Date: 10/2/26 6:38 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: October 2, 2026
A total of 29 species on my list is right around the most it's ever been in
a single week...
* California
* Orange County
* October 2, 2026
* CAOC26.10.02
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
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pectoral Sandpiper
Common Tern
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Zone-tailed Hawk
Least Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Plumbeous Vireo
Yellow-green Vireo
Clark’s Nutcracker
Evening Grosbeak
Cassin’s Finch
Vesper Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Virginia’s Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Palm Warbler
Painted Bunting
A PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, which seems to be becoming casual at this location
in fall over the last few years, was at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach from September 30 to October 2. The bird was primarily
seen in the Least Tern nesting area.
At least two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were at Burris Basin in Anaheim on
September 26 and 27.
COMMON TERNS were reported at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine
on October 2.
A NEOTROPIC CORMORANT continued on the upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim on
September 30.
A LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through September 26.
A ZONE-TAILED HAWK was reported flying over the avocado orchards in the
Northwood section of Irvine on October 1.
A LEAST FLYCATCHER was photographed hanging around the center of Gibbs Park
in Huntington Beach, where the eucalyptus forest starts, on September 28.
A HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER was at the Los Pinos trailhead in the Santa Ana
Mountains on September 30 and October 1.
An apparent PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at Pittsford Park in Lake Forest on October
2.
A YELLOW-GREEN VIREO continued at Huntington Central Park through at least
September 26, in the trees above Loren’s Bench and in the Jack Green Nature
Area.
CLARK’S NUTCRACKERS continued at Munhall Saddle/Los Pinos trailhead and in
the surrounding area through October 1.
EVENING GROSBEAKS continued at Munhall Saddle/Los Pinos through October 1.
A CASSIN’S FINCH was photographed somewhere in the Santa Ana Mountains on
September 29.
A VESPER SPARROW was photographed at Gothard Hill at Huntington Central
Park in Huntington Beach on September 29.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE was photographed at the Randall Preserve in Newport
Beach on September 27.
At least one YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was on the Upper Santa Ana River on
September 27 and 29.
A BALTIMORE ORIOLE was photographed somewhere in Upper Newport Bay
Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach on September 27.
An OVENBIRD was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on September
26 and 27 in the island.
A NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington
Beach through October 1.
A female BLACK-AND-WHITE warbler was at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach from September 27 through October 1.
A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
from September 26 through September 29.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
through September 30, while another was at Eastbluff Park in Newport Beach
from September 26 through September 28.
A VIRGINIA’S WARBLER was in residential Irvine from September 27 through
October 1.
Female-type AMERICAN REDSTARTS were at Canyon Park in Costa Mesa and
Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach both on September 26 and 27.
A NORTHERN PARULA was at Turtle Rock Community Park in Irvine on September
26.
A BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER was at Canyon Park in Costa Mesa on September 26.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER continued(?) at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach from September 26 through October 1 around the island.
A PALM WARBLER was at Eastbluff Park in Costa Mesa from September 26
through September 28. Another was at Pittsford Park in Lake Forest on
October 2.
A PAINTED BUNTING was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach from
September 27 through September 30.
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
