Featuring
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Pitahsi entering her nest
Condor 79, "Pitahsi" plays a lead role in the film's narrative -
Myra Finkelstein, Ph.D.
Myra's research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, definitively connects the dots between lead ammunition and presistant health
issues in condors -
Condor 79 - Pitahsi
The oldest female California condor in the wild -
Chandra David, Zookeeper
At the Los Angeles Zoo with Condor 112 -
Handling a condor for a health check
The ongoing challenge of lead poisoning requires that California condors be trapped and tested routinely -
Biologist Joseph Brandt
On rappel into a condor nest within the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge -
Anthony Prieto
A broad range of contributors to the California condor's recovery define the programs success. -
California condor
Striking in appearance, the condor predates man's presence in North America -
Bruce Rideout, DVM, Ph.D.
Comments in the film on the persistant threat of lead to the condor -
Biologist Blake Massey
At the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge -
Sampling Feathers
Research on environmental contaminents involves collecting feather samples from California condors -
Pre-release workup at LA Zoo
Joseph Brandt works with keepers at the Los Angeles
Zoo to prepare a condor for release into the wild -
Biologist Geoff Grisdale
Field workup of a California condor at the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge -
Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Southern California release site for the California condor -
Biologist Joseph Brandt
Lead field biologist for the Southern California condor program -
Michael Clark, Zookeeper
Mike Clark has over twenty years of experience in the care and breeding of the California condor -
Lead Testing Device Used in the Field
The primary source of mortality in California Condors is lead toxicosis -
California Condor in Flight
There's nothing quite like watching condors soar...
Hundreds of individuals have contributed to the recovery of the California condor. Just a few who have a role in the Southern California recovery effort are featured in The Condor's Shadow. They and a feisty condor named "Pitahsi" provide a window into what endangered species recovery looks like for the rarest of North American birds.
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Film Clips
Ria Bonner on condor nest observation.
Additional Film Clips >>California Condor Timeline
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Screening Opportunities
Schedule a screening
In additional to film festivals, The Condor's Shadow has screened nationwide at events sponsored by local Audubon chapters, ornithology groups and environmental orginaztions.
Broadcast
Television Broadcasts:
The Condor's Shadow has been broadcast on PBS SoCal and KQED in the San Francisco Bay Area with generous underwriting by Audubon California.
The Condor's Shadow has been licensed for broadcast by American Public Television which provides programs to independent PBS affiliates nationwide. Look for the film on your local PBS station. The film is also currently being broadcast internationally in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
The Condor's Shadow tells one of
the great conservation stories of
the last century and also presents the scientific challenges of endangered species restoration in a human context accessible to all viewers.
Mark Madison, Ph.D.
U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service Historian
National Conservation Training Center
American Conservation Film Festival Selection Committee Chair
Buy the Film on DVD
The Condor's Shadow DVD is currently only available for purchase by libraries and educational organizations.
Social Media
Captures the interplay between science and human values, along with the dedication and passion of the scientists involved with conserving this iconic species.
John D. Perrine, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Biological Sciences
California Polytechnic State University
