Date: 5/8/26 10:33 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: May 8, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* May 8, 2026
* CAOC26.05.08
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
White-winged Scoter
Franklin’s Gull
Neotropic Cormorant
Western Cattle-Egret
Bell’s Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
A WHITE-WINGED SCOTER continued in the San Gabriel River mouth between
through May 4.
A FRANKLIN’S GULL was on the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim on May 4.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued along the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim
through May 7.
WESTERN CATTLE-EGRETS were at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington
Beach and at the San Juan Creek Mouth in Dana Point on May 3, as well as at
Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on May 5.
A BELL’S SPARROW was in the vicinity of the Tecate Cypress area in Coal
Canyon on May 3.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued in residential Dana Point on May 2, while
others were in Chino Hills State Park on May 3 and in Huntington Central
Park East in Huntington Beach on May 5.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS continued at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through May 3, while others were at Naval Weapons Station
Seal Beach in Seal Beach from May 3 through May 8.
A NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was at the western pond at the Fairview Park
wetlands in Costa Mesa from May 4 through May 6.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was at Eisenhower Park in Orange from May 2
through May 5.
A beautiful adult male TENNESSEE WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park
East in Huntington Beach on May 2.
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
