Nov. 22, 2015 - Yosemite Trip - Birds

Here are some of the bird species I saw on our trip to Yosemite National Park. These western species are rarely, if ever, seen in my home state of Minnesota. This is a Bushtit, a tiny bundle of energy only 4½ inches long. At the conference center where we stayed, we saw flocks of these little birds flying from tree to tree searching for tiny insects.

BushtitECCOCenterOakhurst20151028

Here’s another Bushtit. This photo, along with the previous one, illustrates the unique way to tell a male Bushtit from a female. Because this bird has light colored eyes, it is an adult female. The bird in the previous photo has dark eyes so it is either an adult male or a juvenile.

BushtitECCOCenterOakhurst20151028

Western Scrub-Jays are 11½ inches long, about the same size as a Blue Jay. In many ways their habits remind me of Blue Jays as well. They are bold, loud, and eat almost anything. They are often found in areas with oak trees. They bury acorns in fall, and then dig them up for eating during the winter. As often happens when birds bury acorns, some are not found and grow into new oak trees.

JayWesternScrubECCOCenterOakhurst20151028

This is a Black Phoebe. It is similar in size (7 inches) to our familiar Eastern Phoebe. Both species are insect eaters and both pump their tails when they perch. The Black Phoebe is almost always found near water. It likes to perch on a branch so it can fly out to capture insects in mid-air. Sometimes it even plucks them off the surface of the water.

PhoebeBlackECCOCenterOakhurst20151026

Acorn Woodpeckers always make me smile because of their clown-like appearance. They are 9 inches long, about the same size as a Hairy Woodpecker. The sex of many woodpecker species, including the Acorn Woodpecker, can be determined by the pattern of red feathers on their heads. This is a female because the red doesn’t touch the white feathers above the bill. There is a band of black feathers between the red and white ones.

WoodpeckerAcornECCOConfCenterOakhurst20151025

This is a male Acorn Woodpecker. Notice that the red feathers on its head do touch the white feathers and there is no band of black feathers between them. As their name implies, acorns are an important food source for these birds, especially in winter. In fall, the woodpeckers drill holes in the bark of trees and store ripe acorns in these holes. Notice there are several acorns on the underside of this branch. However, check out the next photo!

WoodpeckerAcornECCOCenterOakhurst20151028

Acorn Woodpeckers use large trees like this one to store acorns. These trees are called granary trees and are reused year after year. A group of woodpeckers will work cooperatively to store their acorns and they will all defend this important food source.

WoodpeckerAcornGranaryTreeECCOCenterOakhurst20151028

The Nuttall’s Woodpecker is found only in a small portion of northern Baja and throughout California. It is 7½ inches tall, only a little larger than a Downy Woodpecker. Insects make up the largest portion of its diet.

WoodpeckerNuttall'sfemaleECCOCenterOakhurst20151028