Yosemite '99 - The Place (Yosemite Wildlife)

There is quite a bit of wildlife in Yosemite, even on the populous valley floor. Birds and squirrels are common. Deers are a bit more unusual but we ran into a few during our one-week stay. Bear encounters are more rare, and I was lucky to have one. Even rarer are mountain lions, which I didn't see. That's probably a good thing. :-)
We'll start with the bear encounter. This brazen bear was looking for food near Swinging Bridge, in broad daylight. The building in the back is a public restroom. It's not a very big bear, probably the size of a large dog. I'm fairly certain it's not a cub as it was alone.

These are not really bear or wildlife shots, but I suppose they fit in here. These are bear traps. (The sign says DANGER BEAR TRAP). They were both empty when I found them. Left is taken with a 35mm, top is taken with a digital camera.

Here is a doe and her fawn crossing the road, presumably for greener pastures. The two actually waited on the side of the road for the cars to pass. They were kind of in the shadows, and they are well-camouflaged in tall grass. Most cars saw them too late. This particular van was going slow enough to stop in time to let the deers pass.
Here is another deer encounter. This one has a fawn with it as well, so it could very well be the same pair as the one above. This shot is taken closer to Happy Isles, on the east end of the valley, while the pedestrians above were on the west end. They're on two different days, so they could have easily traveled the distance.
Another shot of the same deer. The pictures are actually much smaller. My 35mm doesn't have a zoom, so I digitally zoomed these shots after scanning in the photos.

Again, the same deer. The picture above is taken with a digital camera.

Ducks are a common sight on the Merced River. These two are part of a pack of five or six that just crossed under the Sentinel Bridge.
More of the same group of ducks. I was standing on the shore next to the river. Some of these ducks came awfully close to me. They're not afraid of people. Not of me, anyway.
Here is another duck, unrelated to the ones above. The Merced River water is so clear that you can see the bottom from most places. Upper Yosemite Fall in the background.
Here is a duck with four ducklings. This is just around the bend from Swinging Bridge, which is further upstream where the ducks are headed.

See More Yosemite Shots

There is quite a bit of wildlife in Yosemite, even on the populous valley floor. Birds and squirrels are common. Deers are a bit more unusual but we ran into a few during our one-week stay. Bear encounters are more rare, and I was lucky to have one. Even rarer are mountain lions, which I didn't see. That's probably a good thing. :-)
	We'll start with the bear encounter. This brazen bear was looking for food near Swinging Bridge, in broad daylight. The building in the back is a public restroom. It's not a very big bear, probably the size of a large dog. I'm fairly certain it's not a cub as it was alone.
	These are not really bear or wildlife shots, but I suppose they fit in here. These are bear traps. (The sign says DANGER BEAR TRAP). They were both empty when I found them. Left is taken with a 35mm, top is taken with a digital camera.
	Here is a doe and her fawn crossing the road, presumably for greener pastures. The two actually waited on the side of the road for the cars to pass. They were kind of in the shadows, and they are well-camouflaged in tall grass. Most cars saw them too late. This particular van was going slow enough to stop in time to let the deers pass.
	Here is another deer encounter. This one has a fawn with it as well, so it could very well be the same pair as the one above. This shot is taken closer to Happy Isles, on the east end of the valley, while the pedestrians above were on the west end. They're on two different days, so they could have easily traveled the distance.
	Another shot of the same deer. The pictures are actually much smaller. My 35mm doesn't have a zoom, so I digitally zoomed these shots after scanning in the photos.
	Again, the same deer. The picture above is taken with a digital camera.
	Ducks are a common sight on the Merced River. These two are part of a pack of five or six that just crossed under the Sentinel Bridge.
	More of the same group of ducks. I was standing on the shore next to the river. Some of these ducks came awfully close to me. They're not afraid of people. Not of me, anyway.
	Here is another duck, unrelated to the ones above. The Merced River water is so clear that you can see the bottom from most places. Upper Yosemite Fall in the background.
	Here is a duck with four ducklings. This is just around the bend from Swinging Bridge, which is further upstream where the ducks are headed.