Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
p. 258
—Continued—
California Condor
Eben McMillan
14 August 196?
at its closest Point. Automobiles, Jeeps-pickups
and large trucks used this road DURING the Time I
spent here in observation. Dogs were barking off and
during the time I spent here and the Cattle feeding
operations that continues throughout most of the day,
about the Farnsworth headquarters, gives rise to
much bellowing of cattle-banging of truck doors,
roaring of motors-talking of people and general
confusion. At one point in this operation a pickup
comes into the canyon twice each day, where the cow
carcass was, to feed several young cattle the
pasture in this area. The person performing the
feeding operation acknowledges his presence with
feed, to the cattle, by uttering loud mellow calls that
tend to attract these cattle to the feed. These activities
are general as a daily procedure.
The buzzards that were feeding on the cow carcass this
morning were well represented with young birds. This was not the
when I came here yesterday evening. Most of these
buzzards were very gentle and would allow one to pass
within 50 feet of their perch without their flying. They did fly
from the cow carcass when I came within 200 feet. But
in a tree they seemed quite confident of their safety. The
young buzzards were the most trusting. 50 plus
buzzards were in the general area of the cow carcass at
9:00 A.M. Two Ravens also fed on the carcass.
Mrs. Farnsworth came in her Jeep at 9:30 A.M.
and offered to drive me to Rock Corral and show me
where she had seen condor feeding on a dead calf on any.
We drove to this location that was about 1/4 mile south
of the rock corral. By following the marks left
the four adult condor that Evelyn Farnsworth saw feed
on this dead calf. We reconstructed the path—
(Feed
entered already)
Food
Oreplor