Date: 4/17/26 7:37 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: April 17, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* April 17, 2026
* CAOC26.04.17
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
American Oystercatcher
Solitary Sandpiper
Red-necked Grebe
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Bald Eagle
Plumbeous Vireo
Black-chinned Sparrow
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Palm Warbler
A LONG-TAILED DUCK continued at Lake Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo through
April 14.
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER was reported from Dana Point Harbor in Dana Point
this week.
A SOLITARY SANDPIPER was reported from Pond D at the San Joaquin Wildlife
Sanctuary in Irvine today.
A RED-NECKED GREBE apparently continued inside the Sunset Aquatic Marina
boat launch area in Seal Beach through April 16.
A RED-THROATED LOON was at Tri-City Regional Park in Placentia on April 12.
A PACIFIC LOON was at Laguna Niguel Regional Park in Laguna Niguel on April
12 and 13.
A COMMON LOON continued at Lake Mission Viejo through April 12. Another was
reported from Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on April 12.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued along the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim,
the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, and Mason Regional Park in
Irvine.
An immature LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
in Huntington Beach through April 17.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through April 15.
A BALD EAGLE continued scouring up and down the coast again this week.
A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at Gilman Park in Fullerton on April 15.
Remarkably, a BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW was photographed in the Laguna Coast
Wilderness Park near the intersection of the Bommer Ridge Trail and the
Slow n Easy Trail.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER continued at Gibbs Park in Huntington Beach on
April 11.
A PALM WARBLER was at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea from April 14
through April 17, preferring a silk oak along the lake.
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
