California condor

Endangered California condors are tracked by experts every moment, and their ups and downs can be heartbreaking.

The bird was shot near McPhee Reservoir this spring. The poaching further challenges one of the most endangered species in North America, after years of recovery struggle.

Essayist Andrew Gulliford ponders the past, present and future of the ancient bird, now thriving again among northern Arizona's Vermillion Cliffs. An…