Two California condors have photobombed a wildfire trail camera high above a California mountaintop. The snapshot has delighted conservationists.

ALERTCalifornia, run by the University of California, San Diego, monitors over 1,200 cameras across the state for wildfires and natural disasters. On August 17, its El Rancho camera captured two condors, one pecking at the lens with curiosity while the other posed behind.

A separate flock of at least five condors was filmed roosting near a wildfire camera atop Henrietta Peak on August 26. The critically endangered birds have a wingspan of about 10 feet.

Four decades ago, the species was almost wiped out. By 1982, only 22 California condors remained in the wild. Poaching, habitat loss and lead poisoning had devastated the population.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service started a captive breeding program. All 22 birds were taken into refuges. In 1988, the first zoo-bred chick was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Today the birds are slowly recovering, though lead poisoning remains a threat. The ALERTCalifornia cameras, which can see 60 to 70 miles on a clear day, double as wildlife monitors.