Hi,
There was a very nice piece on last Saturday's NPR's All Things Considered
about the California Condor (which can be heard via NPR's archives), and it
reminded me that I hadn't yet sent a final update about my efforts to see
this bird at the Grand Canyon.

To begin, thanks to all who sent suggestions and information.

I saw them every month from July through October. I didn't get there in
November, and didn't see them in December or January. I was told in January
that a few stay through the winter but are less likely to be seen.

The California Condor can be seen reliably from the Lookout Studio on the
South Rim at least in the summer and fall. There are Ranger talks at the
overlook there twice a day during the summer, and in the afternoon during
the fall. The really neat thing about seeing them from the Grand Canyon rim
is that it is truly amazing to see this bird at eye level as well as fairly
close overhead and less than 100 feet below you sitting on the rocks. In
contrast, when I first saw them three years ago, it was from the valley
thousands of feet below the Vermillion Cliffs release point. The Lookout
Studio is perhaps a quarter of a mile west of the El Tovar Lodge, and just
beyond Bright Angel Lodge. With patience, I have always lucked out and
found a parking place in the parking lot just east of El Tovar between it
and Verkamp's.

When you enter the Grand Canyon National Park, you are given a small
newspaper that includes info about ranger presentations. Another good
resource is a book put out by the Northern Arizona Audubon Society called (I
think) Birding the Flagstaff Area.

Again, thanks to all who sent suggestions and guidance. Results were
fantastic as a result.

By the way, I have been down in the SF-Oakland Bay Area this past year. I
was disappointed to learn there is no birding info line such as Tweeters or
OBOL. The absence of such a line is strange, and sad.

Diane Bagues
dbagues at earthlink.net
Milwaukie/San Leandro