What exciting news to read!
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported a California condor flew into Oregon in May 2026, the first visit by a free-flying condor to Oregon since 1904.
Condor B9, a little more than two years old, was released into the wild last year by the Yurok Tribe’s condor restoration program. The tribe has been releasing condors since 2022.
The visit marks another milestone in efforts to restore the critically endangered species. California condors nearly went extinct in the 1980s, when the last 22 birds were captured for a captive breeding program.
Conservation efforts have since helped rebuild the population and reestablish condors in the wild.
I saw my first California condors in 2003, when my family visited the Grand Canyon. While we were walking near the Visitor Center and on the Canyon Rim Trail, three condors flew over.
Close enough that we could see the tags on their wings.
The photo included in this post is my photo from that visit, more than 20 years ago.
From what I read on the US National Park Service California Condors page, in 2003 there were only 40 California condors in the Arizona/Utah area.
What a magnificent view it was!
I’m so glad to learn the Yurok Tribe hopes to release additional condors in summer 2026.
