Date: 12/18/25 7:08 am From: Thomas Benson via groups.io <tbenson...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Southeastern CA RBA: December 18, 2025
RBA
* California
* Southeastern
* December 18, 2025
* CASE25.12.18
This is the Southeastern CA weekly RBA summary. We cover Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. California Bird Records Committee review species are denoted by asterisks. To report a bird POST TO INLANDCOUNTYBIRDS (https://groups.io/g/inlandcountybirds). If there is some reason that you cannot post there, please e-mail or call/text Tom Benson at <tbenson...> or (909) 648-0899.
The *THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD* continued at Bellevue Memorial Park through Dec 11 (Paul Clarke).
A BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER was seen at Chino Creek Wetlands Dec 11-17 (Jhoneil Centeno).
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
A Red-throated Loon was seen at Lake Perris Dec 14-15 (David Rankin).
Two STELLER'S JAYS of the "Southwestern Interior" group and a WOODHOUSE'S SCRUB-JAY continued at Palo Verde Ecological Reserve through Dec 16 (Andrew Howe).
A PACIFIC WREN was seen along Strawberry Creek in Idyllwild on Dec 16 (Adam and Robin Roberts).
IMPERIAL COUNTY
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD was seen at the intersection of Alcott Road and Hwy 111 in Calipatria Dec 16-17 (Christian Schwarz).
Up to 11 *CAVE SWALLOWS* were seen at the Earthrise Nutritionals algae farm in Calipatria Dec 16-17 (Al DeMartini and Terry Brauner).
Two THICK-BILLED LONGSPURS and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were seen at the Earthrise Nutritionals algae farm on Dec 17 (Dessi Sieburth).
The continuing *CHIHUAHUAN MEADOWLARK* was reported in Bard on Dec 16 (John Sterling).
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was seen at Picacho State Recreation Area on Dec 17 (John Sterling).
An INDIGO BUNTING was reported along Wilkins Road in Niland on Dec 16 (Grigory Heaton).
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Birds included in this weekly summary are those that are considered casual or of less than annual occurrence in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Imperial Counties, or in some cases regionally within these areas. If you do find or see something of interest, whether it be a geographical or seasonal rarity, evidence of local range expansion, or a novel breeding record, I'd recommend sharing that information with the CBRC, North American Birds subregional editors, or regional listservs as appropriate. Information for contacting these entities is available below.
Please submit your documentation of all California Bird Records Committee review species (denoted by asterisks) to CBRC Secretary Tom Benson at <secretary...> or via the CBRC website: https://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html
CBRC review species and birds of local or seasonal rarity should be reported to the North American Birds (https://www.aba.org/north-american-birds/) county coordinators. They are:
IMPERIAL COUNTY: Guy McCaskie, <guymcc...>
INYO COUNTY: Chris and Rosie Howard, <chris93514...>
KERN COUNTY: Kelli Heindel-Levinson, <kkheindel...>
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: David Rankin, <david.rankin...>
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Alexander E. Koonce, <sandy_koonce...>
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Other dying birding listservs that occasionally include reports of birds in southern California are:
A schedule of San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society field trips is available on the SBVAS website at https://www.sbvas.net/field-trips
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Bird status and distribution references that every southeastern California birder should own:
Birds of southern California: status and distribution (1981), by Kimball L. Garrett and Jon L. Dunn
Birds of the Salton Sea: status, biogeography, and ecology (2003), by Michael A. Patten, Guy McCaskie, and Philip Unitt (update: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V56/56(2)-p126-p142.pdf)
Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley (1991), by Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Robert D. Ohmart, William C. Hunter, and Bertin W. Anderson
