Date: 12/6/25 8:25 am From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: December 5 (6), 2025
* California
* Orange County
* December 5 (6), 2025
* CAOC25.12.05 (06)
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
White-winged Dove
Manx Shearwater
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Short-eared Owl
Prairie Falcon
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Plumbeous Vireo
Brown Creeper
Grasshopper Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Bay-breasted Warbler
Palm Warbler
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was photographed on Cypress (not Cyprus) Avenue in
Santa Ana on November 29.
In what has been an unusually prolific period for this species, two more
MANX SHEARWATERS were offshore on November 30.
A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON continued at the San Joaquin Wildlife
Sanctuary in Irvine through December 1.
An adult and juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological
Reserve in Huntington Beach through December 5.
A TRICOLORED HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through December 5.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET was at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine
through December 2.
A SHORT-EARED OWL was photographed at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on
December 3.
A PRAIRIE FALCON continued at Quail Hill in Irvine from November 28 through
November 30.
A HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington
Beach from November 27 through December 4.
A WESTERN FLYCATCHER was at the Los Coyotes Country Club in Fullerton on
December 2.
PLUMBEOUS VIREOS were at Pinewood Park in Irvine on November 29 and at
Woodbridge North Lake on November 30.
A BROWN CREEPER presumably continued at Gilman Park in Fullerton on
December 4.
Two GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were found wintering at Quail Hill in Irvine this
week.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW continued at Mason Regional Park in Irvine from
November 26 through December 5. Another was seen in the vicinity of
Santiago Hills Park in Orange on December 3.
A VESPER SPARROW continued on the southern shoreline of Irvine Lake on
November 30.
A female BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach through December 4. Another was reported from Crystal Cove
Start Park off of Moro Canyon Trail on December 3.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was in the southwest corner of the Shipley Nature
Center in Huntington Central Park West in Huntington Beach on December 3.
A male AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park East in
Huntington Beach through December 5.
A BAY-BREASTED WARBLER continued from November 26 through November 30 at
Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach. There were multiple reports of
a second bird present simultaneously elsewhere in the park on November 29.
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
