RBA * California * Orange County * May 28, 2020 * CAOC20.05.28 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 Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Sora Black Turnstone Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Bells Sparrow American Redstart
Yes! This is how slow it is that we are plunging the depths of rarity reports to get late ducks ! A quite late LESSER SCAUP was still hanging around Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach on May 25. A very late BUFFLEHEAD was hanging around the Tijeras Creek Golf Club in lovely Rancho Santa Margarita through May 23. A SORA reported at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine through May 27 is rare for the time of year, this being a species that is rare at best in Orange County in summer. Up to four BLACK TURNSTONES were reportedly still hanging around at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach through May 24. At least five or six BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS were found in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park in Laguna Niguel. This species has been believed, up until this record, to essentially vacate the coastal portion of the county by about mid-April, with its summer breeding territories located essentially in the Santa Ana Mountains and foothill areas. This location is within a few miles of the ocean, representing easily the most coastal (presumed breeding) summer population of this species in Orange County. Two BELLS SPARROWS continued two miles up the road into Coal Canyon on May 24. An immature AMERICAN REDSTART was found on private property in Fullerton on May 28. It is not chaseable. LOCAL EVENTS All Sea and Sage Audubon sponsored field trips have been canceled until further notice due to cautionary measures regarding the coronavirus. BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES Nothing new scheduled at this time. ***************************************************** 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 ( jbray3928@... ) 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 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 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 |