Date: 4/25/26 9:54 am From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: April 25, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* April 25, 2026
* CAOC26.04.25
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
White-winged Dove
Pacific Golden-Plover
Solitary Sandpiper
Red-necked Grebe
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Dusky Flycatcher
Brewer’s Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Virginia’s Warbler
Palm Warbler
A LONG-TAILED DUCK reportedly continued at Lake Mission Viejo in Mission
Viejo through April 20.
WHITE-WINGED DOVES were at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa on April 20 and at
Mason Regional Park in Irvine on March 23.
A PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER was at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Seal
Beach on April 20.
A SOLITARY SANDPIPER reportedly continued at the San Joaquin Wildlife
Sanctuary in Irvine on April 19.
A RED-NECKED GREBE moved into Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Seal
Beach and was there through April 22.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued along the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim
and the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine.
At least one immature LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological
Reserve in Huntington Beach through April 22.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through April 21. Another was reported from the San
Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on the Pond 2 island on April 24.
A DUSKY FLYCATCHER was at the southern end of Maple Grove Park South in
Cypress on April 19.
A BREWER’S SPARROW was near the parking lot at Anaheim Coves Park in
Anaheim on April 21.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim and at
the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach this week.
A VIRGINIA’S WARBLER was reported from Gilman Park in Fullerton on April 20.
A PALM WARBLER continued at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea through
April 22, 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
