November 24-25, 2024 Temecula and Murrieta, Riverside County CA (44 Species) Callyn Yorke
Weather: Partly cloudy; 53°F to 69°F; wind WNW, NW, variable, 5-10 mph.
Time: 0735- 1513 hrs.
Observers: Callyn Yorke (CY – 11/24/2024); CY and Dạ Thảo Lê Nguyễn (11/25/2024).
Areas Covered:
I began the walking survey from the Temecula Creek Trail (TCT) parking lot next to the children’s playground, going east then west along the fence line separating the manicured parkland habitat from adjacent riparian-chaparral-oak woodland (Elevation 1,000 ft. asl).
A small stream through the riparian area had intermittent surface flow; much of the natural habitat appeared to be a dry wash, reflecting at least six months without significant precipitation. A few visitors were present in the park; two with leashed dogs. Birdlife was generally scarce in the central riparian area, with slightly more activity found at the southern edge and in the parkland with an adjacent suburban embankment featuring ornamental ground cover (11/24/24: 1109-1246 hrs.).
Cole Canyon Trail, Murrieta (CCT, 11/24/24: 1315-1420 hrs.). From a residential street adjacent to the trailhead (see above satellite image), I walked northward then southward on unmarked trails, initially through a chaparral-ruderal field, then into burn-regenerating upland chaparral and oak woodland (Elevation averaging about 1,082 ft. asl).
Cole Canyon Trail, Murrieta (CCT, 11/24/24: 1315-1420 hrs.). From the residential street adjacent to the trailhead (see above satellite image), I walked northward then southward on unmarked trails through a ruderal-chaparral field, oak woodland and upland chaparral (Elevation averaging about 1,082 +/- 20 ft. asl).
The main trail was fairly busy with hikers, some rather chatty and several people with leashed dogs. I took some small, side trails and stood quietly, listening for bird vocalizations and watching for movement in the dense chaparral- boulder strewn slopes. Most of the birdlife was observed within about two-hundred yards of the trailhead, at the mouth of the canyon. The most surprising find was an adult Great Egret, apparently foraging in a dry drainage culvert in a large field at the trailhead bordering suburban yards.
Calle Estancia Park, Murrietta (CEP, 11/24/24: 1430-1513 hrs.). I made a brief walking survey of the narrow park, sandwiched between a wash and horse ranch to the southwest and suburban housing tract on opposite side (see the following satellite map image).
Birdlife inside the park was scarce; most of the birds were observed at the edge of a dry, riparian wash and adjacent horse ranch, e.g. California Thrasher and Great-tailed Grackle. The park had a few visitors, including several individuals walking their dogs.
Old Town Temecula (OTT, 11/25/24: 0735-0840 hrs.). Beginning at 4th Street, I walked to the nearby riparian river channel and followed the path and fence line between the Main Street bridge and Rancho California Rd. (Elevation 770 ft. asl).
My survey route included ornamental trees (e.g. Eucalyptus spp.) and shrubs within the business district of Old Town. One of those trees attracted a male Costa’s Hummingbird, which was the only representative of that species found during my surveys of the Murrieta-Temecula area.
The channeled river basin had a slow-flowing, deltaic stream, and included a narrow, successional riparian border of young cottonwoods and mulefat on the east side, closest to the walking route I used for the survey; most of the birdlife was found within that zone. Waterbirds in the river basin were scarce and included only an individual Greater Yellowlegs and three Least Sandpipers.
Temecula Duck Pond (TDP, 11/24/24: 1530-1545 hrs.). I made a brief visit to this small, (ca, 2- acre) urban pond and park, located about one mile northeast of OTT, at the the southeast corner of Rancho California Rd. and Ynez Rd. in Temecula. In addition to numerous domestic and wild-type Mallards, the pond contained a single Ring-necked Duck and a small flock of American Wigeon.
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve (SRP, 11/25/2024: 0910-1010 hrs. CY & DTN).
Our survey of this burn-recovering chaparral-oak woodland area, included only the trails in the immediate vicinity of the visitor’s center, which was closed. Birdlife was fairly evenly distributed throughout the survey area, though lacking much diversity. This may have been due to a combination of factors, including time of day and a protracted ecological recovery following what appeared to have been a devastating wildfire some years earlier (see introductory photo; Elevation 1,524 ft. asl).
Glen Arbor Park, Murrieta (GAP, 11/25/24: 1027-1112 hrs. CY and DTN). After circling the streets bordering GAP, it became clear that the only convenient place to abandon our vehicle was on a residential side street (Saratoga Springs Pl.) immediately northwest of the city park. Crossing Nutmeg St. required a combination of vigilance and fleetness of foot (Elevation 1,033 ft. asl.).
The park land was dominated by a well-watered lawn, bordered by Eucalyptus woodland and mixed ornamental plantings. Most of the birdlife was found at the edges of the wooded area. A large group of visitors arrived as we were finishing our survey. Otherwise, the park was quiet and little disturbed by human activities. Only two new bird species found here were added to the RIVCO trip list – House Wren and Scaly-breasted Munia.
BIRDS NOTED
- American Wigeon 8 (m,f) greg. TDP (photo).
- Mallard (domestic) 20 (m,f) (TDP)
- Mallard (wild-type) 30 (m,f) most individuals joining domestics and AMCO, approaching edge of pond where they are probably frequently fed (TDP).
- Ring-necked Duck 1 (f) wary, swimming to the central pond area, TDP (photo).
