About This BlogRanger-naturalists have been interpreting the natural and cultural resources of Yosemite for park visitors for nearly a century. In this blog, some of Yosemite's park rangers share recent observations from around Yosemite. All posts are shown below, or you can view posts by topic. Monitoring Birds in the Park, Part 3: A Bird in the Hand
July 28, 2014
While most of us are still asleep at 5 AM, Yosemite’s bird researchers are already hanging mist nets and sipping coffee as their day begins. The sun rises as the birds sing their morning chorus, and soon the banding station is busy with the processing of information on the netted birds. This posting is a summary of the birds captured June 20 through July 15, 2014. Monitoring Birds in the Park, Part 2
July 21, 2014
A wide diversity of bird calls ring loud and clear every morning and there is a constant hubbub of birds flying by, delivering food to mates and hungry chicks. The bird researchers with the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) project are already midway through their summer season. There is much to be learned from the birds, and Yosemite’s avian monitoring projects are hugely important. Monitoring Birds in the Park, Part 1
July 16, 2014
The male Lawrence’s goldfinch dazzles with its shiny black face, gray back, and bright yellow chest, especially if your view is from just three feet away. I am in Hodgdon Meadow on June 12, 2014 with the bird researchers who are in charge of Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS).... Bird Banding Bonanza!
July 26, 2013
It's been a hot, busy summer so far during this year's field season of bird banding in Yosemite. Banding occurs at six stations clustered on the west slope of Yosemite, which are each operated once every ten days as part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program. Data are collected at over 300 MAPS stations across the U.S. and Canada every summer between May and August, and scientists and land managers use these data to look at demographic trends in songbird populations both locally and continent-wide. 2012 Christmas Bird Count
December 18, 2012
2012 Christmas Bird Count What's a Bird Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
October 10, 2012
On October 2, 2012, local naturalist Michael Ross spotted a bird he had never seen before, at least not in Yosemite. After careful observation he determined it was a gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). |
Last updated: March 27, 2021