Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Gymnogyps californianus
May 3, 1946 Nr. Famoso, Calif.
Car about 200 yds. from these birds & may have
disturbed them. 11:13, I counted 13 -'adults 1
min. were still at the near squirrel hole &
5+ were with buzzards 2+miles to E. The min. took
off galloping with both feet nearly simultaneously
& flapping 15 times, then flap-glided 300+yds. &
alighted near 2 buzzards. The adult followed and
landed about 100' from min.. At 11:18 the 2 buzzards
flew off. The adult pulled at the squirrel with bill sev-
eral times, holding it down with 1 or both feet. The
2 buzzards stood 10+ behind adult, quietly. At 11:27 the
min. still stood quietly on the slope 100' from adult.
The location of these birds was 8 miles E. & 2 miles N.
of Famoso. Another condor - a near adult - stood
100+yds. to S. of my car, its neck bulging & "crop" skin
just showing, standing & looking about. The min. had
pink color ventrally on neck above ruff. 11:32 The feed-
ing adult took off about 11:28 & by 11:30 there were 5 buzz
ards standing at that spot. 11:32, there were 7 soaring
very slowly about 1 mile to E., one with feet down at
400+ altitude. These birds were in flat-gliding position
leading NW into the wind as if "tacking". 11:34,
the nearly perched condors & buzzards took off
& circled together, rising. Two buzzards remained
perched 1/4+mile N. of me, & at 11:38 an adult spiraled
in and landed 10+ from the buzzards. The buzzards