With a wingspan of almost ten feet and weighing up to 25 lbs.

The California Condor is North America's largest native flying bird.

Nine and a half foot wingspan of just awesomeness.

When you see them up close.

They are beautiful.

The wingspan is crazy, awesome.

They get under your skin and into your heart, as cheesy as that sounds.

This is where people come to see the California Condor.

It's a great place to see our California Condors flying wild and free.

Just setting up here and enjoying nature.

If I don't see nothing, I'm still happy.

Once on the brink of extinction, the California Condor has made a positive recovery.

Now giving bird enthusiasts an opportunity to view one of the holy grail of birds.

Yeah, that's why we're here every day, because we're optimistic that this species can recover.

I can't stop smiling.

Today, Refresh Quest sets out into Condor Country for a bucket list adventure of a lifetime.

Refresh Quest is the search for refreshing travel experiences that aim to inspire and uplift the mind, body and human spirit.

With a team of like minded friends, Refresh Quest invites you along the journey as we explore unique destinations, meet inspiring individuals and gain empowering knowledge that will help us to create new realities and refreshing possibilities.

Welcome to Refresh Quest.

Ever since I was about ten years old, one of my favorite hobbies was to photograph birds in the wild.

Everything from a common backyard sparrow to a high circling turkey vulture, or a hawk, and if I was lucky, an escaped green parrot.

Til this day, my curiosity for my feathered friends continues.

So when I learned that one of the Holy Grail of birds, the California Condor, was back flying free in the wild not far from me, I immediately made plans to venture out in hope of a sighting for myself.

My first trip led me just about an hour northwest of Los Angeles to the Sespe Condor Sanctuary above Fillmore, California, located off State Highway 126, Fillmore is a small city in Ventura County, known for its rich, fertile agricultural soil and orange groves.

Traveling through the main center of town revealed an abandoned railroad system built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1887.

Not to be mistaken for a condor, I spotted a large group of turkey vultures flying high above the tracks, although cousins with a few similar features dark colored feathers and a bald head, the turkey vulture has a much shorter wingspan of five and a half feet compared to the nine and a half plus of the California Condor.

Making a right hand turn off the highway onto A Street leads you on a 14 mile trip up a steep, narrow, winding dirt road.

Established in 1992, the Sespe Condor Sanctuary is part of a 53,000 acre wildlife refuge dedicated to the protection and the recovery of the California Condor.

The sanctuary lies within the Topatopa Mountain Range in the Los Padres National Forest, the gateway into California Condor Country.

Climbing high above the valley floor, you'll discover deep canyons, steep ridgelines and rocky pinnacles a perfect place for the California Condor to safely forage nest and roost.

Not to mention offering protection to some of our other feathered friends as well.

We made it to Dough Flat Trailhead.

There is literally nobody up here.

I mean, it is quiet.

Let's find some condors.

Where are you condors?

The Dough Flat Trailhead is the only way into this protected area.

So while hiking the seven and a half mile trail, you'll discover many native plant species, as well as a variety of fossilized marine shells and invertebrates in almost every rock you encounter.

Now, one would think that with the words condor sanctuary, it wouldn't be difficult to spot condors flying throughout this area.

But with the ability to fly on warm thermal updrafts up to 15,000 feet and over 55 miles per hour, covering hundreds of miles in a single day, the California Condor could be whenever and wherever it wants at any given time.

So as the day grew long, it was time to pack it out, as I faced strike one.

The next tip sent us north into the Mojave Desert, stopping off the beaten path to record and experience the prehistoric looking rock formations that rise above the desert valley floor, where an abundance of sand, sagebrush, cacti and Joshua Trees have made this place their home.

Now, traveling with friend Jonathan Clever, we headed along Highway 14 towards the town of Tehachapi, California.

All right, we are driving out to Tehachapi, California.

Oh, yeah.

We got a tip that a lot of times the condors have been making their way to the mountains of Tehachapi.

Nice.

When you're birding, you've got to go where the tips are.

Oh yeah, totally.

Hopefully, we get lucky today.

You ever been on a condor hunt?

No, I have not.

Okay, you're in for a treat.

Heck yeah.

Oh, it's a red tailed hawk.

Come on, condors.

I'm ready for you.

Let's get this condor hunt going.

