Last Road Trip Post, 8 Months Later...Part VI

I think I learned my lesson about many-sectioned posts. This ridiculous string of road trip posts from something I did 8 months ago is a little ridiculous. I must either write them in the moment or be better at summarizing later. Thanks for sticking with me!

Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Empidonax fulvifrons, in Carr Canyon, SEAZ.

We spent two days in Southeast Arizona, staying at Patagonia Lake State Park and birding as much as possible. Then we drove to Joshua Tree and camped--we had not eaten since noon in Madera Canyon and we arrived at J. Tree around ten, so we had been planning an epic meal the entire way but by the time we got there we were so exhausted we ate clif bars and went to bed immediately. We learned the next morning that our stove didn't have enough gas anyway. After J.Tree we headed to Midland and then home via Big Sur. I will leave you with a long string of photos. End of Road Trip! I know we both had a great time.

Grace's Warbler, Setophaga graciae, in Carr Canyon, SEAZ.

One of my favorites, Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus, what a name! Patagonia Lake State Park.

Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra, Patagonia Lake SP.

Botteri's Sparrow, Peucaea botterii, Patagonia Lake-ish.

 

The same Thick-billed Kingbird that all my friends saw at the roadside pullout. Tyrannus crassirostris.

Super awesome Gray Hawk, Buteo plagiatus, eating flesh (can't see it, sorry).

And then this happened in Big Sur. This is the first time I have seen a life bird and immediately burst into tears. I just never thought I'd see a California Condor that close. For some reason I always expected my condor sighting would be seeing a speck in the distance and just barely being to identify it, but instead, my first condor experience was coming around a bend in the road and swerving to the side and realizing that we were not looking at just one condor, but 10. That's about 4% of the wild population. We got to spend over twenty minutes with these magical and bizarre creatures before they all soared out of sight on the wind, miles away in minutes.

California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus. The timeless and ageless old man of the skies.

Baby condors have black heads!

Two adults taking off into that giant sky. I will never forget this experience.