California condor survey field notes, v1476
Page 229
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
California Condor Eben Mcmillan 4 July 1963 a cold north wind was blowing as we arrived at the U.S. Forest Service lookout on Breckenridge Mountain by Willis Arm. The temperature had dipped to 38 degrees at this station last winter. We were told by Mr. Morrison, who with his wife attends to the lookout as well as patrols the forest camps and roads in the Mt. Breckenridge area. Neither Mr. or Mrs. Morrison had seen any large birds on Breckenridge Mountain. Mr. Morrison had seen Buzzards when patrolling in the Valleys below. They were both interested in Condor and were hoping to see some but it is doubtful if they will know the difference between Condor and Eagles, Dr. Buzzards, for that matter. The only birds they professed to know were Quail and Dove. I showed them photographs of Condor, and pointed out the identifying features to look for. They had been on the mountain for 6 weeks and still knew very little of the gography, except the mountain peaks close-by. Both Mr. and Mrs. Morrison possessed a keen interest in wildlife and on my suggestion will put out a feeding and watering station near their lookout tower. Two different Television broadcasting stations have sizeable developments at the top of Breckenridge Mountain. Electricity has been brought in from the Walker Basin side, and a year-around road is maintained to the top. Some people who tend the T.V. equipment reside in a sizeable house near one of the complete broadcasting and receiving stations that is located about 4 mile west of the Forest Service lookout. Considerable vehicular traffic uses this road both day and night. On the west slope of Breckenridge Mountain a sizeable development has been in progress for many years. Four or Five Sections of land, about [illegible] ft. level has been subdivided and sold to people who have built weekend homes here. An aired road comes up from Bakersfield to this point. Just what disturbance this —