Our drive took us through Oakfield Countryside to pine forest mountains, discovering a few local woodland birds along the way.

But still no sign of the California Condor.

My strike count was now at two.

Determined not to strike out, my next trip took me north on Interstate 5 and then west through Frazier Park over Mt.

Pinos and far out into the foothills that ripple and fold as they follow alongside the San Andreas Fault.

Always up for an adventure, I took a detour off the main pass and onto a narrow dirt road that led me into the middle of nowhere.

But with the idea that I would find one of California's great scenic erosional landforms, the badlands of Quatal Canyon.

Back on Hudson Ranch Road.

I arrived just in time for an unexpected stratus cloud showcase that needed to be seen to be believed.

We're trying to get to Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, and it's a beautiful day up top.

But below and behind me is this incredible fog layer.

I almost feel like I'm standing on top of the entire world, looking down at the unknown, waiting for that condor to approach and come right out of the clouds.

This area is just incredible with dramatic cliffs to my right forest of pines and oaks to my left.

If I'm going to see a California Condor, this is where I want to see it.

Every twist and turn across this 22 mile section of U.S. 95 starting from Mount Pinos to the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge produces stunning and unusual topography.

Too good to pass up.

So as the fog dissipated and the sun broke through, I stopped off whenever I could to snap off a few shots that would not be soon forgotten.

Okay.

We made it to the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge here in Ventura County.

Sun is out now is blue sky day.

This is where people come to see the California Condor.

This area is so peaceful, so calm.

I hear sounds of meadowlarks, which is my favorite songbird.

You've got sparrow hawks and red tailed hawks, sparrows, blue jays, mountain bluebirds.

Of course, we're hoping to see the California Condor.

I'm looking up in the skies, and I do have a feeling we're going to see a couple on this road for sure.

This is California Condor Country.

This area is loaded with bird life.

Everything from one of the world's smallest birds to one of the world's most powerful raptors.

The Golden Eagle.

I even happened upon a chance encounter with a coyote.

They told me they see condors all the time.

Just look up.

Look around.

OK Cows.

I'm taking your guys advice.

Now with the sun beginning to set on another one of my opportunities.

I began to face the facts as I headed back home empty condor handed.

I felt that perhaps I was only chasing its shadow, but my fate was not written yet.

And as I stopped off to take one last picture of the countryside, something suddenly caught my eye.

Nine and a half foot wingspan weighing up to 25 lbs Once on the brink of extinction, with only 22 left in the entire world.

And now, today, I had the opportunity to witness this odyssey of mythical proportions.

The California Condor is making a comeback flying wild and free back into its native territory its land, its home.

So we just saw our first California Condor up close.

Pretty awesome.

I pulled off alongside the road, not expecting to see a condor.

I was ready to pack up and go home, started taking some photographs of some red tailed hawks.

And these red tailed hawk started to dive bomb on something, and two of them came up and it was a pair of California Condors.

They just went down below on this canyon.

And I'm going to try to see if I can wait them out and get them as they come back up.

All right.

happy California Condor hunting.

This is awesome.

It is true that when you're birding, like looking for the California Condor, you may see them out on the open road right in plain sight.

A lot of times you might find yourself under a bush like I am right now, tucked away, hidden, trying to be as quiet as possible.

It makes for a really special moment, unforgettable, for sure.

Although this brief encounter was not quite the home run that I had hoped for, it made a lasting impression that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

But why wait that long when you now know right where to find them.

Back over the Grapevine, through Frazier Park pass the llama, donkeys and cows up over Mt.

Pinos, roaring by the wooden bear and far out into the countryside we go to watch the California Condors put on a masterful aerial show.

I even met some new feathered minded friends to share this cool experience.

I'm Tim Allen from Falling Waters, West Virginia.

I've been shooting pictures for about 50 years when I first came to California.

One of my first things out here was I wanted to get a California Condor as my bucket list and wanted to get one in the wild.

And I spent almost a year and went all over the Bitter Creek Pinnacles, Big Sur, you know, always looking for the better shot.

Even if I don't see any condors just sitting up here and just enjoying nature.

And it keeps my mind straight.

You know.

If I don't see nothing I'm still happy.

Hi, my name is John Savageau and I come up to Bitter Creek because it's a great place to see our California Condors flying wild and free.

