This condor got his name after he fell for a female that was already paired with a different male. He ended up winning the female. Apparently trio relationships with condors are not all that unusual.

Tags:   Gymnogyps californianus Big Sur 7/13/13 California Condor

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This 16 year old bird weighs in at 25 pounds and is the dominant male of the Big Sur flock.

We mostly had a lot of white bright mist in the air and opportunities for a clean shot in the air were very limited. Did not stop us from trying, and a few even turned out ok!

Tags:   Gymnogyps californianus Big Sur 7/13/13 California Condor

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This female condor was captivating. She posed, she preened, and she delighted a huge crowd of tourists before taking off. Her profile is here:

www.mycondor.org/condorprofiles/condor171.html

Tags:   Gymnogyps californianus Big Sur 7/13/13 California Condor

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Just released last year, this condor has been a roamer since just a few days after being released.

Tags:   Gymnogyps californianus Big Sur 7/13/13 California Condor

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We thought that it would be hard to beat the action we had seen on Friday, but Saturday was icing on the cake. We went condor spotting down Highway 1 and hit the jackpot 1/4 mile north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. There were at least 9 different condors there as identified from their tags - 5 from the Big Sur flock and 4 from the Pinnacles flock. There was a ripe smell in the area and certainly something had died nearby.

Many of the birds were perching on the rocks and some quite close. This is without a doubt the closest that we have ever been to the California Condor. It was so great to see the head detail and even look them in the eye. I know that a lot of people find them ugly, but I think that they are extraordinary and very beautiful.

Tags:   Gymnogyps californianus Big Sur 7/13/13 California Condor

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