July 10, 1922

Volume 1 July 10, 1922 Number 1 W. B. Lewis, Superintendent. Ansel F. Hall, Park Naturalist

MANY VISITORS SEE WATER OUZEL'S NEST

The Nature Guides have been leading crowds every Monday morning to see a Water Ouzel's nest which is located on Tenaya Creek about forty yards beyond the Iron Spring. These groups have greatly enjoyed watching the parents feed the four young birds in the nest. Water Ouzels are often seen above Happy Isles and at the foot of Yosemite and Bridal Veil Falls.

GRAY SQUIRRELS RARELY SEEN THIS YEAR

The Gray Squirrel or Tree Squirrel, in past years very abundant in the Valley, has almost disappeared as the result of a disease which has become epidemic the State over. The sight of a Gray Squirrel is now the exception, whereas it was formerly the rule.

WEDNESDAYS FURNISH BEST BIRD TRIPS

Those most interested in birds should plan to attend the nature guide field trips which start from the Sentinel Hotel on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. More than twenty species of birds are regularly seen and heard on these trips. Two weeks ago two female Mallard Ducks and their broods of young were seen, and on last Wednesday a Belted Kingfisher was seen feeding its young.

KINGLET'S NEST DISPLAYED AT MUSEUM

Although both the Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets commonly nest in the red fir belt of higher altitudes, it is seldom that they nest in Yosemite Valley. A Kinglet's nest which fell from a tree near Yosemite is now on exhibition at the Museum.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS NESTING IN MEADOWS

A number of Red-winged Blackbirds are making their homes in the meadows this year. Last week a brood left their nest which was well hidden in the meadow across the river from the Village. This nest is now on display at the Museum.

THE FLYING SQUIRRELS NOT PRESENT THIS YEAR

Some Flying Squirrels which last year came to feed nightly at the employees' camp near the foot of Yosemite Falls and which attracted many nature students of the past season, have failed to appear in their old haunts. Bread and cake form an attractive bait with which to entice them near your camp.

WILD BEARS MAY BE SEEN AT THE BEAR PITS

Many visitors to the Bear Pits have been well rewarded this year. At dusk or after dark is the time when they are usually seen, but this season they are even to be seen in broad daylight and are becoming very tame,

MANY NESTS DISCOVERED BY NATURE GUIDES

If you are interested in the nests and nesting habits of birds, consult the nature guides. They can show you the nests of many species. The office of the Nature Guide Service is at the Yosemite Museum and a Naturalist will answer questions on any natural history subjects. The office hours are from 9 to 12 a.m. and 1 to 5 p.m., daily, except Sunday.

FISHING GOOD

With the streams carrying less and less water, trout fishing is improving. The Merced River, usually considered a poor stream for the amateur, has yielded many fine catches. Mr. Cumberland last Sunday caught a 25-inch trout near El Capitan Bridge.

CROSS SECTION OF BIG TREE ATTRACTS CROWDS

The cross section of a wind felled Giant Sequoia which is on exhibition at the Museum is daily proving of great interest to visitors. The section is 9 feet in diameter. It was cut 40 feet from the base of a 14-foot tree. The age of the section is 996 years and on it have been marked rings that vividly portray the size of the tree at the time of the signing of the Magna Charta, 1215 A.D.; the Battle of Hastings, 1066; the Discovery of America, 1492; the Landing of the Pilgrims, 1620; the Declaration of Independence, 1776; and the Civil War, 1860.

SPECIMEN OF PIGMY OWL SECURED

A specimen of one of the smallest of North American owls—the Pigmy Owl—is on display at the museum, an injured bird having been picked up in Sentinel Meadow.

EVENING PRIMROSE FURNISHES MOTION PICTURES

The Evening Primroses now coming into bloom in the meadows furnish a moving picture show each evening that is well worth watching. At about six o'clock the flowers break their coverings and bloom out while one watches. They exist for but a single night, and wilt the next day.

FLOWERS

Shooting Stars, Death Camas, and Pussy Paws are now past their prime on the floor of the Valley but are conspicuous in the higher meadows. The Buttercup-like Cinquefoil and the Evening Primrose are now the common yellow flowers in the meadows, with the Meadow Penstemon adding a touch of blue. Alpine lilies or small Leopard Lilies are now in bloom in moist places.

