Two Yosemite Nature Guide Bulletins 



YOSEMITE NATURE GUIDE MOVEMENT. UNDER COOPERATION OF 

 FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS. 



AUDUBON WARBLER NESTS IN YOSEMITE 



Walking to work in almost any California town on a winter's 

 morning, one may be surprised to see a bird which resembles 

 much a sparrow. It has a flash, however, as it flies, of canary 

 yellow on the back between the wings. In fact it has five yellow 

 spots, one on the crown, one on the throat, in front of each wing,- 

 and on the rump. Looking more closely the observer notes that 

 . it has not the short stout seed-crushing bill of the sparrow tribe. 

 On the contrary it has the sharply pointed bill of the insect eater. 

 Studying it further, one sees that although a warbler, it has the 

 flycatcher habit of feeding on the wing. This feathered friend is 

 the Audubon warbler. It ranges from British Columbia to Guate- 

 mala. 



After years of acquaintance with it in its winter garb, busily 

 cleaning up the insects, one is hardly prepared to see our Audubon 

 warbler in his full glory in nuptial plumage in Yosemite National 

 Park. Like a farmer lad who has doffed overalls and jumper to 

 don his best for the schoolhouse dance, so our energetic Audubon 

 has shed his dull winter coat for a brightly colored one. He is 

 bedecked with gorgeous gold of the brilliancy, so dear to ancient 

 Aztec rulers that they used similar shades for the wonderful 

 royal featherwork robes of which perhaps only two, in European 

 museums, still exist. 



Some Yosemite visitors fail to recognize the Audubon warbler. 

 Anyone troubled about bird identification can find a solution of 

 his problem given gladly and without cost, at the Nature Guide 

 office in Yosemite Village. This nature guide service is the out- 

 growth of studies of Norwegian and Swiss resorts by the World 

 Recreation Survey. The experiment was first undertaken in 

 19 1 9 at Lake Tahoe. It proved so attractive that business men 

 even deserted trout fishing for nature guide hikes. Coming 

 under the observation of Director of National Parks Mather, 

 the work was expanded into Yosemite National Park under the 

 joint auspices of the California Fish and Game Commission and 



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