RBA

* California
* Orange County
* August 1, 2019
* CAOC19.08.01

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 Wigeon
Red Phalarope
Common Murre
*NAZCA BOOBY* Brown Booby *RED-FOOTED BOOBY* Brandt's Cormorant
Reddish Egret
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Swainson's Hawk Chipping Sparrow Lucy's Warbler
A male AMERICAN WIGEON continued summering at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine through July 27.

A RED PHALAROPE photographed offshore on July 26 was about a month earlier than expected for this species.
A COMMON MURRE photographed offshore on July 26 was about two months early and presumably summering.

A COMMON TERN was seen at Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach on July 23. Six more birds were seen on July 24. Theyve been seen from the main observation area at the end of the footbridge from the PCH lot.
A *NAZCA BOOBY* was found near the end of the outer jetty at Dana Point Harbor on July 26. The bird continued through July 31. This would be around the fifth or sixth record of this species for Orange County, depending on the CBRC voting results of some of the more recent records. Because this is a CBRC review species, please send all documentation to Tom Benson at secretary@... .
Different immature BROWN BOOBIES were photographed offshore of Dana Point and Newport Beach on July 29 and July 30, respectively.
A *RED-FOOTED BOOBY* was photographed offshore of Newport Beach on July 30. Because this is a CBRC review species, all documentation should be sent to Tom Benson at secretary@... .
A BRANDT'S CORMORANT photographed at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary on July 27 was completely unexpected considering it is not often found onshore. Just a reminder that of our regularly-occurring cormorants, the only species that is expected onshore and inland is Double-crested Cormorant. Brandt's and Pelagic Cormorants are only expected offshore or on the coastline. Neotropic Cormorants are not expected at all despite occurring in droves in surrounding counties because they hate Orange County and everybody in it and they would rather just freaking sit there like a mile from the county line than just fly over here already (apparently they made a pact with spring 2019 migrants to just avoid OC like the plague).

An out-of-place REDDISH EGRET continued in San Diego Creek in Irvine through July 31.

Immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach and at Dana Point Harbor, both through July 28, although the Dana Point bird continued for an extra three days through July 31 as well.

SWAINSON'S HAWKS continued to be observed in Seal Beach along the I-405 right-of-way on poles or flying over Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, as well as on the Los Alamitos side of the freeway as well, through July 31. They can be seen pretty reliably from the Seal Beach Tennis Club parking lot.
A known breeding population of CHIPPING SPARROWS continued to hang out in the lowlands at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton on July 28.
A LUCY'S WARBLER found at the Nature Center at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on July 28 continued through July 29.
LOCAL EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS

The monthly Nature Walk at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary will take place on August 3 from 9:00am to 10:30am. Meet at the Audubon House.
The monthly Bird Walk at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine will take place on August 11 from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Meet at the Audubon House.
UPCOMING EVENTS THAT REQUIRE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS

The Upper Newport Bay pontoon boat trip on August 23 is full, but you can email Nancy Kenyon at nancykenyon@... if you want to be on the waitlist.

BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES

None taking place.

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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

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Ryan Winkleman
Rancho Santa Margarita