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At around 8 am, Gary Waayers and I started on a campground bird walk. Around a tenth of a mile from Site #71, roughly in line with site #77, two California Condors were seen perched in a dead tree slightly to the E. of the campground loop trail. The birds were seen by a small number of campers from a nearby site, and by Gary and me. The photos here that are backlit were taken at this spot east of the road. We later identified the birds as Pink 89 – full number 889 (“Narcissa”, slightly over six-year-old female – reference: Ventana Wildlife Society website), and Yellow 4 – full number 204 (“Amigo”, slightly over 24-year-old male – reference: Ventana Wildlife Society website). At around 8:45 am, Narcissa flew across the road to a Gray Pine tree with several Turkey Vultures in it within the center of this campground loop, close to campsite #66. She rested, moved around in the tree a bit, and then clambered up a limb of the pine, and finally took flight.

Pinnacles National Park Campground, California.

Second year by molt limits (third photo), male by plumage
The new (replaced) feathers on this bird appear black and fresh (not worn). The old (retained) feathers appear brown and worn. Here, there’s a molt limit in the secondaries, one in the median coverts, and a greater coverts vs. primary coverts molt limit.

Banded at Zuma Canyon Bird Banding Station for research purposes with federally-issued bird banding permits.

Exciting stuff! Two adults and a subadult tightly rolled up in duff under a stone, all three of whom refused to uncoil for me. A nearby board yielded a third adult who was kind enough to move around a bit.

Was found under a coverboard. musked and deficated when handled. Was swabbed for Ophidiomyces ophidiicola as part of CDFW's state-wide SFD survey. Santa Susana Field Laboratory (Restricted Access). Observed during a reptile and amphibian survey with the Southwestern Herpetologist Society.

A glass snail casts a curious gaze to the looming shadow huddled over it...

(I thought it was reaching for the plant, but it really did just rear up when I approached, before lowering and continuing as normal).