Rise Above

Condor rises high

Above churning ocean waves

Others ride strong swells

*****

Rise above life’s ebb and flow

Find your true perspective there

Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Soaring

Wings spread wide apart

Soaring high on summer wind

Viewing the menu

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Painting: Dwight L. Roth

 

Lonely Condor (a Haibun)

The California condor remains one of the world’s rarest bird species. It is one of the world’s longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years.  The species is listed by the IUCN as critically endangered.

A conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors which was completed in 1987, with a total population of 27 individuals.

These surviving birds were bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors were reintroduced into the wild. Since then, its population has grown, but the California condor remains one of the world’s rarest bird species. As of December 2016, there were 446 condors living wild or in captivity.  

Lonely Condor floats

On updrafts of summer winds

No others in sight

Painting of the California Condor: Dwight L. Roth

Information about the Condor from Wikipedia