Good afternoon,
14 birders enjoyed a pleasant morning alongside a mostly dry San Luis Rey river. The highlights included Bulloch’s and Hooded oriole, Western tanager, Black-headed grosbeak and Costa’s hummingbird. A total of 54 species was seen which included the following;

Mallard
Northern Shoveler
California Quail
Pied-billed Grebe
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared Dove*
Mourning Dove
Vaux’s Swift
White-throated Swift
Anna’s Hummingbird
Costa’s Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood Pewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Cassin’s Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Hutton’s Vireo
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub Jay
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
Canyon Wren
House Wren
Western Bluebird
Wrentit
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Phainopepla
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson’s Warbler
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Hooded Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch

Thanks to all who joined for a nice walk,
Michael

Michael Beeve
Vista, CA 92081
pileatedwoodpecker@sbcglobal.net

P.S.  Mystery Shrub Wilderness Gardens

A number of us scratched our heads at a lovely yellow-flowered shrub at Wilderness Gardens yesterday.  Some, including me, suggested Spanish Broom or a member of the pea family.

Well, we were wrong on all counts.  The plant is Yellow Bush Penstemon, Keckiella antirrhinoides.  Per my copy of Lightner’s San Diego County Native Plants, it is a deciduous shrub to 6′ height, common below 5000′ in San Diego County; erect, twigs much-branched, leaves small.  It’s also called Beard Tongue.

From:  Jack Friery