Birds

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Nashville Warbler

I'm not sure what he's doing so far from Nashville, but he brings a splash of color to Yosemite. In fact, the Nashville Warbler was first observed in Nashville, but doesn't breed there.

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Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)

If I were going to be a bird and wanted to coolest Latin name in perhaps the entire animal kingdom, I think I would want to be Tyrannus verticalis. How cool is that?

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Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

The male Spotted Towhee's distinctive call often resounds around my house in the spring and early summer, but for several years running, he carried on a battle with my living room window.

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Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus)

The Blue Grouse was split into the Sooty Grouse and the Dusky Grouse in 2006. Before that, they were considered differently colored subspecies of the Blue Grouse.

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Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

The most widespread and common North American hawk. The juvenile red-tailed doesn't have a red tail!

I have much better pictures than this, but finding them might take a while.

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Northern Flicker

The Norrhern Flicker is a beautiful bird whose wicka-wicka-wicka is heard throughout Yosemite Valley and Yosemite West in the mating season.

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Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is the largest "ringed" plover in the US and is distributed throughout North America, including Soda Springs in Tuolumne Meadows as witnessed by these pictures.<

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Hammond's Flycatcher (Empidonax hammondii)

According to the Audubon Field Guide, the Hammond's Flycatcher (Empidonax hammondii) flicks it's wings and tail more vigorously than other similar species.

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Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianis)

The Great Horned Owl is one of the most easily recognized owls in the area.

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Gray Crowned Rosy Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis)

There's some debate about what does and does constitute a species of Rosy Finch, but following Laws Field Guide, p. 270 and WhatBird.com, this would be a Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch.

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Cassin's Finch (Carpodacus cassinii)

Cassin's Finch (Carpodacus cassinii) is closely related to the Hous and Purple finches, but they are each found at different altitudes.

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Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)

Black Phoebes (Sayornis nigricans) like open areas near water, sitting on exposed perches and making forays out to grab ill-starred insects.

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Band-Tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)

The Band-tailed Pigeon is named for the light banding at the end of the tail feathers, visible in the back view in the pictures below.

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White-headed Woodpecker

The White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus) is the bane of homeowners in the Yosemite area (along with the Red-Breasted Nuthatch and the the Flicker).

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Acorn Woodpecker

The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) packs acorns (and sometimes walnuts and almonds, though not in Yosemite) so tightly into holes in trees that squirrels can't pry them out.

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American Dipper aka Water Ouzel (Cinclus mexicanus), With Vdeo

The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) is commonly known as the Water Ouzel and was John Muir's favorite bird. Indeed, few birds are as fun to watch as ouzels.

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Great Horned Owl at Lower Yosemite Falls (April, 2006)

Several people have recently noticed some Great Horned Owls in the Black Oak trees near the eastern trailhead for the Lower Yosemite Fa

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