I have a common refrain, almost a mantra at this point, whenever I — still excitedly — spot a large black bird soaring above me on a hike: It’s always a turkey vulture.

After hiking around Southern California for almost a decade, I have yet to spot a California condor, the vulture’s much-larger majestic cousin. I recently decided to stop simply hoping and actually dedicate myself to observing the largest land bird in North America. We are quite lucky, after all, to have such a large dinosaur living within an hour’s drive of L.A.!

And thankfully to me, and you, dear Wilder, the L.A. Times newsroom is home to a passionate birder who has made it his mission over the past five years to spot as many condors as he can. Raul Roa is a Times photojournalist and avid birder.

Roa has been birding for 30 years, but started actively looking for condors about five years ago. He documented his first condor on June 1, 2019, at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, he has documented 54 condors, each of which he can identify by its wing tag. What started his interest?

“They’re one of the rarest birds in the world. … And they’re endemic to our area — they’re local here,” Roa said. “To have a bird like this accessible in a relatively close [drive], I think it’s one of the birds people should want to see in their lifetime because they’re just majestic.”

Here are the condor-spotting tips I gleaned from our conversation.

Identify condor hot spots

In California, the condor’s range extends from Los Padres National Forest (which is northwest of L.A.), Angeles National Forest and a portion of San Bernardino National Forest, all the way north to San José and Sequoia National Forest. Under the right weather conditions, the birds can fly up to 250 miles in search of food — that would be like driving to San Diego and back in one day in search of tacos (which is reasonable if they’re really good tacos).

Magic Mountain Wilderness in Angeles National Forest is an area condors are known to frequent (and can be a nice area to hike in cooler temperatures).

Four California condors take a break on the roof of a home in Stallions Springs in 2021. The bird with the pink No. 5 tag is now a 10-year-old male.

(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Roa told me that the spots nearest to L.A. where he’s spotted condors include:

Other spots farther away, but worth the drive, Roa said, are:

And, as a bonus, “if you go to the same spot, you’ll see the same birds,” Roa said.

Learn how to identify them

Here are some key differences between condors and turkey vultures.

• Turkey vultures, with wingspans of about 5½ feet, are much smaller than condors, which have wingspans of almost 10 feet. (By comparison, the Cessna Skyhawk, a popular single-engine plane, has a wingspan of 36 feet and one inch, so a condor is just under a third as large!)
• Condors fly with their wings straight out while turkey vultures typically fly in a V-shape.
• Turkey vultures have white gray-ish feathers on the trailing edge of the underside of their feathers — what a non-birder might call the bottom of their wings — while a condor has a white patch across the upper underside of their wings (the leading edge, as the birders say) that, as an Okie, I think resembles a Texas longhorn.
• A condor will generally have a wing tag.

A California condor warms up in the sun next to some turkey vultures south of Carmel near Big Sur in 2010.

(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Roa has been lucky enough to have condors fly just feet above his car.

“I’ve been close to a condor, within 10 feet, and when they take off, their wings make a sound like nothing else,” he said. “It’s like a big swoosh in slow motion. I’ve never heard anything like that from another bird.”

Look at dawn and dusk

Roa said he’s had the best luck spotting the birds early in the morning or in the evening. During the day, they’re usually out hunting for fresh carrion, also known as dead stuff.

Be patient

“Wild animals will do what they want,” Roa said. “If you’re patient, you’ll see them. You might have to wait a few hours. You might see them right away. You might not see them, but that’s what I do. I go out there where they’re expected to be seen. … I get lucky a lot of times from being patient and watching the skies.”

And don’t forget your binoculars and long camera lens!

California condor green No. 84 (784) is a male named Eeuukey. He was photographed flying in Stallions Springs in 2021. Part of the Southern California flock, he hatched at the L.A. Zoo in 2015 and is now 10.

(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

Roa learned where to find condors by using apps like iBird. iNaturalist is also a good resource, and any condors you document can be used to help scientists understand their range.

There are also Facebook groups and great nonprofits where you can volunteer to help efforts to save the condor, including Friends of California Condors Wild and Free and the Ventana Wildlife Society, which hosts a monthly chat about the birds.

Be respectful

Despite herculean efforts to rescue them from the brink of extinction, condors remain critically endangered. If you’re lucky enough to see one in the wild, do not get close. Don’t be loud. Just respectfully observe them and count yourself among the lucky few.

A California condor rests near a dirt road in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary during an escorted trip through Hopper Mountain in 2019.

(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

“Expect to see nothing, but if you see something, you’re really lucky. Feel grateful,” Roa said.

And, if you happen to see a turkey vulture instead, look closely for other birds near it. Roa sees them and condors together “all the time.”

Maybe I will see a condor someday after all.

3 things to do

Rainbow trout, only two inches in length, swim in the Arroyo Seco.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

1. Hike, bird and learn across L.A.
Several events are scheduled across L.A. County for California Biodiversity Day, which runs Saturday through Sept. 14. You can hike from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Black Star Canyon or at nearby Gypsum Canyon the following week. You can go birding from 8 to 11 a.m. Sunday at Debs Park to spot feathered neighbirds and then head to the Arroyo Seco at 3 p.m. to learn about the river’s biodiversity. Learn more about these and other events at californianature.ca.gov.

2. Bike along rivers in the San Gabriel Valley
ActiveSGV and Amigos de los Rios will co-host a 12-mile bike ride from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday starting at the Jeff Seymour Family Center (10900 Mulhall St., El Monte). The ride will take city streets and bike paths as cyclists explore the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel River. Register at eventbrite.com.

3. Paddle with pals in Long Beach
Kayakers and paddle boarders will meet for a sunset paddle at 6 p.m. today at Alamitos Bay in Long Beach. All skill levels are welcome, although participants should be comfortable paddling at dusk. Along with a vessel, guests should bring a headlamp or other light and a life vest or belt with leash. Register at eventbrite.com.

The must-read

Steven Gutierrez, national business representative with the National Federation of Federal Employees, in Turnbull Canyon.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Amid staffing cuts, housing safety issues and stagnant wages, more than 600 employees at Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks have unionized. Times staff writer Lila Seidman reported that more than 97% of employees who cast ballots voted to unionize during an election held from July 22 to Aug. 19. The workers are represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, which also represents park employees in Yellowstone, and staff at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. “Culture is hard to change,” said Steven Gutierrez, a national business representative for the union. “It takes something like this administration firing people to wake people up, to say, ‘Hey, I’m vulnerable here and I need to invest in my career.’”

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Are you looking to up your outdoors game? Consider attending an information session about the Sierra Club’s Wilderness Travel Course at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sports Basement Long Beach (2100 N. Bellflower Blvd.). This 10-week mountaineering and outdoor skills program, taught by the Angeles chapter in four locations across L.A., teaches participants about field navigation, scrambling, backpacking and more. The class aims to empower you to “travel, eat, and sleep more comfortably in any climate.” It also includes great field trips where you can test your knowledge. Registration for the next set of classes opens Sept. 15.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.