Sierra Newt in Hetch Hetchy. Adorable and beautiful, the California Newt appears in profusion after a rain and early in the morning. They can migrate for miles and return to their breeding grounds (apparently using the earth's magnetic field). Their bright orange colors serve as a warning signal to predators. In fact, the newt's skin secrets a deadly neurotoxin similar to that found in pufferfish. The only animal known to eat these amphibians are certain types of garter snakes which are fairly immune to the toxins. However, like most amphibians around the world, California Newts appear to be declining in numbers. While the causes of decline of many species of frog and toad are well documented, the newts remain poorly studied by comparison. Copyright © 2008 James McGrew.

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A few examples of some of Yosemite's abundant wildlife. Thought not known for the big animals like Yellowstone, a diverse array of beautiful creatures inhabit Yosemite and play important roles in its complex ecosystems.

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James McGrew > Mother black bear and two cubs feed in a meadow near Crane Flat. These adorable cubs were born in a den during the winter and will spend the summer learning to forage and hunt with their mother.
©2009, James McGrew

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James McGrew > Female Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) in Yosemite Valley. ©2012 James McGrew
I've always loved swallows for their beauty and acrobatics while pursuing insects in the air (and of course for migrating while apparently carrying coconuts which we use for making horse-hoof sounds). However, I've never been so close to one that perched. I was painting sunrise near Tunnelview and as the air warmed and insects began flying, so did the swallows and swifts. At one point this individual seemed curious about me, standing alone for a couple hours in the same location on the rocks above the swallows' nests. She flew up to this rock as if to check me out for a moment. I had a Canon 400 f4 DO on my 1DmkII, ready to capture fast moving wildlife at any moment. I discretely picked up the camera lying at my feet and snapped a few quick frames before this bird zipped off to capture more insects.

James McGrew > Clark's Nutcracker eating seeds from a Whitebark Pine cone. Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, Yosemite, CA. The Clark's Nutcracker's obnoxious yet melodic calls fill the High Sierra air in summer: a comforting sound to anyone who has spent much time in the upper elevations. These corvids, exhibiting ashtonishing intelligence like their cousins (ravens, crows, jays), ultimately provide the foundation for the Whitebark pine subalpine ecosystems. Unlike most pine cones which open to reveal winged seeds that disperse on the wind, the whitebark cones remain sealed until the seeds typically die. Instead, the massive, nutritious seeds remain cemented into massive cones shielded by pitch and tannins. During the month of August, the cones ripen and the nutcrackers blast the cones with powerful long bills and delicately remove each seed for consumption or storage in a sublingual pouch. The nutcrackers fly off, bury the seeds for later harvest as their primary food supply throughout the year. Through triangulation, visual cues and memory, the birds recover as many as thirty thousand seed caches over the course of a year. However, they leave some seeds buried which ultimately germinate and start new pines.

Without the nutcrackers, whitebark pines cannot reproduce. Without the trees, the nutcrackers can't survive. As a result of the perfect symbiosis, an entire ecosystem thrives. Yosemite's beauty blossoms out of the most complex interrelationships. Copyright, © 2008, James McGrew

James McGrew > Common Raven on Sentinel Dome (Half Dome in the background). Scientists continually produce new studies expounding on the remarkable intelligence of these fascinating birds. In terms of solving problems and creating tools, adult ravens typically score about the same as an average six-year old human child. Copyright © 2008 James McGrew.

James McGrew > Yellow Bellied Marmot, Townsley Lake, Yosemite National Park, CA. Copyright © 2004 James McGrew.
Marmots, bearing resemblance to their cousins known as groundhogs, are large rodents of the middle and higher Sierra. For a special anecdotal story about these interesting creatures, please see: http://jamesmcgrewfineart.com/works/59475/a-view-from-mt-hoffmann

James McGrew > Great Blue Heron Takes Flight. Merced River/Yosemite Valley. Copyright © 2006 James McGrew.

James McGrew > Two year old female Black bear, Yosemite Valley. Copyright © 2009 James McGrew. Although called a black bear (Ursus americanus) and usually black in the darker forests of the northern and Eastern U.S. However, in Sierra's sunny, open forests of cinnamon trunked trees, brown and golden hues of grasses and under story (except in the lush greenery of spring) they blend into their environment with a range of colors most often including blond, bleached blond with dark roots, red/ginger, and brunette. This young bear forages for insects in a rotting log. Bears acquire most of their protein and fat from insect larvae such as beetle grubs, termites, ants etc.

James McGrew > Yellow-bellied marmot caught eating the flowers and top leaves off the lupine in this lush subalpine riparian zone.

James McGrew > Mule Deer doe. ©2012 James McGrew

Built in Kleenex!

James McGrew > Acorn Woodpecker. Yosemite Valley, CA. Copyright, ©1995, James McGrew.

James McGrew > "Running out of Time" ©2011, James McGrew

A Pika races across boulders and cobbles near Olmstead Point. Pikas are lagomorphs, members of the rabbit family, found at high elevation rocky/talus areas in the Sierra. Pikas are a species of interest for climatologists because they require cool summer temperatures and many scientists have speculated that with global warming, these animals may suffer a reduction in habitat and therefore extinction. For further reading on the NPS Pikas in Peril project:
http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/monitor/pika/pika_peril/index.cfm

©2011, James McGrew
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James McGrew > White-throated Swift in flight. ©2012 James McGrew
These little rockets are the most difficult birds I've tried to photograph in flight. They zip through the air with amazing speed (and have reportedly outrun/maneuvered Peregrine Falcons), chasing insects and playing with each other while rapidly changing direction and speed. I shot this with a Canon 400mm f4 DO and 1DmkII. I don't know that I could have captured it with many other combinations.

Sierra Newt in Hetch Hetchy. Adorable and beautiful, the California Newt appears in profusion after a rain and early in the morning. They can migrate for miles and return to their breeding grounds (apparently using the earth's magnetic field). Their bright orange colors serve as a warning signal to predators. In fact, the newt's skin secrets a deadly neurotoxin similar to that found in pufferfish. The only animal known to eat these amphibians are certain types of garter snakes which are fairly immune to the toxins. However, like most amphibians around the world, California Newts appear to be declining in numbers. While the causes of decline of many species of frog and toad are well documented, the newts remain poorly studied by comparison. Copyright © 2008 James McGrew.

James McGrew > Sierra Newt in Hetch Hetchy. Adorable and beautiful, the California Newt appears in profusion after a rain and early in the morning. They can migrate for miles and return to their breeding grounds (apparently using the earth's magnetic field). Their bright orange colors serve as a warning signal to predators. In fact, the newt's skin secrets a deadly neurotoxin similar to that found in pufferfish. The only animal known to eat these amphibians are certain types of garter snakes which are fairly immune to the toxins. However, like most amphibians around the world, California Newts appear to be declining in numbers. While the causes of decline of many species of frog and toad are well documented, the newts remain poorly studied by comparison. Copyright © 2008 James McGrew.

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Copyright ©1995-2013 James McGrew. All rights reserved. Images may not be reproduced in any manner without express written consent. To purchase prints or for commercial licensing, please contact James McGrew.

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