Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)
I took this photo of an Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) during a walk in the Peruvian Andes near the village of Chonta. This high-altitude walk overlooks the Apurimac canyon and condors can be seen at almost any point along the walk. After a walk lasting about 2 hours (which can be tiring due to the altitude) you reach a purpose-built viewpoint, the ‘Mirador de Condores’, which is supposed to be the prime spot for close encounters with Andean Condors as they rise up out of the canyon below you. This turned out to be something of a damp squib for us though, as we apparently arrived at the wrong time of the day and only had a limited amount of time available to linger there, due to the 2 hour walk back again!
pjayphotos 