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Of my partner’s many talents, one of the most impressive is her ability to spot hawks while on drives, daily walks, or hikes. Anybody can look in the sky and see vultures circling around an empty field. It takes an especially keen eye to spot a lone, solitary hawk perched atop a tall light post while zooming by at sixty miles an hour.
She has imparted her love of raptors onto me and now I’m constantly trying to spot birds of prey everywhere we go. Now that I know they are there it’s hard not to search for them. On long drives we have competitions of who can spot more raptors with point totals assigned to each to pass the time. Vultures get you negative points, hawks give you one, and eagles give two. Other birds like robins and jayhawks are nice to spot, but they don’t help you win the game.
We were both incredibly excited to hear the news that California condors were recently sighted in the Bay Area. According to NBC Bay Area news, Preservation group Save Mount Diablo said in a statement Monday they’ve tracked the paths of six California condors soaring through the skies above Round Valley and Morgan Territory regional preserves, with one even flying a mile or two west of Mount Diablo’s summit.
Truth be told California condors are not the prettiest bird. Much like their cousin, the vulture, they have a featherless, pinkish-orange head with beady red eyes. They circle dead animals, mainly feeding on rotting meat found on carcasses. What separates them from other birds of prey is their massive size. California condors are one of the largest flying birds in the world as they have a wingspan that can reach up to 9.5 feet.
These birds have a history that dates back thousands of years all across America. Fossil records suggest that condors once ranged across North America, from Florida to California. For many indigenous tribes in California, the condor holds deep cultural significance. These magnificent birds were considered sacred and played vital roles in tribal mythology and rituals. Condor feathers were often used in ceremonial headdresses and religious ceremonies.
As European settlers encroached upon ancestral native land, condor populations began to decline due to effects of hunting, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction. California condors were often targeted by illegal hunters and collectors who sought their feathers or body parts. In addition, since condors primarily feed on the carcasses of dead animals, they began consuming the remains of animals that had been shot with lead ammunition. The repeated ingestion of lead fragments led to wide scale lead poisoning and impacted fertility.
Environmental contaminants and habitat destruction further weakened the condor population. By the late 20th century, the California condor was on the brink of extinction. In 1982, there were only 30 or so individuals left in the wild, making it one of the most critically endangered species on the planet.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation a conservation effort was launched to save the California condor from extinction. In 1987, all remaining wild condors were captured and placed in a captive breeding program. This marked the beginning of an intensive and complex effort to breed and reintroduce these birds back into their natural habitat.
The first successful release of captive-bred California condors into the wild occurred in 1992 when a group of six birds was released in California’s Sespe Condor Sanctuary. Over the years, more condors were released into designated release sites in California, Arizona, and Baja California, Mexico.
It’s encouraging to see condors reclaim the areas where they once used to roam freely. My partner and I now have to add another bird to look out for. Since they are still pretty rare in these parts, sighting a condor would be like catching a snitch in Harry Potter. I’m hoping I can spot one so I can finally win our raptor spotting game one time.
Pleasanton commission set to vote on major redevelopment project off Dublin Canyon RoadApril 21, 2026 4:30 pm
