Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Gymnogyps californianus
June 3, 1946 Hopper Basin Calif.
Sneeze from B.W. then 4:06 the adult took
off & shifted to a dead limb of a green Ps. about
200 yds. further E. (4100' below) its former
perch, and stood facing SE. At 4:12 when we
left it was still there. We hiked up the canyon
to Big Cave. We found about 20 fairly fresh
primary feathers, mostly below Whitewash
Ledge, about 6 alula feathers, 4 others. Below
4th Whitewash Lodge & immediately (30')
delow a much whitewashed hole (where I had seen
some root & water on several occasions) I found
the broken shell of at least half of a cactus egg. I found
no embryo remains nor egg contents, so possibly
the shell was from a hatched bird. The membrane was
dry + somewhat brownish + shell dirty. It must have
been this year's egg - else the birds & rodents probably
would have consumed the shell. About 5:15 we
left Big Cave. At 6:15 from the tractor trail I observed
Arundell Ridge & found one perched adult on a
partly green long limb of a Ps. below + 1/4 mile N. of
Saddle Ps. Mrs. Reynolds reported she had seen
2 or 3 from the trail but not close enough for
pictures. We returned to camp.
June 4, 1946 Hopper Basin, Calif.
With the Reynolds group set out for top of Big
Cave. At 7:30 a.m. I saw one adult stop