Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
California Condor
Ebon McMILLAN
11 May 1964
Young Condor was seen to make a dive towards the
raven which the raven thwarted with little effort and continued
to follow the Young Condor. Upon coming above a draw where
three Turkey Vultures were circling low over the Dale tops the
Young Condor dropped down and went out of sight somewhere
in this draw that is one of the far southeast drainages of
the Canyon that dumps out on Chalame flats southeast of
the foot of Kerr Grade about 5/8 of a mile. The Young Condor
went out of sight, into this draw, at 11:36 A.M.
At 11:43 A.M. a young Condor was seen to circle above the
horizon above the area where we had gone out of sight at 11:36. This
Condor circled with several Turkey Vultures above the ridgetop
here for several minutes appearing at times as though it would
drop down again but after several passes over the area
it went up higher and then headed Southeast in a flat glide
at 12:06 P.M. and was soon lost from sight still going
in this same direction.
At 1:50 P.M. An adult Condor with 5th Primary missing from
right wing and a gap in primaries of left wing came in from
the North on flexed wings and very high, passing directly
over where I lay on my back, eating my lunch, on hillside
1/4 mile south of foot of Kerr Grade. As it came overhead this bird
down
slowed considerably in speed, and where it did not deviate from
a straight course, it appeared to be floating over air waves that
would cause it to trim its sails when dropping into troughs and spreading
out for more surface when meeting the uphill side of these waves.
The wing action did not include wrist motion as is the-