Date: 8/7/26 7:26 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: August 7, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* August 7, 2026
* CAOC26.08.07
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
American Oystercatcher
Guadalupe Murrelet
Sabine’s Gull
Northern Fulmar
Manx Shearwater
Red-footed Booby
Cocos Booby
Masked Booby
Nazca Booby
Blue-footed Booby
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER continued to be reported from the Dana Point
Harbor area in Dana Point this week.
A GUADALUPE MURRELET photographed offshore on August 1 was the first record
for Orange County (#508).
A SABINE’S GULL was photographed offshore on August 3.
NORTHERN FULMARS were photographed offshore on August 1 and August 4.
A MANX SHEARWATER was reported offshore on August 7.
A RED-FOOTED BOOBY was photographed offshore on August 1.
Multiple COCOS BOOBIES were observed offshore this week. Maybe they will
become resident on the oil rigs again? 😊
A MASKED BOOBY was reported offshore on August 3.
A NAZCA BOOBY was photographed offshore on August 2.
A BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY was offshore on August 3.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued on the upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim as
well as at Mason Regional Park in Irvine.
A LITTLE BLUE HERON was at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington
Beach from August 1 through August 6.
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
