The Condor

I remember once, a few years ago, we were hiking in Big Sur and saw a bird fly over the trees that was the largest flying bird we had ever seen. Honestly, it seemed that something this large should require a license from the FAA. We were at the top of one of the largest mountains in the area, so we had a great view of this bird, watching it soar over the valley, eventually landing on the top of a tree.

It was the elusive and rare California Condor, a relic of an era where large dead animals were frequent enough to sustain these gigantic scavengers. We did not get as close as the people in this YouTube clip were, but even from a distance, the condor is something to see: