Perris & Riverside, CA (2/5 - 2/7/2018)

My week in this area has had mixed results.  I enjoyed my drive to San Juan Capistrano, and watching the Super Bowl in the clubhouse with a lot of nice folks was a pleasant experience (although my Patriots lost).  My agenda here included a lot of parks, wilderness areas and wildlife reserves that I had spotted on the map and then researched on the internet.  A couple I was unable to find, although I used Google maps and asked people I found in the general vicinity.  Some were fenced with a locked gate, and others charged too much (I thought) for a quick check of the bird population.  So, I've done a lot of driving with little to show for it.  At least the weather here has been pleasant, if a little warm when out in the sun.

For those who enjoy sunrise/sunset photos, I have one of each, plus a carry-over of the Super Blue Moon from the end of January.  Both the sunrise and sunset caught me off guard, since I had not gone out to view them.  In both cases, I just happened to see color out the window and took the photos from the campground, pointing the camera above all the RVs and such.  On the night of the Super moon, we were cloudy early in the evening, but the moon eventually rose above the heaviest clouds and peeked through the thin layers remaining.

  

 Lake Jennings is a man-made reservoir that offers camping and fishing.  I went hoping to see migrating ducks, but only saw a few white pelicans.  This one has his breeding bumps on his bill.

 A couple of recent bird photos, a western bluebird and a white-crowned sparrow, which are very common in this area.

 I drove into the mountains to see Ortega Falls, but it is dry.  This was not surprising, since several days of rain are required to give it a flow, and there hasn't been any rain..  In the photo below, the very center is a grey spot where water has discolored the rock in the past.  Below and to the right, you can see young people who came out to clean the trail of litter.

 Lake Perris is another man-made lake that is a State Recreation Area.  The young lady at the gate let me in free when I explained I wouldn't be swimming, boating or any other of the activities it offers.  I just wanted to look for birds.  After finding a couple, I left and thanked her for saving me $10.

Juvenile Black Phoebe

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Seventh Day Adventist Church in Perris

 It took two tries to find Box Springs Mountain Wilderness Park, which I had read had good 4WD trails.  When I got there, I found the gate closed to vehicles.  Since there were obviously no trees, there would be little chance of seeing birds, so I decided not to hike up the mountain when the temp was 89F.  I did spend a little time with some local firemen who were there to practice mountain rescue, hoisting one of the paramedics out of a canyon by helicopter that would be arriving.  After waiting a little while, I gave up on the helicopter and left.  Going down the mountain, I passed several ranches that raise burros.  I'm not sure why there is a market for them.

 I paid a visit to the University of California-Riverside to see their botanic garden.  On a steep hillside, the garden is lovely, but tough on us old-timers viewing it.  There weren't that many plants in bloom, so I expect it would be even prettier in a few months.