A birding morning at Bonsall

Back on August 7th I spent some time exploring the Bonsall area and the new San Luis Rey River Park. I parked off Highway 76 opposite of S Mission Rd, where some construction was halted for the weekend. It was as I suspected. Even though there is an eBird Hotspot for this locale, with 68 checklists submitted, it is not publicly accessible. It may be a couple more years until trails and parking lots are installed.

I followed the only trail I could find into the riparian woods and came upon a pleasant transient camped there. Calling him a transient or homeless person, though, is pretty bigoted as he's lived in the woods there for a dozen years or more while I've lived in 8 or so different homes during that same time. So who's the transient? Anyway, he told me he was the last person living in the woods there and was soon moving out--he had a place lined up in Las Vegas, so I wish him the best.

The woods are dense without any trails, but I was able to find some birds from the edge. Of note were a couple of Common Ground Doves, Downy Woodpecker, and Bell's Vireos.

Common Ground-Dove. Bonsall, California. August 7, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Downy Woodpecker.

Someday this will be a good birding spot. But not today.