My generation did a lot of, let's say, not productive things to the planet, not productive things to California, you know, introducing a lot of chemicals, poisons.

We did a lot of damage to the population of wildlife.

It's hard to explain to people how precious and how fragile some of these species are.

And if I can take the experiences, the bad things that we may have done to precipitate some of those problems and the immense human effort to try to recover from those problems and have a young person understand that and a young person today that can appreciate how precious and wonderful and how valuable they are to our generation and future generations.

If we can take great photographs to inspire those young people, I believe that that's one millimeter at a time that we can do to perhaps create a better quality of life for people as well as our precious wildlife in the future.

The Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge has over 22 square miles of protected land dedicated to the recovery of the California Condor.

It is closed to the public, so if coming to see the California Condor, you must find a good spot to pull over alongside the highway.

One of the better spots is right next to the Bitter Creek sign where you might find another friend of the California Condor.

I'm Helen Johnson, and I'm president of The Friends of California Condors Wild and Free.

And we do educational outreach supporting the California Condor Recovery Program.

This is one of the few sites where we can meet with people and actually show them the condor in the wild.

And it's just sort of this unexpected joy for the day.

And that's a treat to get to be part of.

Helen brings along a wonderful outreach collection of educational props that she shares as learning tools, including a very special part of the storied history of the program.

So this is a Condor puppet.

And this guy actually fed baby condors, which is just sort of mind blowing.

As my curiosity grew, I wanted to learn more about the California Condor and its recovery.

So in the month of June, I was invited by the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service for a chance to get on the refuge, for even a closer look to see how they are working in helping the species return from the brink of extinction.

So back to Bitter Creek.

I went to spend the day with two very experienced professionals.

I'm Arianna Punzalan.

I'm the supervisory wildlife biologist for the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service.

And my name is Nicole Weprin, and I am a wildlife biologist here with the Fish Wildlife Service.

And we're here at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge to work up a bird that we traps for its annual health check.

We do health checks to check the bird for lead poisoning mainly and then also reattach transmitters so that we can monitor the bird as well as we can.

The California Condor is an endangered species, so our job to follow these birds around the landscape pay attention to what threats they might face out there.

And what we're doing here today is a really important step to allow us to do that.

Condors are really good parents.

They're very attentive.

They spend a lot of time both male and female, partake in raising of that chick.

And we're really lucky that we actually have a nest here in refuge that we can see a lot of those in nest behaviors.

I've been working with condors since 2012, so it's safe to say that I love condors.

I started working them straight out from finishing my undergraduate degree, worked at Pinnacles National Park for the condor program, and then did my master's degree of predicting, condor expansion in California before coming here.

So it's safe to say I love condors.

I've been with the condor program for about three years and I think you see, compared to a lot of other species of raptors.

You see a lot of character to these birds and they get in under your skin and into your heart.

As cheesy as that sounds.

Established in 1985, the Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge was the first active manager for the California Condor, even having the first release into the wild in 1992, not far from where I was standing now, within a few yards of these majestic raptors.

I was really able to appreciate the immense size and essence of something almost otherworldly, a sense of a connection to our pre-historic past.

I could have easily spent all day watching these birds groom and sun themselves, but there was much important work to be done and the reason refuges like this one was established in the first place.

So into the blind we went to begin.

Today, presented us with one trapped bird condor number 328.

The first part of this process was to get the bird to hopefully cooperate and find its way into one of the smaller isolation pens so that the handlers can begin the workup.

This program's been around for a long time, and there are a lot of very knowledgeable experts in this field who know exactly how to take care of these birds and how to manage their stress and to make sure that they aren't harmed in any way.

And we've been through a lot of training to that regard.

The welfare of the bird is the very first and foremost important thing to what we're going to do today.

Even in the condor world, no one likes to go to the doctor, even if it's for your own good.

He's not wanting to be caught in the net, but I'm sure, as you saw, we do our best to kind of read his behavior and what we're trying to do is get him to land on the ground or come into one of these smaller pens, or we can then have an easier time trapping him.

But, you know, he has the advantage of height on us.

He can fly.

And what we're really focusing on, because it is so hot today, is that we are trying to keep him from overheating.

We really want to be cognizant of the bird's health.

