Date: 4/11/26 8:54 am From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: April 11, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* April 11, 2026
* CAOC26.04.11
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
Long-tailed Duck
Common Loon
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Bald Eagle
Plumbeous Vireo
White-throated Sparrow
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Pine Warbler
Of great surprise given that Lake Mission Viejo is normally *extremely*
ordinary in its bird life (like really), a LONG-TAILED DUCK has been
present at this inland lake since Wednesday, April 8 and continued this
morning.
Of no interest to anybody in Orange County except for me as a local patch
lister, a COMMON LOON was also on Lake Mission Viejo on April 10. Another
was at Laguna Niguel Regional Park in Laguna Niguel on April 5.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued along the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim,
the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, and Mason Regional Park in
Irvine.
Two immature 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 April 8.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach on April 10.
A BALD EAGLE continued scouring up and down the coast again this week.
A PLUMBEOUS VIREO continued at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley
on April 9.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was at Westgrove Park in Garden Grove on April 8
and 9.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS continued along the Upper Santa Ana River at
Burris Basin in Anaheim through April 5 and, much better as it’s NOT one of
the normal spots, at Quail Hill in Irvine on April 8.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in
Irvine on April 5.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER continued at Gibbs Park in Huntington Beach on
April 10.
A PINE WARBLER continued at Westgrove Park in Garden Grove through April 7.
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 Samuel Bressler (<pacificgoldenplover...>) 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.
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. #RBA
