Pseudogryps
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There are about 10,000 species of birds currently found on Earth. One species that has drawn a disproportionate share of humans’ attention is the California condor.
Pseudogryps
3y ago
This post offers another look at the question of how much interest there is in the California condor as compared to other species of birds. For this look, my evidence of the level of interest is the appearance of species in articles published in the journal Condor. This scientific publication first appeared in 1900, describing ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
Certain “poses” by California condors seem to be especially attractive to photographers, illustrators, painters, sculptors, and other artists. One of these poses has long been referred to as the “sun worshipper”. The sun-worshipper pose is not just about spread wings, which also happens on takeoff and landing, during mating, and for other reasons. It’s clear ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
A few words can say a lot. For this post, I note 5 early examples of authors “giving up” on the continued existence of the California condor and doing so with a minimum of words. In “California Condor Will Soon Be Extinct”, published in the 4 August 1901 edition of the Los Angeles Sunday Herald ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
As a way of illuminating the relationship between California condors and humans, and to celebrate the humans who contributed to human understanding of and protection of condors, this post presents 8 more published photos of those humans. Each photo below is followed by quotations from its caption (if any) or the name of the subject ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
The California condor has inspired all manner of crafts. This post shows 17 examples that I found on the web. Because I do not own the objects below, I only show very low-resolution images. A traditional bird-related craft is carving hunting decoys from wood. Here is a wood carving of a California condor by Peter ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
Wild fires in California condor habitat make news for many reasons. To provide some perspective on humans’ concerns about wild fires and condors, here is a look at how newspapers have reported on fires and condors. I searched my California condor bibliography for newspaper articles published prior to 2000 that include the words fire, burn ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
The California condor has been at the center of or referred to in short pieces of fiction for over a century. This post looks at 6 such works. In the early 20th century, scientists excavating the “tar pits” of southern California found the skeletons of the ancestors of today’s California condor. W D Mathew’s “The ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
Having looked at 1000s of images of California condors, I have started to recognize “poses” of the great bird that seem more common than others. I am just beginning to explore whether this is true, why some poses might be favored, and what it might mean that particular poses are preferred. In this post, I ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
This is another post with artwork depicting the California condor that I found on the web. For decades, every condor in the wild has sported at least one wing tag. However, most artists choose not to include wing tags. What does that have to say about humans’ conception of the California condor today? The names ..read more
Pseudogryps
3y ago
Seeking to understand why humans fail to prevent the extinction, or near extinction of species, is nothing new. In this post I provide 3 early examples of authors struggling to make sense of the California condor’s plight. These examples are from the 1920s and 1930s. To emphasize that the words under consideration here are nearly ..read more