Date: 12/20/25 4:40 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: December 20
* California
* Orange County
* December 20, 2025
* CAOC25.12.20
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
Red-necked Grebe
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Bald Eagle
Zone-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Western Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Plumbeous Vireo
Grasshopper Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Bell's Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Black-headed Grosbeak
A RED-NECKED GREBE continued at the Sunset Aquatic Marina in Seal Beach in
the vicinity of the boat ramp through December 19.
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 20.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through December 20.
BALD EAGLES were reported from Huntington Central Park and Bolsa Chica
Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach, as well as at Talbert Regional Park
in Costa Mesa this week.
A ZONE-TAILED HAWK was reported from Rancho Serrano Park in Lake Forest on
December 20.
A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was at Olinda Ranch Neighborhood Park in Brea
from December 14 through December 18.
A WESTERN FLYCATCHER was at Serrano Creek Park in Lake Forest on December
14.
An EASTERN PHOEBE continued at Harriett Wieder Regional Park in Huntington
Beach through December 20.
A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at Pittsford Park in Lake Forest on December 14.
Another was reported from Rancho Serrano Park in Lake Forest on December 20.
GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS continued at Quail Hill in Irvine this week as well as
at Irvine Regional Park in Orange and Limestone Canyon.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were at Solana Park in Rancho Santa Margarita and
at Aldrich Park at UC Irvine on December 19.
A BELL'S SPARROW was in the usual Coal/Fremont Canyon spot in the Santa Ana
Mountains on December 14.
A VESPER SPARROW continued at Irvine Lake on December 14.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE was at Talbert Regional Park in Costa Mesa on
December 15.
A male BALTIMORE ORIOLE returned to Emery Park in Fullerton on December 11.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach on December 19. Another was reported from Rancho Serrano
Park in Lake Forest on December 20.
TENNESSEE WARBLERS were at Huntington Central Park West on Huntington Beach
and at George Bellis Park in Fullerton on December 18.
A male AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park East in
Huntington Beach through December 16.
A NORTHERN PARULA continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
on December 18.
A male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was at Aldrich Park at UC Irvine on December
15.
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
