CALIFORNIA CONDOR Eben McMillan 6 July 1963 I was on the Cholame flats at 8:30 A.m.. Turkey Buzzards were just coming off the tops of dead cottonwood trees that grow in the Cholame Creekbed one half mile southeast of the Cholame Ranch Headquarters. These Buzzards were all heading out southeastward. The air was calm and flying conditions seemed good for the Buzzards were sailing about with effortless ease, doing very little circling to get elevation and moving very easily. I took up a watch on the rock outcropping to the east of Hancock Ranch Road, remaining there until 10:45 A.m.. Not seeing any Buzzards in this area, although lots of Raven were along the stream that comes from the Canyon to the north, I returned to the area near the Ranch Headquarters, stopping at the roadside, in the creek bottom, one mile southeast of Headquarters buildings. I now saw several Buzzards circling the valley and some were alighting and feeding on the Boll Calf carcass on which a Condor had fed last Tuesday. Condor At 11:40 A.m. two Condor were seen circling above the old maulve house on the Gene Rambo Ranch. When first seen both condor were circling and gaining altitude. After gaining moderate altitude one condor glided out northeastward slowly to be followed closely by the other Condor. Both birds drifted across the valley and circled again about one mile north of Cholame Ranch Headquarters. When circling here I could make out that one Condor was quite ragged in plumage while the other was in very good plumage. Both were in adult plumage. Breaking from this circling both condor headed east and were lost from sight after having glided for five minutes due east. When last seen both condor were still together, about 30 seconds after having lost sight of the Condors far out above the Wallace Place I picked up an object that could have been one of these Condor, for it was in the same general area the Condor were last seen. It was traveling northwestward fast. Do Condor use an angled route to go from Cholame flats to Castle Mountain? To Wallace Place then double back to Castle Mountain? Any Condor nesting in Castle Mountain at the present time?