Date: 8/14/26 10:21 pm From: <tgmiko...> via groups.io <tgmiko...> Subject: Re: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: August 14, 2026
It put on quite a show in the late afternoon, actively feeding and walking
the edges of Pond C, and even flying about 30 feet. I think the key to this
bird is to look for it in the mornings and evenings (my first visit today
was in the late morning and I hung out for an hour and a half without
seeing it, so I came back tonight).
Thomas Geza Miko
Claremont CA 91711
909.241.3300
On Fri, Aug 14, 2026 at 6:56 PM Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Tom Wurster immediately pointed out to me that I had mistaken the dates on
> the gallinule, so for the record the bird was found yesterday, August 13,
> and continued today, August 14.
>
> Having said that, there is a bizarre lack of any posts about this first
> county record and rare California bird here on the listserv, on Discord,
> and in the WhatsApp group. I assume it continued all day today and may even
> still be strutting about right now to the delight of many birders, but I
> have no clue because nobody is posting about it. For people who could not
> make it today, I'm sure they would appreciate people sharing early tomorrow
> if it continues for day #3.
>
> On Fri, Aug 14, 2026, 4:31 PM Ryan Winkleman <rswinkleman...>
> wrote:
>
>> For those people still here....
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> * California
>>
>> * Orange County
>>
>> * August 14, 2026
>>
>> * CAOC26.08.14
>>
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>> *PURPLE GALLINULE*
>>
>> Ruff
>>
>> Northern Fulmar
>>
>> Neotropic Cormorant
>>
>> Little Blue Heron
>>
>> Brewer’s Sparrow
>>
>> Summer Tanager
>>
>>
>>
>> A first-county record juvenile *PURPLE GALLINULE* (OC #509) was found in
>> Pond C of the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on August
>> 14 and continued in the same pond on August 15.
>>
>>
>>
>> Presumably this same old RUFF has returned again for another summer and
>> has been seen in the Upper Santa Ana River in its usual spots since August
>> 7. If the same bird, which it seems extremely unlikely that it’s not the
>> exact same-looking bird returning to the exact same spot at the exact same
>> time of year every year, then it’s at least 14 years old now, having
>> already been in adult plumage when it first definitively showed up in 2013.
>>
>>
>>
>> A NORTHERN FULMAR was photographed offshore on August 8.
>>
>>
>>
>> NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued on the upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim as
>> well as at Mason Regional Park and the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife
>> Sanctuary in Irvine.
>>
>>
>>
>> A LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
>> Huntington Beach through August 13.
>>
>>
>>
>> A BREWER’S SPARROW appears to have been photographed in La Bonita Park in
>> La Habra on August 12.
>>
>>
>>
>> A SUMMER TANAGER continued at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain
>> Valley on August 9.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 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/.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> None upcoming.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ****************************************************
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Ryan Winkleman
> Rancho Santa Margarita
>
>
>
