This Condor Celebration Is Taking Virtual Wing

WENDING ALONG HIGHWAY 1, through Big Sur, can offer views so sweeping that a person beholding the region's surf-spectacular vistas may question all of the other sweeping views they've ever encountered. But the sheer sweep-a-tude of what you're seeing is only made more magnificent when a large bird suddenly swoops into the frame. For the California condor is known to reside in the Pacific-close area, famous locals that are often seen dipping briefly below various cliffs before rising again in dramatic skyward sweeps.

SEEING THESE VIBRANT VULTURES, billed as the biggest flying birds on our continent, is a moment that can live in a person's heart, and star in their colorful, oft-repeated anecdotes, for decades. Of course, traveling the coast can offer many gifts, but few of these gifts rock dramatic feathers, an impressive wingspan, and the ability to elicit gasps from landlubbers below.

VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY... celebrates these elegant but endangered flyers throughout the calendar, but a late-summer celebration truly puts the spotlight on all things condor, all while raising money to help them thrive. It's called Feathers in Flight, and the fundraiser will take virtual flight in early September 2021. There are several days of online to-dos, including a sanctuary tour, a discussion of a photography challenge focused on vultures, and lots more. Oh yes, and an auction rife with goodies, including chances for travel. For more on the 23Vulture Photo Challenge and all of the upcoming Zoom action, turn your own beak in the direction of the Ventana Wildlife Society site now.