In my Master Birders class last week, Dan Willsie told me about
someone who had claimed to see a California Condor recently at Wilson
Creek Overlook in Grant County. He said he couldn't shake her
conviction that that's what it was. Of course, with no further
documentation, there's not much that can be done with such a report,
but keep your eyes open!

I wouldn't even have mentioned this except that it must have
precipitated my dream last night that I was in Othello with Netta and
a friend, and I looked up and saw a California Condor sailing off in
the distance. I yelled to them to get it in their binos before it
disappeared. Instead of leaving us with only a brief but tantalizing
view, however, the dream cooperated, and the bird circled right back
over us to show all field marks. I was incredibly elated, and it was
even more special, as the friend who was with us was Michael Perrone,
who was with me the only time I ever saw condors in the wild, in the
Sespe Wildlife Area in southern California on 28 December 1972. We
saw 7 birds on that memorable day, including one that flew over us so
low I could hear its wingbeats. As it was only 30 years ago, I can
remember it well.

Only on awakening did I realize the bird had characteristics of both
California and Andean condors (including the big "comb" of the
latter) - so the occasion was even more memorable, as the first
observation ever of a hybrid condor!

Dennis
--
Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
1500 N. Warner, #1088
Tacoma, WA 98416-1088
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html