"Yes," the young woman said, "we see condors here, like, almost every day."
The key word in that sentence is not "condor." It is "almost."
California condors once were among the rarest birds in the world. The known population had dropped to 22 individuals. In 1987 all of these birds were captured, first, to save them from dying — mostly of lead poisoning — and, second, to begin a breeding program.
The program was successful, all things considered. Today there are about 450 California condors in the world. About 250 are free-flying in California, Arizona and Baja California in Mexico.
The 250 include the birds seen "almost" every day from the canyon rim at Bright Angel Lodge.
Bright Angel is one of the National Park Service's guest accommodations at the Grand Canyon. My wife and I visited the canyon in May. The woman whom I questioned was tending a patch of lawn at Bright Angel, 50 feet from the canyon rim, her view unlimited.
She told me she thought condors were nesting "out there." She pointed to a distant rock formation crowned with a wig of stone.
The park ranger at the canyon's park entrance also told me to check Bright Angel. He said he saw them there "often." That's another vague word, but he might have been a reliable source. He was in uniform.
