Yosemite is one of California’s most popular destinations for bird watching. The surroundings are not only beautiful, but the habitat varies greatly, thus, the selection of species is remarkable. The best time to see a variety of birds is June through August, even earlier in the lower elevations. Many of the birds are easy to spot in their normal habitat; such as the Vaux’s and White-throated Swifts, Hammond’s, Dusky and Willow Flycatchers, Clark’s Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Western Tanager, Fox and Lincoln’s Sparrows, rosy finch, brown creeper, hermit thrush and the ever noisy Steller’s Jay.

It is much harder to find a Blue Grouse along the ground or spot a White-headed or Black-backed Woodpecker up in a pine tree. Wonderful finds are also the Northern Goshawk, Spotted Owl, Great Gray Owl and the Peregrine Falcon.

To help protect birds in Yosemite, there have been studies and monitoring efforts to collect essential data. This has included monitoring of peregrine falcons, a species whose numbers were decimated in the 1940s through 1960s from the effects of the pesticide DDT, and have only now staged a recovery after the banning of this pesticide in 1972. Great gray owls and their habitats have been surveyed, and several studies have mapped the distribution of California spotted owls in the park.

Whether an official birder or just an amateur; the abundance of birds in Yosemite make it an enjoyable pastime for all.