Cogswell 1950 Gymnogyps californianus Jan. 30: 2 mi. N Lebec, 3400 ft. Kern Co. Calif. at 4:40 p.m. as we drove north along US highway 99 a condor appeared over the hill to the east. When first seen by my wife, Bessie Cogswell, it was sailing; but by the time I got the car stopped and was out of it, the condor was beginning to veer in a wide circle high above Castaic Valley (in which the highway runs). During the next few minutes it flapped its wings 3 and 4 strokes in succession, and after a short sail, repeated this several times -- obviously trying to gain altitude and still progress to the southwestward. The flaps were of considerable amplitude, and at an estimated rate of about 1 every second or slightly faster. There was a strong westerly wind blowing through the valley -- sufficient to cause the car to swerve a bit as we drove along the highway. Through 9x binoculars the white wing patches of the condor were plainly visible. After the series of flappings, it neared the edge of a low cloud and began to soar in narrower circles, with its head drooping below the axis of its body. It was farther away by this time, toward Drazier Mtn., and we ceased watching it.