We want to make sure that this process is not going to be detrimental to him, especially he's breeding male, but to all the birds.

And just like that, finally he was ready for his checkup.

The biggest reason why we're here today and why we are focused on the overall health of these birds is because they have one major threat that we are most concerned about, and that is lead poisoning.

How these birds get exposed to lead, It's kind of a process.

It's basically through lead ammunition.

If one hunter is out on the landscape, you hike six miles in the backcountry and you take an elk, you're not going to carry that entire elk out.

So oftentimes hunters field dress an animal and that's actually really, really important because that is a critical food source for these birds out on the landscape.

However, if that animal is taken with lead ammunition, that lead impacts that animal, and fragments.

Some of these pieces can even be microscopic and the condor can then ingest that.

And so we discovered this by x-raying remains from hunters.

Pretty much every bird has some level of lead in their blood when we draw it.

When a bird dies of lead poisoning, it's heartbreaking.

That's kind of the reality of what what we deal with on a day to day basis.

And that's where that source is coming from.

So that's why we're here.

That's why we're checking the health of the bird, taking the blood and really trying to get a handle on that critical issue.

I guess the flip side of that, though, is that, you know, being out here and being hands on, we're able you know, being out here and being hands on, we're able to see slow and steady progress towards that and you see a little bit of that every day.

And I think that's kind of what help helps me come to work every day.

It is those moments where we realize like, you know, we got that bird he's back out in the wild and one more step to recovery.

of that species.

We would prefer not to have to trap these birds and check them for lead.

We would rather just be monitoring them and watching their population increase.

But it's also something that we're optimistic about because we do know is the greatest threat to Condor survival.

And it's something that can be changed.

It's not like condors are endangered because of habitat destruction or climate change or a food source decline.

It's one major thing which is lead poisoning and something that we can change and is tangible.

Yeah, that's why we're here every day, because we're optimistic that this species can recover to be a part of a program of a species that once only had 22 individuals in the wild and then was essentially extinct in the wild.

And now I get to be a part of their comeback is inspiring to me for sure.

Completely.

Absolutely.

I don't have anything else to add to that.

There is no doubt that Arianna and Nicole are part of a true dream team helping in the recovery and the preservation of the California Condor.

In the following month of July.

We came back one last time.

As now, a larger group of biologists worked up a total of seven caught birds.

We watched and recorded the process as this fine oiled team went back through each step of the work-up.

This process is done on a regular basis, so with the 200 plus birds just here in Southern California, you can imagine this keeps the team here at Bitter Creek very busy throughout the year, Leaving no detail unnoticed.

The team worked quickly and efficiently, making sure that every bird was healthy and safe.

Once trained, even I was given the opportunity to get in on the special and important process myself.

It's hard to imagine that I once struggled to find even one bird on my journey.

And now here I was, holding one in my arms.

Absolutely surreal.

This was truly an incredible moment to see a California condor this close and in person.

But for me, it still pales in comparison to the feeling that I get when I see these incredible birds released back into the wild.

One by one, all seven were released with the hope that one day in the near future, work-ups like these will no longer be necessary to ensure their survival.

But until then, today was a positive reminder of just how far the California Condor has really come.

For not that long ago, this bird was on the brink of extinction, with only 22 birds left in the wild, and now with a collaborative effort by many individuals and recovery programs like the one here at Bitter Creek, the total population has risen to over 500, with 337 in the wild, populating the skies over California, Arizona, and Baja California.

Trying our best to record all of this action.

Me and Jonathan were still in disbelief that we got to be a part of this incredible experience.

These things are ginormous.

You see them in pictures or something, it doesn't justify em when you see them up close.

They are beautiful, huge and the wingspan is crazy awesome.

So incredible being here.

You can see these condors up close in person.

It's like nothing else in the entire world.

I'm trying to track a few condors in the sky and sometimes they'll come directly overhead and swoop around and do fly by, fly back out towards the mountains and the plains.

And when they bring their wings out, fly over you.

They're so big.

We're talking nine and a half foot wingspan of just awesomeness Through continued preservation and education along with countless individuals that really care, the California Condor has been given a second chance, and in turn, people like you and I, as we make our way out to a place like Bitter Creek to watch this majestic raptor catch and then ride aloft on a warm updraft soaring high above the land, just like it was always intended to be wild and free.