This is a California condor, one of the largest flying creatures on earth; the Andean condor is reputedly slightly larger. Adults can weigh up to 25 pounds and their wings can span almost 10 feet. State and federal programs have saved the condor - once down to about 15 birds in the wild - from extinction. Today, there are about 200 condors, many of them in rugged locations in California.

This is a somewhat special condor. From his markings, I could see that he was AC9, which stands for Adult Condor #9. He was the last condor to be taken from the wild.

After siring several chicks, he was returned to the wild. Condors have been significant to many American American groups, so AC9's release was celebrated with a Chumash Indian blessing.

I photographed AC9 in the beautiful Topa Topa mountains north of the little town of Filmore, and this portrait of him appears in my book about the backroads of Southern California.