RBA
* California
* Orange County
* April 18, 2019
* CAOC19.04.18
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
Calliope Hummingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Plumbeous Vireo
Horned Lark
Bells Sparrow
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Palm Warbler
A CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD was found at Moulton Meadows Park in
Laguna Beach on April 14. As many as 3 other birds were seen well up Silverado
Canyon around Big Cone Springs on April 14.
A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was reported from the Prima
Deshecha Trail above the west side of Prima Deshecha Landfill in San Juan
Capistrano on April 16, near GPS: 33.488972, -117.632222. The closest point of
public access to this location is from the south, near the intersection of
Portico Del Norte and Camino Del Los Mares. From there, its about a mile hike
to the GPS location given by the observer.
PLUMBEOUS VIREOS continued to be seen in the county this
week, including one along the riparian habitat parallel to University Drive at
Mason Regional Park in Irvine through April 13, a new one at Fairhaven Memorial
Park in Santa Ana on April 15 and another new one at Bommer Canyon in Irvine on
April 17.
HORNED LARKS were in Chino Hills State Park (Coal Canyon) on
April 14.
Two BELLS SPARROWS were seen in Chino Hills State Park (Coal
Canyon) on April 14.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were reported from Newport Back Bay
on April 17, and at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on April 14.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at Modjeska Park in
Anaheim on April 16.
A PALM WARBLER continued at Pond D at San Joaquin Wildlife
Sanctuary in Irvine on April 16.
LOCAL EVENTS
ORANGE COUNTY SPRING COUNT 2019
What is the OCSC
The OCSC (Orange County Spring Count) is part of a
nationwide migration count, similar to a Christmas Bird Count, but timed to the
opposite half of the migration cycle. Again this year the OCSC is being
expanded to try to capture more of the birds that migrate through the county.
Sea and Sage is encouraging birders to participate anytime during the months of
April and May. This will allow us to see and count more of the species that
migrate through the county. Again, this year we will try to focus on the best
areas for birds since comprehensive coverage of the entire county is not a
realistic goal.
How you can participate:
One of the objectives of Environment for the Americas (the
sponsor of the hemisphere wide count) is to enter all of the data into eBird.
This means that it is very simple to participate.
All of the regularly scheduled bird counts in April and May
will be included in the OCSC. The dates do not need to change.
I will also include the checklists from all of the Sea and
Sage field trips in Orange County held during April and May.
**Many of you already use eBird. You can enter your Spring
Count data directly into eBird for any birding that you do during April and
May. You dont have to send tally sheets to anyone. All that is needed is to
share the eBird check list with the Sea and Sage Audubon eBird account. (The
eBird user name is sea_sage_aud).
If you dont currently use eBird, you can sign up. Its
free! www.ebird.org
A goal for the OCSC is to count all the Top 100 Hot Spots
shown in eBird. It does not matter how many times a particular spot is covered.
Users of the eBird data can sort that out.
UPCOMING EVENTS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS
The monthly Upper Newport Bay Bird Walk will take place on
April 28 from 8:00am to 11:00am. Meet at the Big Canyon parking lot.
UPCOMING EVENTS THAT REQUIRE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS
The next amazing Sea and Sage Spring Pelagic trip will take
place on Saturday, May 4. Spots are
still available! If youre interested, please e-mail Nancy Kenyon:
nancykenyon@...
More info here: http://seaandsageaudubon.org/FieldTrips/Trips/Pelagic/PelagicTrips.html
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
None taking place.
*****************************************************
The Orange County RBA and events summary is produced weekly
by Ryan Winkleman and Jeff Bray in collaboration with Doug Willick. Sightings
of rare birds can be posted to the OrangeCountyBirding listserv, emailed
directly to Jeff Bray ( jbray4913@... ) and/or 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 Ryan Winkleman 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
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 is taken largely from
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. Information regarding upcoming local events should be considered accurate
at the time of this posting. However, for the most current information please
refer to the field trip list on the Sea and Sage Audubon website at
http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/FieldTrips/FieldTripSchedule.html . 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. If you know of additional upcoming
events that are not sponsored directly by Sea and Sage Audubon, please email
Ryan Winkleman and/or Jeff Bray for inclusion. #RBA
--
Jeff Bray
Irvine, CA |