Date: 12/13/25 1:37 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: December 13
* California
* Orange County
* December 13, 2025
* CAOC25.12.13
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
Black Scoter
Red-necked Grebe
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Bald Eagle
Zone-tailed Hawk
Eastern Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Bell's Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Grasshopper Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
American Redstart
Black-headed Grosbeak
A BLACK SCOTER was at the Sunset Aquatic Marina in Seal Beach in the
vicinity of the boat ramp on December 10.
A RED-NECKED GREBE was at the Sunset Aquatic Marina in Seal Beach in the
vicinity of the boat ramp from December 7 through reportedly December 13.
LITTLE BLUE HERONS continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach this week.
A TRICOLORED HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through December 12.
Up to two WESTERN CATTLE-EGRETS were at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach from December 10 through December 12.
BALD EAGLES were reported from Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve in
Newport Beach, Los Alamitos Retarding Basin in Seal Beach, and Huntington
Central Park in Huntington Beach this week.
ZONE-TAILED HAWKS were reported from residential Mission Viejo and from
Lower Round Canyon in Irvine on December 8.
An EASTERN PHOEBE was at Harriett Wieder Regional Park in Huntington Beach
on December 13, in the area between the parking lot and Fisher's Gulch.
A WESTERN KINGBIRD was photographed at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach on December 7.
A Bell's Vireo at Fullerton Arboretum in Fullerton on December 7 was
certainly a surprise.
PLUMBEOUS VIREOS were at Bart Spendlove Memorial Park in Mission Viejo on
December 8 and George Bellis Park in Fullerton on December 12.
Two GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS continued at Quail Hill in Irvine this week.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were in residential Orange from December 10 through
December 13 and at Serrano Creek Park in Lake Forest on December 13.
A male BALTIMORE ORIOLE returned to Emery Park in Fullerton on December 11.
A male AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park East in
Huntington Beach through December 12.
A male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK was at Sea Canyon Park in Dana Point on
December 8.
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
