Bryce Canyon City in Garfield County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Giants of the Sky

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 25, 2024

1. Giants of the Sky Marker

Inscription. The California condor, with a nearly ten-foot wingspan, is the largest land bird in North America. Its range once stretched across the west, south to Baja California, and north to British Columbia. By 1940, this magnificent bird was on the verge of extinction from poaching, DDT contamination, habitat destruction, and lead poisoning from consuming carrion containing lead bullets. Captive breeding programs have helped stabilize the population, and today there are nearly 100 condors nesting and flying free in northern Arizona and southern Utah. In July 1999, two condors were spotted in the park. Sightings are rare and impossible to predict, but perhaps one day California condors will nest on the rugged cliffs.

[Caption]: Turkey vultures are often mistaken for the much larger California condor.

[Caption]: Female condors lay one egg every other year. Both parents incubate the egg and care for their offspring. A chick fledges (flies) by six months, but may stay with its parents for 1-2 years. Identification tags help biologists track medical histories and behavioral patterns.

[Caption]: A California condor’s head and

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neck are bald and pink, and black feathers circle the base of their neck.

[Caption]: Wingspan Comparisons.
California condor up to 9.8 feet (2.8 m)
Golden Eagle up to 7.2 feet (2.1 m)
Turkey vulture up to 5.8 feet (1.7 m)
Raven up to 3.8 feet (1.1 m)
A bird’s wingspan is the measurement from wing tip to wing tip.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Animals. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1999.

Location. 37° 32.683′ N, 112° 14.829′ W. Marker is in Bryce Canyon City, Utah, in Garfield County. It can be reached from Main Park Road (Utah Route 63), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located at Fairview Point in Bryce Canyon National Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bryce UT 84764, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Canyon Country

and specifically in Color Country. It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 25, 2024

2. Giants of the Sky Marker

the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A Forest Reborn (approx. one mile away); Fighting Fire with Fire (approx. 4.9 miles away); A Lasting Legacy (approx. 5.1 miles away); What’s in a Name? (approx. 6½ miles away); Bryce Amphitheater (approx. 7 miles away); Serial Homesteaders (approx. 7 miles away); The Legend People (approx. 7 miles away); Building Bryce and Beyond (approx. 7.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bryce Canyon City.

Fairview Point image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 25, 2024

3. Fairview Point

View of Bryce Canyon National Park from Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 25, 2024

4. View of Bryce Canyon National Park from Marker

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 25, 2024

5. View of Bryce Canyon National Park from Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 156 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 31, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.