Date: 9/11/26 7:55 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: September 11, 2026
It seems official that the Purple Gallinule is now long gone. Don’t look
back in anger if you didn’t make it out in time to see it, the nature of
reality is that all birds move on. Just roll with it, go let it out, slide
away, and soldier on.
🇺🇸
* California
* Orange County
* September 11, 2026
* CAOC26.09.11
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
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Black Tern
Common Tern
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Bank Swallow
Brewer’s Sparrow
Black-and-white Warbler
Virginia’s Warbler
A SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was reported from the vicinity of the Coyote Creek
and Brea Creek confluence in Buena Park on September 11.
A BLACK TERN was reported from inside Newport Harbor on September 9 and 10.
Another presumably continuing bird reported from Bolsa Chica Ecological
Reserve in Huntington Beach on September 11 was perhaps…the same bird?
A few COMMON TERNS continued to be reported from the Newport Beach area
this week.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued on the upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim as
well as at Mason Regional Park in Irvine.
A LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through September 11.
A BANK SWALLOW was reported at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary
in Irvine on September 6.
A BREWER’S SPARROW was photographed along the northeastern edge of Pond C
at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on September 11.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was reported from just east of the parking lot at
Canyon Park in Costa Mesa on September 11.
A VIRGINIA’S WARBLER in the Nature Area at Mile Square Regional Park in
Fountain Valley continued through September 5.
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
