According to an article in The Oregonian posted a few days ago, the California Condor has reached a new population milestone: More than 400 are alive today, 226 of them wild in California, Arizona and Baja, Mexico, and 179 living in zoos and four breeding centers. The Condor, which is largest bird in North America, was almost extinct just 30 years ago.A few weeks back, while spending a day hiking up to Tin House in Big Sur, CA, three (!) of these handsome birds flew over us for close to a half hour, soaring back and forth, getting so close that you could hear the flap of their wings. We had just gotten high enough above the redwoods that the coast was in full view, making it nearly impossible to lose sight of the birds in the thick of the woods. I was by myself during the entire thing - I had walked ahead - laying down on the trail, too happy to care that I had left my phone in the car to take pictures.Thank you Obi for bringing your camera.MP3: Little Joy - The Next Time Around