california Condor Eben McMillan 2 February 1964 After circling this lower sheep carcass for several minutes the four Condor would alternate between alighting on the ground near it or hovering in the air above it. The east wind blowing up out of the Sulphur Canyon, created updrafts near the carcass on which the condor could remain nearly motionless for minutes at a time before going higher or forward or backward. When these birds would drop to the ground, from heights of from 20 to 100 feet, above the ground, where they would be waiting among, they would slowly let down at perhaps a foot a second and land on the ground with little or no more than the average body weight on their legs. When they wanted to arise into the air again, after standing and looking for a few minutes at the sheep carcass, they merely spread their wings and gently raised from the ground with no flapping of wings. I doubt that I have ever observed another species of bird that could better control itself and maintain stability in a stiff wind. At sunset we thought one of the four Condor, at the lower sheep carcass this evening, fed on the body of a Jackrabbit that lay about thirty feet south of the sheep carcass. This was due to our seeing a Condor dropping its head to the ground several times as it stood above the Rabbit carcass. At 5:15 p.m. All four of the Condor mentioned above flew out to the Northward alternately at about 200 yard intervals. The last one passed out of sight at 5:18 p.m. through the pass to the North of our Camps. This was about 5 to 7 minutes after Sunset. A fierce east wind blew throughout the night. It was cold.