Bird field guide · New World Vultures

Photographing the California Condor

How to photograph the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus): the right lens for its size, shutter speeds for perched and moving animals, and when it's most often seen (February, March, April, May and June).

60–80 cm1/2500–1/3200 sCR

60–80 cm

Typical length (family range)

1/800 s

Shutter: perched / still

1/2500–1/3200 s

Shutter: action / flight

f/6.3–f/8

Aperture

6,708

Research-grade sightings in N. America

Recommended camera settings#

ModeManual + Auto ISOLock shutter & aperture, let ISO float

Shutter (still)1/800 s

Shutter (action)1/2500–1/3200 s

Aperturef/6.3–f/8

FocusAF-C + subject/eye detectionFor flight shots use wide-area tracking and +0.3 to +1 EV against bright sky.

DriveHigh-speed burst

Lens300–500 mmFull-frame equivalent

Focal length needed to frame it#

For a subject about 70 cm long filling a third or half of the frame width horizontally.

Distance	⅓ of frame (FF)	½ of frame (FF)	⅓ of frame (APS-C)	⅓ of frame (MFT)
5 m (16 ft)	83 mm	125 mm	56 mm	42 mm
10 m (33 ft)	167 mm	251 mm	111 mm	83 mm
15 m (49 ft)	250 mm	376 mm	167 mm	125 mm
20 m (66 ft)	334 mm	501 mm	223 mm	167 mm
30 m (98 ft)	501 mm	752 mm	334 mm	250 mm
50 m (164 ft)	834 mm	1,253 mm	556 mm	417 mm

When to find it#

Share of iNaturalist observations by month across North America. Peak months: February, March, April, May and June.

About the California Condor#

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. This condor became extinct in the wild in 1987 (all remaining wild individuals were captured), but the species has been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah (including the Grand Canyon area and Zion National Park), the coastal mountains of central and southern California, and northern Baja California. Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member...

Summary adapted from Wikipedia via iNaturalist (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Field-craft tips#

Thermals mid-morning; easy flight-photo practice.
For flight shots use wide-area tracking and +0.3 to +1 EV against bright sky.
Sightings peak in February, March, April, May and June, which is when you'll have the most chances.

Ethics#

The welfare of the animal comes first: if it changes its behaviour because of you, you are too close.
Stay on trails, respect closures around nests, leks, dens and haul-outs.
Avoid playback and baiting in sensitive seasons; never bait predators.
Don't share precise locations of rare, nesting or roosting animals publicly.