Tail slapped when it dove to get away. I am not 100% sure it isnt a Muskrat, but the tail slap makes me pretty sure it was a beaver
Pinnacles National Park, West Entrance and Balconies Trail
The last photo shows how far away this condor was sitting on the very top of the ridge. Each condor has tags with numbers, but I can’t make out what number this one is.
INat iwoodard was able to read the condor tag # and says "Looks like condor 966 "Pixchi". A 5 year old female managed by the Ventana Wildlife Society. I can just barely make out the impression of "66" on the beige tag (second digit is definitely 6, I could be persuaded otherwise on the first)."
Pixchi's Bio -- https://www.ventanaws.org/condor966.html
Link to observation of condor #40 (observed here on April 8, 2024). It tells his entire life, history, including offspring, siblings, and more on condorspotter website: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/206197817
California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) Native, and critically endangered; only recently has this species started breeding successfully again in the wild. Adult condors are black with a white stripe on the underwing. Wingtips are splayed into conspicuous "fingertips." Condor wingspan is up to 9.5 ft; Turkey Vulture wingspan is up to 5.75 ft. Condors have a thick orange head; Turkey Vultures have a smaller reddish head. Condors soar on flat wings; Turkey Vultures "teeter-totter" in flight.
Largest threat to the condors is ingestion of lead bullets in carrion. Lead bullets are still used by some hunters to shoot mammals. Groups like the Ventana Wildlife Society are actively trying to educate hunters/ranchers to switch from lead to non-lead bullets.
Conservation Status: Endangered (except the northern portion bounded by CA-1, CA-20, and I-80) in California, US (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
Find individual condors by their tag numbers : https://www.condorspotter.com/
California Condor range map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Gymnogyps-californianus
Big Sur Condo Cam: https://www.ventanaws.org/condor_cam.html
Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/california-condor
E Bird: https://ebird.org/species/calcon/
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 98-99.
Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, pp. 152-153.
Merlin Bird ID (great phone app) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Am hoping to learn more about this individual
Blue 30, bird 330, one day after his 20th birthday!