birdfotos.com
| There are some very large photos on this & the following pages, please wait for them to load before moving on, you won't be sorry. I just could not bring myself to reduce the size & quality of the images. |
In November 2001, I spent several weeks at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in hopes of photographing the Condors. The first few days no Condors.
Then on the third day I met one the very nice people that track the Condors. Each Condor has 2 radios. One on each wing. Each of these operates on a different frequency. I would, and can, only assume, it is in case one radio quits working they can still tract the Condor by the redundant radio transmitter.
You really do not have to know who the tracers are, it's very easy to see them if they are around. The man I met is Mr. Chris Crowe. I have his permission to use the following photos.
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Here is what you will see. He is waving an antenna back & forth trying to pick up a signal from a Condor. |
As you approach you should see this logo on the his jacket. |
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If you approach him in a mannerly way he most likely will answer any of your questions regarding the Condors, and why they are numbered. You just might be surprised what those numbers really do mean. |
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I also want to say that I have met two (2) other very nice people who track the Condors and who also are very pleasant and will answer your question on the Condors.
I have not shown their photos because I did not get a chance to ask then for permission to do so.
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Remember now, it's November, and I found out this is the beginning of the mating season, so we may see what I was told is their courtship, (possibly/probably) ritual/behavioral action. I am quite sure this is what he conveyed to me when I was showing him the photos that I had just taken. He told me that part of the behavior is for one bird to groom the other bird, or at least this was my under standing of what he told me.
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Using a 500mm lens with a 2X and a 1.4X tele converter on it here is what I got.
When I saw these two Condors bill to bill I figured some thing was about to happen, but didn't know what.
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What'ya think? We really should charge this guy for taking our picture don't ya think?
I believe the Condor on the left is number 23.
The Condor on the extreme right with just its head showing is Condor number 34.
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You now can see the Condor on the left is number 23.
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27 is now on the left.
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23 is in the center, and 27 is on the left,
I don't know what number 34 is doing or thinking.
In these images I have noticed a very small red spot on the birds neck.
Have not noticed this until I viewed these images up close while putting this web page together.
You can see it in this image on the left bird.
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If you look closely you now can see that red spot on the both the center bird and the one on the left.
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What you have just viewed in the above photos, you may never see in a life time.
You can see the radio antenna over the outside of the yellow tag on the bird on the left.
I all ready have put to many images on this page, so let's go to another to view a few more Condors.
Next set of images of the Condors.