RARE BLOSSOMS EXHIBITED AT FLOWER SHOW

One of the most interesting flowers brought in during the past month was the rare and little-known Yosemite Bitter Root. This large-flowered white Bitter Root is found only on the tops of the domes in the vicinity of Yosemite Valley. Mr. Norman Clyde collected the specimen at the top of El Capitan. Heather, Labrador Tea, and the Sierra Primrose, from the high country, were also on display.

SPICEBUSH OR WINEFLOWER A CONSPICUOUS SHRUB ON THE EL PORTAL ROAD

Wine-colored chrysanthemum-like flowers growing on bushes along the Portal Road attract the attention of many visitors to the Park. This shrub is the All Spice, sometimes known as the Spicebush or Wineflower. The blossom has a very peculiar fragrance.

FLOWER SHOW STARTED AT CAMP CURRY

To afford visitors to the upper end of the Valley an opportunity to study the wild flowers, a flower show has been started at Camp Curry. On the first day 48 species were displayed.

POPULARITY OF THE YOSEMITE MUSEUM

The number of visitors to the newly established Yosemite Museum has exceeded all expectations. The Museum was opened officially on the evening of June 17 with six rooms representing the history, ethnology, geology, natural history, botany, and trees of the region. During June the visitors numbered 5,631. Well informed attendants are prepared to answer all questions of scientific interest concerning Yosemite National Park. The Museum stands on the banks of the river near Sentinel Bridge in Yosemite Village.

YOSEMITE RELIEF MODEL ALMOST COMPLETED

The Park Naturalist has for two years been working on a large relief model of Yosemite Valley. This is almost completed and is on exhibition in the Yosemite Museum. It is constructed from engineering data and, although seven feet long, is accurate to within one-eighth of an inch at every point.

NATURE GUIDE SERVICE REPORTS RECORD ATTENDANCE

During the month of June more than a thousand persons accompanied nature guides on field trips to learn of the birds, the flowers, the trees, and the other living things of the trailside.

LARGE COLLECTION OF INDIAN BASKETS RECEIVED BY THE MUSEUM

An exceedingly fine collection of old Indian baskets from the Sierra Nevada region have just been received as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. S. Mitchell of Visalia. Among these is the only existing specimen of Tulare good luck basket which was presented only at a birth or a death. The basket is more than 200 years old and the former owners refused an offer of $400.00 for it by the Smithsonian Institute. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are cooperating with the Museum in having a case built so that the collection may be exhibited as a whole.

RATTLESNAKE ATTEMPTS TO SWALLOW A LIZARD AS BIG AS HIMSELF

A small rattlesnake may be seen at the Yosemite Museum in the act of swallowing a lizard only an inch shorter than himself. He was captured in the Bridal Veil Creek Basin near the top of the Falls and was brought home and preserved in alcohol by the Park Naturalist.

BOY SCOUTS LEARN OF YOSEMITE HISTORY

At a campfire meeting the Boy Scouts from the San Francisco Bay region who are camped in the Valley were told of the discovery of the Yosemite during the Mariposa Indian War of 1851 and of the pioneer days that followed. They were especially interested in the story of the Indians and how, as an act of gratitude for a season's safe refuge, they stole the horses of the Mono Tribe and how the Monos descended upon them and almost exterminated the band. The Park Naturalist and the Nature Guide Service endeavor to furnish lecturers on Yosemite subjects to groups of fifty or more if arrangements are made far enough in advance.

WELL KNOWN NATURALIST VISITS THE VALLEY

Dr. Loye H. Miller, whose bird talks were so much enjoyed by those who availed themselves of the privilege of taking the nature guide trips last season, will be in Yosemite during the coming week to deliver the final series of the LeConte Memorial Lectures which are furnished free to the Yosemite public by the University of California. On Tuesday (July 11) Dr. Miller will speak on "Records of the Earliest Forms of Life," on Thursday (July 13) on "Some Prehistoric Animals," and on Friday (July 14) on "The Fossil Birds." All the lectures will be illustrated and will be delivered at LeConte Lodge Open Air Auditorium, half-way between the Village and Camp Curry.

Digitized by Yosemite Online Library Dan Anderson