Condor Cam: Live from Los Padres National Forest

Watch a young chick grow, and admire the chick's parents, as they nest near Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge.

HOW MANY HEARTFELT THRILLS... can you find in California? You may list walking across the Golden Gate Bridge among them, or riding your first wave at Malibu, or dipping a toe (or the whole shebang) in Lake Tahoe. But certainly, and positively, spying a California condor in the sky, at Pinnacles National Park or Big Sur or another location, is about as heart-thrilling as exciting life jolts come. It isn't a sure thing, after all, seeing a condor, for while there are far more today than back in the 1980s, when only 27 condors existed, the large and gorgeous bird remains on the endangered list. If you can't go to the condor, though, the condor can come to you, or, at least the condor cam, which gives avian aficionados a close-up peek at how a young condor grows. That is, of course, if the camera is trained on a nest, a nest with a 52-day-old condor in it. Such a sweet condor can be found, in a nest close to Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Los Padres National Forest, so check in to see if you see the budding bird or its parents.

THE DEVIL'S GATE CONDOR CAM... went live on May 31, its third annual outing, which is made possible by a partnership between several organizations. Those include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Santa Barbara Zoo, the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Friends of California Condors Wild and Free, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. As for mom, dad, and baby? They're condors #513, #206, and #871, respectively, if you like to keep track of such fascinating matters. And if you do keep track, then you know that this mom and dad condor set up nesting duties at this very nest back in 2015. "This is third attempt at nesting together," reveals a Santa Barbara Zoo representative, and their debut appearance on the condor cam. 

WITNESSING A CONDOR... soaring above a remote valley or beach? A life-enhancing experience. Cooing over a baby condor as it gets bigger, live and on camera? Technology truly rules. Both sides of the condor coin help those who love these birds stay connected and inspired.

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