Andean Royalty

Sila turned sharply as Mama swerved to avoid yet another bergie bit. Up ahead, there was a glacier. It sat at the head of the fjord, occasionally dropping bits of ice into the water. A bird, in the distance, soared over the blue and white mass of ice. It came racing along the fjord toward us. Two others joined it. They circled curiously above Sila. I could not believe it.

They had broad fingered wings, white fluffy collars, and red heads. And they were huge, which told me that flying far above me, were three adult male Andean Condors. The wingspan, for each of the three birds, was greater than ten feet. One of them was definitely younger than the other two by some number of years. I could tell because it had a ratty appearance: tattered wings, grey collar, and a distinct ruffled look to it. As an immature condor loses old feathers and grows new ones, it gets a worn look. It appears disheveled for almost a year, until it has grown all of its adult feathers. In contrast, the other two looked handsome, regardless of their scavenging lifestyle. The thick white collars gave them the impression of royalty, which, in the Andes, they are.

When I last wrote about a condor, I wrote that I doubted I would ever see one in the first place. After that initial sighting, I thought that I would certainly never see another. Instead, I got to watch three adult birds cruise around Sila for half an hour. Surprises will never cease. - Porter