Date: 9/25/26 8:09 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: September 25, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* September 25, 2026
* CAOC26.09.25
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
White-winged Dove
Pectoral Sandpiper
Common Tern
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Tropical Kingbird
Cassin’s Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Yellow-green Vireo
Clark’s Nutcracker
Bank Swallow
Evening Grosbeak
Brewer’s Sparrow
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Northern Waterthrush
Tennessee Warbler
Virginia’s Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Grace’s Warbler
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was at Cordova Park in Mission Viejo on September 20,
while another was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on the
same day, near Loren’s Bench.
A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was reported from the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim
between Taft and Lincoln on September 25.
A COMMON TERN continued at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington
Beach on September 22.
A NEOTROPIC CORMORANT continued on the upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim on
September 23.
A LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through September 24.
A presumed TROPICAL KINGBIRD was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington
Beach on September 18 in the Jack Green Nature Area.
At least one CASSIN’S VIREO was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington
Beach on September 19 at Loren’s Ditch.
A BLUE-HEADED VIREO was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on
September 21 in the trees above Loren’s Bench. This same bird appears to
have continued in the same general area at least into September 22. This is
the first record of this species in Orange County since 2000.
A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at Estancia Park in Costa Mesa on September 19.
Another was at Gilman Park in Fullerton on September 20, while a third was
at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on September 22.
A YELLOW-GREEN VIREO was at Huntington Central Park from September 19
through at least September 24, in the trees above Loren’s Bench and in the
Jack Green Nature Area.
A flock of 40 CLARK’S NUTCRACKERS at Munhall Saddle/Los Pinos trailhead on
September 23 finally brought the major irruption of this species up and
down the California coast to Orange County. This is the first record of
this species in Orange County since 1997.
A BANK SWALLOW was at Arbor Park in Seal Beach on September 21.
A flock of five EVENING GROSBEAKS was at Munhall Saddle/Los Pinos on
September 23. Another three were reported at the same location on September
25. These represent the first record of this species in Orange County since
2009.
BREWERS SPARROWS were reported this week from Arbor Park in Seal Beach on
September 21, from the Great Park in Irvine on September 22, from Irvine
Regional Park in Orange on September 23, and from Huntington Central Park
in Huntington Beach on September 25.
A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was reported from Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
in Huntington Beach on September 20.
A NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
from September 20 through September 25. Another continued at Gilman Park in
Fullerton through September 21.
TENNESSEE WARBLERS were at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach from
September 19 through September 24, at Gilman Park in Fullerton September
20, and at Hiltscher Park in Fullerton on September 21.
A VIRGINIA’S WARBLER was at Gilman Park in Fullerton on September 19.
An AMERICAN REDSTART was at Canyon Park in Costa Mesa on September 19 and
20, while another was at John Beat Park in Buena Park on September 19.
A NORTHERN PARULA was near the entrance to Carbon Canyon Regional Park in
Brea on September 20.
A BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER was at Eucalyptus Park in Cypress on September 19.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
on September 20 and 21 around the library, while another was on the far
west side of Aldrich Park at UC Irvine on September 22.
A BLACKPOLL WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach (HCP
East) on September 19 and 20 at the island, while another was at HCP West
just west of Lake Huntington on September 22.
A GRACE’S WARBLER was in residential Tustin on September 22.
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
Sylvia Gallagher will run her Birds of Southern California workshop from
October 6 to December 17. Those interested in enrolling in it can send in
the reservation form located here, if there are still spaces available:
https://seaandsageaudubon.org/events/birds-of-southern-california/.
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
