FLYING FREE

Day after day.
Hour after hour.
We search the blue skies, and
Gaze into the hazy Canyon.
All for a glimpse, however brief, of the rarest bird on Earth.

Then, the Reward
Just on the horizon,
A Huge black bird,
Wings spread wide,
Riding the thermals,
In seconds, he flies by us
All without a single flap.

Whoa, wait a second,
The Condor banks for another flyover. Close enough for us to see his radio tracking device, and i.d. # 87, and I swear, for one brief moment, we were eye-to-eye.
Then he soared higher and higher. Soon to become just a speck in the sky.
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The History
In 1982 only 22 condors remained in the wild. By 1985, that number decreased to 9. Drastic measures were taken to save this magnificent species. The remaining wild condors, all males, were captured and bred with captive condors.
Now, 400 condors live on this Earth, and 74 call the Grand Canyon home.

What a comeback.
As for me, let's just say, I'm one lucky photographer.