Duck Pond, RIVCO CA 24 November 2024 Callyn Yorke
- Ruddy Duck 1 resting in the central section of the pond, TDP.
- Feral Rock Pigeon 10 gregarious, flying over adjacent homes, CCT.
- Anna’s Hummingbird 4 (m,f) chasing around Eucalyptus trees in town; in cottonwoods at edge of river basin, OTT; ubiquitous.
- Costa’s Hummingbird 1 (m) flying between mid-level and upper limb perches in ornamental Eucalyptus trees in town on west side of 4th Street, OTT (photo).
- American Coot 25 greg. swimming throughout but most numerous with MALL near shoreline, TDP.
- Least Sandpiper 3 greg. foraging at edge of stream, OTT (photo).
- Greater Yellowlegs 1 foraging in stream shallows of river channel, OTT (photo).
- California Gull 10 loosely greg. in flight over river channel, OTT.
- Great Egret 1 apparently foraging in a dry, ruderal field near a drainage embankment paralleling suburban yards, CCT (photo).
- Turkey Vulture 1 soaring at about 50 ft. agl over ridge, CCT.
- Cooper’s Hawk 1 (imm) on fence adjacent to riparian patch in river channel, OTT (photo).
- Red-tailed Hawk 2 (ad) perched in leafless cottonwood canopies at edge of riparian wash, TCT; 1 (imm) harassed by several, highly vocal AMCR, though remaining stationary on lower fence of a side drainage culvert in river channel, OTT.
- Acorn Woodpecker 7 (m,f) vocal, greg. in flight and perched on burned upper limbs of dead oaks, CCT; 10 greg. vocal; in flight and perched on dead outer limbs of oaks, SRP.
- Nuttall’s Woodpecker 2 (m,f) a vocal pair foraging on adjacent willow trunks, TCT; 1 vocal (unseen) in burned out oak woodland, SRP; 3 vocal in riparian and park trees, CEP; 1 vocal at low-mid-level in a mature Eucalyptus tree, GAP.
- Northern (RS) Flicker 2 greg. a pair flying to burned oak perch, CCT.
- Black Phoebe 3 sallying to ground and lawns, TCT; ubiq..
- Say’s Phoebe 3 sallying to ruderal field from tree limbs and fences, CCT; ubiq..
- Cassin’s Kingbird 3 vocal, often perched in outer canopy of tallest trees,TCT; OTT; GAP.
- California Scrub Jay 4 vocal, greg. in flight around oak woodland and edge of chaparral hillside, CTT; 6 vocal, greg. SRP.
- American Crow 20 greg. vocal. OTT; ubiq..
- Common (Northern) Raven 1 in flight, CCT.
- Bushtit 10 greg. foraging in mulefat and cottonwoods at edge of river channel, OTT.
- Wrentit 4 greg. vocal (repeated song), two pair, moving quickly through low to med-levels in hillside chaparral, remaining mostly concealed, CTT; 1 vocal (unseen) open chaparral, SRP.
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 foraging quickly in foliage of ornamental trees, mulefat and cottonwoods; often in msf with YRWA and other small passerines, OTT; ubiq..
- White-breasted Nuthatch 1 vocal (unseen) oak woodland, CCT; 1 moving up the trunk of an oak tree, GAP.
- House Wren 1 moving quickly through brush piles and on ground in Eucalyptus woodland, GAP.
- European Starling 30 greg. vocal when perched on utility lines and roof-tops; large, cohesive flocks in flight over park and adjacent suburbs, TCT; CEP; OTT.
- Northern Mockingbird 1 flushed from ornamental shrubs on embankment below adjacent homes, TCT.
- Scaly-breasted Munia 2 greg. a pair (possibly more birds unseen) on ground and in adjacent Eucalyptus, GAP.
- House Sparrow 2 on fence of yard with a bird feeder, TCT; 5 vocal, greg. in ornamental trees, shrubs and on ground beneath them, OTT.
- Purple Finch 1 (f) feeding alone on seeds in canopy of cottonwood, TCT.
- House Finch 12 (m,f) vocal, greg. in riparian patch at edge of wash, CEP; 6 greg. in river channel mulefat and sandy ground beneath, OTT.
- Lesser Goldfinch 21 (m,f) greg. a fairly cohesive, large flock feeding on seeded chaparral shrubs and herbs at edge of a burned oak woodland, CCT; 5 greg. in flight to yard with bird feeder, TCT; ubiq..
- White-crowned Sparrow 10 (ad., imm), vocal, greg. in riparian patches along river channel, OTT; ubiq..
- Golden-crowned Sparrow 1 foraging beneath oaks on ground with WCSP, CCT (photo).
- Song Sparrow 1 vocal (calls – unseen) in dense ground cover on embankment below adjacent yards, TCT.
- California Towhee 3 vocal (calls) greg. pairs on ground at edge of riparian patches and lawns, CEP; ubiq..
- Western Meadowlark 2 in flight 20 ft. agl over open area, SRP.
- Great-tailed Grackle 4 (m,f) greg. in and around adjacent horse corral, CEP.
- Orange-crowned Warbler 2 vocal (calls) foraging at mid to upper levels in mature cottonwoods, TCT;
- Yellow-rumped (A) Warbler 15 (m,f) greg. vocal (calls) pairs and loosely associated small flocks of 5 -8 birds, insect-gleaning at all foliage-height levels – ground to canopy, and in a wide variety of vegetation types, ubiq..
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