Four condors caught the wind over the Grand Canyon

Tim Hauck of the Peregrine Fund gave the signal — 'Open the doors' — and four young California condors shot out of a clifftop cage into the sky above the Vermilion Cliffs. The year-and-a-half-old birds, hatched at a breeding facility in Boise, joined a flock of 92 in Arizona and Utah at the 30th annual release festival. Thirty years ago just 29 condors survived in the wild; today 392 fly free, and they have started breeding on their own in the Grand Canyon. The number-one threat remains lead poisoning from spent ammunition — but 85% of hunters in the condors' range now take part in a voluntary lead-reduction program. 'This is a very old species,' Hauck said. 'They survived the last ice age. Condors are resilient.'