Everybody who likes nature will love Yosemite National Park. With cliffs, mountains, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, there is literally a postcard-perfect picture around every corner. Despite all these beautiful sights, what excited me most was the prospect of seeing some fascinating animals. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I really wanted to see a bear! Alas, I didn’t see one on this trip. Maybe I’ll be lucky on the next trip, who knows? But I wasn’t sad for too long because I saw plenty of other animals.
Animals with feathers
The birds in Yosemite National Park were colourful. Two species caught my eye, the Downy Woodpecker, and the Stellar’s Jay. The Downy Woodpecker is black and white with a pop of red on the back of its head. Strangely, I didn’t see the woodpecker at first. I heard it. When I looked up into the tree, there it was, pecking away at the branch above my head.
When you see a Stellar’s Jay, you’ll know it. It’s a bright blue colour, or so I thought… Read more about these interesting birds here.
Animals with fur
The mammals I saw were mostly rodents including squirrels and chipmunks. Since I grew up in South Africa, I didn’t get to see any squirrels or chipmunks. So when I saw them for the first time in Yosemite National Park, I was trigger happy. Chipmunks are so cute! Seriously, how can anyone not like this face?
I saw a lot of California Ground Squirrels in the park. They are very common, so your chances of seeing one or a couple are great. That’s if you visit during any season except winter because they hibernate when it gets too cold. Read more about California Ground Squirrels here.
I also saw one deer grazing in a meadow and a marmot that ran into its burrow as soon as it spotted me.
Other creatures
I saw butterflies too. Check out this colourful guy I saw at Mirror Lake.
Have you been lucky enough to see a bear in Yosemite National Park? What about other animals? Let me know in the comment section below.
