The Dark Watchers are a phenomenon that occurs in the Big Sur region of California.

The name arose in the 1700s during Spanish occupation ^[1], related to a sensation of being "watched from the hills" by los Vigilantes Oscuros (the Dark Watchers).

It has been suggested the manifestation is an example of the Brocken specter, where a shadow is cast onto cloud by a powerful light source (in this case, the sun). ^[2]