California condor survey field notes, v1477
Page 189
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
California Condor Eben McMillan 14 February 1964 when they both then sailed eastward and passed from sight behind hill southwest of Three Springs at 10:09 A.M. heading towards the Tejon flats. I drove to Williams Canyon at 10:30 A.M. This is the west fork of the headwaters of San Emigdio Canyon. Leaving my car at the mouth of Williams Canyon I hiked southwest, up this canyon for about one mile. Ground squirrels were literally, "all over the place", in Williams Canyon. Their whistling was continuous as one drew their attention as he walked along. Three separate Golden Eagle were seen in this canyon. Two deer were observed lying down, on the top of the high ridge to the west side of Williams Canyon, but in the open grassland. Returning to my car, after hiking in Williams Canyon, I then drove up Devil's Kitchen, this being the southeast fork of the headwaters of San Emigdio Canyon. At the end of Progress, with a car up this canyon, about one-half mile, I found the carcass of a calf that appeared to have been eaten on by condor, I photographed this carcass and turned back towards the foothills. In the west fork of Pleitito Canyon, about one- quarter mile above the forks, and in the very bottom of a narrow ditch close by the roadway, I came upon the carcass of another heifer with a small calf lying about ten feet behind it. This calf was well decomposed, but the cow, even though it smelled somewhat putrid was nevertheless intact with apparently edible flesh remaining on its corpse, but there was no sign of anything having commenced to eat on either the calf, or the cow.