they do the same for Yellowstone wolves? Many humans will choke up about ‘06’.
Saddening and disturbing article. The Avian flu seems to be a global problem, in the Netherlands where I live a breeding colony of Sandwich Terns, Sterna sandvicensis was virtually wiped out last year and large numbers of other birds, especially geese found dead. Foxes and other predators that fed on the carcasses were also infected (which is disturbing, since it represents the jump of the virus to mammals). Thank you for taking the time to write this article, the positive I take from the article and the video is the dedication of the people involved in the reintroduction effort.
First of all, I must say that I am a nature photographer with a 30-year career specialized in birds and with special emphasis on the condor (Vultur gryphus), for what I will say below empowers me to object your false pictures.
So, you should stop calling this species “condor”- even “american condor” – the real “condor” is the “Vultur gryphus” and it is endemic to the Andes mountains in South America. The name “condor” comes from Quechua, which is the Inca language, and to my knowledge there have never been any Incas in the United States. It is unacceptable that you lie and confuse the world public by calling “condor” a bird that is not. Very upset of your falsehood.
Wow, get a life.
Except the Californian Condor is, in fact, a condor: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condor
On Wikipedia anyone can write what they want even if what is said is not true.
On Photographylife, anyone can write what they want even if what is said is not true.
I agree that Wikipedia can hardly be used as a single source of truth, but in this case that’s really very easily rectified by simply using it as a starting point and doing some further digging with the information gained there.
So what exactly should the author have called the bird in those pictures?
I don’t know what they should call this Californian species, but I do know what they should “not” call it: “condor”
In my mother tongue, the common name of this bird literally translates to “Californian Condor”. So unless you want to take on the whole world, you may need to come to terms with the idea that most people do, in fact, call this some sort of Condor. At the very least, accusing the author of lying is completely uncalled for.
Golly. I am a bit surprised by the vitriol, considering that even on your own Flickr page, you list “Andean Condor” for your photographs of this bird, clearly suggesting that you are aware that there is room for other “non-Andean” Condors.
Do not be surprised, precisely “Andean Condor” is the real common name of this species to make clear the place of its origin and that it is not confused with other vultures, otherwise it could be called “condor” any other bird that we please. How could you call a species endemic to North America with a Quechua name of Inca origin? In any case, the author of this article does not even care to write “California Condor”, but directly “condor”, which confuses and usurps its original name from the real one.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance calls them California Condors.
Species: californianus
Family: Cathartidae
Class: Aves (Birds)
Order: Falconiformes
I’ve been a member for over 40 years, and I remember when the zoo created a special breeding program which saved the California Condor from extinction. DDT was the main culprit.
They are called the same in Europe. It is clearly the correct common name.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
~ some guy named Bill
Wow, what’s in a name? ‘Condor’ is the common name for two species of vulture from the New world. Both are in their own monotypic genus, in other words the genus only has one species. The name has been in use since the mid 19th century, before that the name ‘California turkey vulture’ was apparently used. Since Turkey vultures are another genus this is just as inaccurate (or in your words a lie) You may disagree with naming conventions, but the use of the generally accepted common name should not be construed as a ‘falsehood’, or qualified with ‘unacceptable’
Walter, just curious as how this is relevant to the cause. The purpose of the article is to raise awareness and hopefully raise some funds to save these birds no matter what they are called.
Calling out one of our respected writers for something he had nothing to do with (naming the bird) isn’t nice. Let’s concentrate on what matters please. You can discuss the name and attributes of the bird in a forum discussion, but this is not the place for it…
Thank you Nasim. I do find the tone of the originating post disturbing.
Particularly unexpected on this community, which is generally very friendly.
The fact that you do photograph birds does not empowers you at all about bird naming, let that for people entitled for that.
As seen, for instance, in the IUCN list or CITES annex (see? not wikipedia), this birds are condors, in the same way eagles are eagles, despite they are golden eagles, bald eagles, steller’s eagles etc. etc.
Your answer is arrogant and disrespectful, and you should ask for forgiveness being cristal clear you are absolutely wrong.
I don’t know you and you don’t know me, therefore I don’t accept that you tell me that I am arrogant and disrespectful and that I should apologize, and why should I? You are arrogant and disrespectful when you attack me. On the other hand, I am a bird photographer, and as a good professional I must be interested and learn about the species I photograph, but in any case, even if some institution says that this bird is a condor, it is wrong, it is simply a vulture just like it is V. gryphus, what is in question here is the common name; if that were the case anywhere in the world they could call any eagle a bald eagle. Bye Anonymous.
The tone of your post was by any standards in poor taste. It is very easy to correct what you think is mis-use in a polite and respectful manner, even when you are writing in what is clearly not your first language.
You should apologise for calling John a ‘liar’. Even if he made a mistake – and I emphasise ‘if’ – then it was simply an honest (note that word) mistake.
To be wrong and to tell a lie are completely different things.
The common name is “California Condor”. You can believe that it should be called something else, for whatever reason, and you may even approach the classification committees of ornithological societies to have it changed. But you have to acknowledge that currently everyone else does call it that, and you cannot call the author of the article a liar for using well-established terminology.
Thanks for your reply, it confirms all I said in my first post.
Walter, I’m afraid you’re really barking up the wrong tree on this one. If you disagree with the taxonomic classification or the name of a certain species, you are of course free to do so. But please vent your scientific doubts elsewhere. It’s also about the way you express your opinion. For example, I find the name “Paradisaea apoda” odd for a bird that obviously has legs. But I wouldn’t dare call Carl Linnaeus a liar.
Actually Carl was a well-known liar, glutton and was said to suffer extreme flatulence at social gatherings. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Your photos are beautiful. It can be difficult, but try to see the beauty in humanity and use the patience, I know your photography requires, in dealing with others. :-)
My goodness. This response is uncalled for. The author’s work in the Southwest is well-respected, and his writing is creative and personable. I have seen a California Condor at the Grand Canyon, and it was a sight to behold. The bird doesn’t care what it is called, because it is magnificent. I’m with the bird, and the author, and appreciate this call to action to save the California Condor.