Date: 1/18/25 10:12 am From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: January 18, 2025
* California
* Orange County
* January 18, 2025
* CAOC25.01.18
This is the Orange County, CA weekly Rare Bird Alert (RBA) and local events
summary. California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) review species are
capitalized and marked with asterisks below. All documentation of review
species should be forwarded to the CBRC secretary, Tom Benson, at
<secretary...>
BIRDS MENTIONED
American Oystercatcher
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Zone-tailed Hawk
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Brown Creeper
Gray Catbird
Sage Thrasher
Varied Thrush
White-throated Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Tricolored Blackbird
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Grace’s Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER continued along the coast through January 12.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS were at Anaheim Lake and on the Upper Santa Ana River
this week.
An immature LITTLE BLUE HERON continued in the Santa Ana River at LeBard
Park through January 12.
A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER continued at Mile Square Regional Park in
Fountain Valley through January 14.
A ZONE-TAILED HAWK was photographed in residential Rancho Santa Margarita
on January 13.
A HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER continued at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain
Valley through January 15.
A GRAY FLYCATCHER continued at Riverdale Park in Anaheim through January 16.
A DUSKY FLYCATCHER continued at Veeh Ranch Park in Laguna Hills through
January 12.
WESTERN FLYCATCHERS were reported throughout the county in the last week.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington
Beach through January 16.
A BROWN CREEPER continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
through January 16.
A GRAY CATBIRD continued at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point through
January 15.
A SAGE THRASHER continued at Rivergate Park in Huntington Beach through
January 17.
A VARIED THRUSH was at Irvine Regional Park in Orange near parking lot M on
January 16.
A SWAMP SPARROW was at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary on January 17 and
18, on the lawn by the butterfly garden.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at Overlook Park in Huntington Beach on
January 14, while another continued at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point on
January 12.
An adult male ORCHARD ORIOLE returned to residential Fountain Valley on
January 12.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES continued at Emery Park in Fullerton through January 14.
A TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD continued at Carr Park in Huntington Beach through
January 16.
An AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington
Beach through January 16.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER continued at Woodbridge North Lake in Irvine
through January 17.
A GRACE’S WARBLER at Knollcrest Park in Irvine on January 16 and 17 was
only the fourth record for Orange County. The bird ranges far and wide
within the park and is very elusive and difficult to find.
A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at Gabrielino Park in Irvine
through January 14.
LOCAL EVENTS
Note: We will no longer be listing individual trips on this weekly email.
For a complete up-to-date list of current field trips, please visit the
webpage on Sea and Sage’s website:
https://seaandsageaudubon.org/home-sas/field-trip-2/#FallFT.
The Orange County RBA and events summary is produced weekly by Ryan
Winkleman. Sightings of rare birds can be posted to the OrangeCountyBirding
listserv, emailed directly to Ryan Winkleman (<rswinkleman...>),
and/or submitted to eBird (http://ebird.org/content/ebird). Any supporting
details (descriptions, photos, audio recordings, etc.) of rare sightings
that are not already disclosed on the listserv or on eBird should also be
emailed to Ryan Winkleman separately for consideration to be mentioned in
the current quarterly report for North American Birds.
Those sightings that are included in this summary generally include those
that are considered rare (regionally or seasonally) for Orange County based
on "The Birds of Orange County: Status and Distribution" (Hamilton and
Willick), "Birds of Southern California" (Garrett and Dunn), and/or more
contemporary changes in local or regional status and distribution. Rarities
that regularly or seasonally occur at a particular location, such as
annually wintering rarities on Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, may or
may not be included in this digest, but reports of these same species
occurring at other, atypical locations throughout the county may be
included. We don't include hybrids, subspecies, introduced or exotic birds,
or in most cases and for no real reason, geese. All bird reports are vetted
to the extent possible prior to each publication, but in the interest of
sharing information, the accuracy of any given report cannot always be
guaranteed, nor can the presence of any given bird for those who choose to
chase after them.
Information on upcoming local events can be viewed on the Sea and Sage
Audubon website (http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/). Sea and Sage Audubon
is based out of the Audubon House at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in
Irvine. They sponsor a number of public field trips, special birding
events, conservation lectures, and social gatherings throughout the year.
Information regarding upcoming local events should be considered accurate
at the time of this posting. However, for the most current information
please refer to the field trip list on the Sea and Sage Audubon website at
https://seaandsageaudubon.org/home-sas/field-trip-2/#FTSchedule. It is also
recommended that you refer to that website immediately prior to engaging in
any field trip to confirm that trips are still occurring. If you know of
additional upcoming events that are not sponsored directly by Sea and Sage
Audubon, please email Ryan Winkleman for inclusion. #RBA
