Date: 9/14/25 12:42 am From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: September 14, 2025
* California
* Orange County
* September 14, 2025
* CAOC25.09.14
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
Ruff
Stilt Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Tropical Kingbird
Bank Swallow
Purple Martin
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Lucy’s Warbler
Virginia's Warbler
The RUFF continued on the Upper Santa Ana River between Lincoln and
Glassell through September 9, while a juvenile bird at the San Joaquin
Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine continued through on September 6.
A STILT SANDPIPER continued at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine
through September 7.
Two BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS were on the northeast mudflats at Irvine Lake on
September 7.
A PECTORAL SANDPIPER continued on Pond C at the San Joaquin Wildlife
Sanctuary in Irvine through September 9. Two on the Upper Santa Ana River
on September 9 were presumably continuing.
A SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was on Pond C at the San Joaquin Wildlife
Sanctuary in Irvine from September 5 through September 8.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued on the Santa Ana River and at Mile Square
Regional Park in Fountain Valley.
An adult LITTLE BLUE HERON was at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach from September 8 through September 13.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET was on Palm Island at Mile Square Regional Park in
Fountain Valley on September 12.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD was near the Aliso Creek mouth in residential Laguna
Niguel from September 6 through September 10.
A BANK SWALLOW was at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine from
September 7 through September 9.
A PURPLE MARTIN was at Irvine Lake on September 13.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were on the Upper Santa Ana River and Irvine Lake
this week.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was at the edge of the butterfly garden at the
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on September 8. Another was in
Limestone Canyon on September 13.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was reported from Gilman Park in Fullerton on September
11 but the identity has not been confirmed yet.
A LUCY’S WARBLER continued in the Nature Center at Mile Square Regional
Park in Fountain Valley through September 13.
VIRGINIA’S WARBLERS were in the island at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach on September 9, in the middle of Westminster Memorial Park
in Westminster on September 12, and at Gilman Park in Fullerton on
September 13.
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/field-trips/.
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/field-trips/. 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
