Date: 11/5/26 5:56 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via OrangeCountyBirding <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: November 5, 2026
I started writing this last week but didn’t finish it so I just extended it
over a two-week period covering October 24 through November 5. You get it a
day early because I’m going to be gone tomorrow drinking butterbeer and
riding rides. Happy early birthday to my older son! Some of you birders who
have known me for a long time will remember me sharing my first picture
holding him in the hospital...hard to believe it’s now 12 years later!
* California
* Orange County
* November 5, 2026
* CAOC26.11.05
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
Black Tern
Cocos Booby
Neotropic Cormorant
Reddish Egret
Western Cattle-Egret
Short-eared Owl
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Plumbeous Vireo
Gray Catbird
Townsend’s Solitaire
Varied Thrush
Cassin’s Finch
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
Lark Bunting
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER continued at Dana Point Harbor through November 4.
A BLACK TERN was flying around Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve in
Newport Beach on October 25. Perhaps the same bird was at the San Joaquin
Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on November 1.
At least one ARCTIC TERN was flying around in the Upper Newport Bay
Ecological Reserve in Newport Beach on October 11.
COMMON TERNS continued along the coast this week.
COCOS BOOBIES were at the Newport Harbor jetty on October 24 and the Dana
Point Harbor jetty from October 26 to November 5.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued on the upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim
through October 29. Another was at Ralph Clark Park in Buena Park on
November 2.
A REDDISH EGRET continued well inland at Burris Basin in Anaheim through
October 31.
Three WESTERN CATTLE-EGRETS were on the Lower Santa Ana River on October 25.
A SHORT-EARED OWL, which remains one of my long-time OC nemesis birds, was
observed on the backside of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach on November 1.
A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was at Olinda Ranch Park on October 27.
A HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER was photographed on the Hicks Canyon Trail in Irvine
on November 1.
TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington
Beach on October 25, Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on October
29, and the Upper Santa Ana River adjacent to Burris Basin in Anaheim on
October 29. At least one was at the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve in
Newport Beach on October 26, and another was at Gum Grove Park in Seal
Beach on November 2.
A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was reported from residential Irvine on October 30.
Another was at the RSM Central Park in good ol’ Rancho Santa Margarita on
November 1, while another was at Russell Cook Park along the San Juan Creek
close to the horse stables on November 2.
A GRAY CATBIRD AT Canyon Park in Costa Mesa on October 31 was only the 12th
record for Orange County.
A TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE was reported from Crystal Cove State Park on October
30.
A VARIED THRUSH was reported from the Shady Canyon Trail in Irvine on
October 24.
CASSIN’S FINCHES continued at Munhall Saddle/Los Pinos Trailhead through
October 28.
A PURPLE FINCH was at Canyon Park in Costa Mesa on October 31.
A RED CROSSBILL was found dead in residential Live Oak Canyon on October
28. More were found flying over Laguna Lake Park in Fullerton on October
29. Another was at Burris Basin in Anaheim on October 31. Eight crossbills
were reported from Napoli Park in Mission Viejo on October 31, followed by
one on November 1. Up to two crossbills were at the Canaveras Ridge Walk
Trail in Mission Viejo from November 1 through November 5. Another was
reported flying over Laguna Woods (which incidentally has a ridiculous
number of pine trees) on November 2.
A LARK BUNTING was photographed at Burris Basin in Anaheim on October 29.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was reported to be continuing at Tustin Legacy Park
in Tustin through October 31.
A BREWER’S SPARROW continued at Tustin Legacy Park in Tustin through
October 24.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was at the north end of Pond C at the San Joaquin
Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine from October 30 through November 3.
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS were reported from La Bonita Park in La Habra on
October 27, Dana Hills High School in Dana Point on October 30, Canyon Park
in Costa Mesa from November 1 through November 3, and Irvine Regional Park
in Orange on November 2.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER continued at the island in Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach on October 25.
AMERICAN REDSTARTS were reported from Del Obispo Park/Creekside Park in
Dana Point from October 28 through November 3, Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach on October 26, Tustin Legacy Park in Tustin from October
24 through October 26, Haven View Park in Huntington Beach on October 31,
and Mason Regional Park in Irvine on November 4.
A NORTHERN PARULA was at the island in Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach from October 31 through November 4.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
from October 25 through October 31.
PALM WARBLERS were at Burris Basin in Anaheim on October 29 and at the San
Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on October 24.
A PINE WARBLER around the Crescent Pond at Huntington Central Park in
Huntington Beach from October 30 through November 5 was the first for this
location.
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
