Operators of a wildlife-monitoring camera system got a rare treat earlier this month when a California condor stopped to perch directly in front of one of the cameras.
The unexpected event occurred on Blue Mountain, just southwest of Lake Tahoe, KGET 17 News reported. It was captured by a camera hosted by the University of California San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia program, which uses cameras throughout the state to better understand wildfires and other natural disasters.
If you check the Blue Mtn Kern 2 camera right now (8:58 a.m. Monday) you can see a California Condor live – bit.ly/3yApjTr
Posted by ALERTCalifornia on Monday, June 16, 2025
The program shared a photo of the majestic bird on its Facebook page, with the condor perfectly framed.
“Super cool to see this,” one commenter wrote. “A rare sight to everyday life.”
Cameras, particularly trail cameras, have become invaluable tools in wildlife conservation. They’ve been used not only to catch glimpses of endangered species but also to capture rare footage of how various animals act when no humans are around.
In recent months, these weatherproof, motion-activated cameras have spotted the rarely seen “ghost elephant” in Senegal and the leadbeater’s possum in New South Wales, Australia, where it was previously thought to be extinct.
They’ve also captured a riveting encounter between a bobcat and deer in Florida and led researchers to discover the heartwarming moment when a tiger and her cub were reunited in India.
Then, there’s this stunning image of the California condor.
The California condor is North America’s largest bird, weighing up to 25 pounds with a wingspan of nearly 10 feet. It has been classified as an endangered species since 1967, and fewer than two dozen were alive as of 1982.
Fortunately, a successful captive-breeding program saved the bird’s population. It’s now estimated that roughly 500 such condors exist, more than half of which are in the wild.
The Trump administration, however, has recommended amending the Endangered Species Act to weaken its protections, and many conservationists worry that this could jeopardize the future of California condors and other endangered species.
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