The California condor story is a quintessential feel-good tale of an extraordinary species that was at the doorstep of extinction in 1982 when just 22 of the enormous scavengers — largest land birds in the U.S. and direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs — remained in the wild.
But 44 years later, a bold and successful captive breeding program has resulted in 300-plus condors flying free in California, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Mexico.
Of those birds, 116 are currently soaring the Central California skies (Big Sur, San Simeon and Pinnacles National Park), according to the Ventana Wildlife Society…