California condor survey field notes, v1476
Page 353
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
ORNIA CONDOR Eben McMillan 15 August 1963 the pine tree and once landed it seemed undecided as to which limb to take or which foot to use. It's size can be noticed easily. I doubt that it would weigh within 3/4 the weight of the adult birds. Its head and neck were much smaller and its tarsometatarsus were much smaller than that of the adults. Returning from inspecting the Cow carcass, that had been fed on quite heavily from the rear end, I stopped near the Shooting Site - Tall pine in the flat about 200 feet west of the Cow carcass. From this spot, with a good rifle, I could have shot and killed anyone of six Condor that perched well within shooting range of a deer rifle. One adult bird and the Young 9 could have been reached easily with a small caliber rifle. The employee of the Farnsworth's came into the area at 8:45 A.M. and fed the cattle in this valley. He was within 400 yards of all the Condor perched in the canyon with the exception of the adult that had flown from the carcass and perched in the pine tree to the west. His calls to the cattle resounded throughout the canyon. His pickup truck clanked and roared as he moved about with the heavy load of feed. No Condor flew while he was there. At 9:10 A.M. Buzzards began leaving the canyon, in which the Cow carcass was, and in which they had looted. They came out in numbers of 8 or 10 at a time, circled up out of the canyon and flew out to the West and North. Two adult Condor flew down-canyon and joined a flock of circling buzzards at 9:20 A.M.; A 3rd Condor adult joined them at 9:25 A.M. These three circled up and flew out of sight to the South. As these three birds left the area a fourth Condor came from its roost at 9:28 A.M. and commenced circling as the Young Condor flew down canyon and joined it at 9:30 A.M., while the 6th and 7th