Wildlife
California Condors: 2 Live Cameras — Big Sur
Two cameras at Big Sur, California, on a bird that was nearly gone from the wild in the 1980s and is being brought back one nest at a time.
What you can see
The California condor was very nearly gone from the wild in the 1980s. The population is still being rebuilt one nest at a time, with people checking each one, and these two cameras are on that work.
The condor sanctuary sits two miles inland from the Pacific, run by the Ventana Wildlife Society at Big Sur. Condors raised in captivity have been released here since 1997, and at San Simeon since 2015. So that newly released birds can find food that is not contaminated with lead, researchers put out stillborn calves inside a fence that keeps coyotes out. Golden eagles and other birds come in too.
The condor nest (Castle Nest) is on a nest the same society watches at Big Sur.
The pair is a feeding site and a nest, so opening them together connects where a bird eats with where it goes home to.
Cameras you can watch now: 2
All 2 are live video. Tap one to open it in the camera list.
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Live video
California condor sanctuary (Big Sur)
California, Big Sur · Wildlife · Nature
Ventana Wildlife Society's condor sanctuary in Big Sur, two miles east of the Pacific and surrounded by US Forest Service land. The society has released captive-bred condors here since 1997 and at San Simeon since 2015. Researchers put out stillborn calves so that newly released birds have a clean, lead-free food supply, and a fence keeps scavengers such as coyotes out. Golden eagles and other birds come in too.
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Live video
Condor nest (Castle Nest)
California, Big Sur · Wildlife · Nature
A camera at a California condor nest watched by the Ventana Wildlife Society in Big Sur. The species was down to a handful of wild birds in the 1980s, and its numbers are still being rebuilt one monitored nest at a time.
When to watch
Neither provider names a season. These are nest cameras and the picture changes completely through the year, but we are not going to invent a date for it here.
California is 16 hours behind Japan on daylight saving time. 6am there is 10pm in Japan, noon there is 4am the next day, and 6pm there is 10am the next day. In winter the gap is 17 hours and everything shifts an hour later.
Condors fly on rising thermals, so there is most movement in the local early afternoon, once the ground has warmed — the following morning and midday in Japan.
Big Sur is right on the Pacific and it is foggy country. On a foggy day the picture goes white.
If it isn't showing
Both also appear on the United States page, and are collected under Wildlife.
There are three Bald Eagle nests in the same state; for other raptors, Ospreys and Peregrine Falcons.
On choosing what time to open one, see Which cameras are in daylight now.
Where to find California Condors
Agencies publishing the cameras on this page
- explore.org (Deep links and embeds OK, no image reuse) — Official site
The footage belongs to each agency. This site is an unofficial guide, and each sample frame was copied once per camera under that agency's terms of use.