RBA * California * Orange County * July 16, 2020 * CAOC20.07.16 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 Neotropic Cormorant Yellow-crowned Night-Heron A cormorant showing several features of NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was photographed on July 10 on the island of Pond 1 at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. The identity of this bird has not been fully ascertained, and theres a decent chance that its the same bird that was photographed at the same location on April 12. The April bird was determined by local experts to be an apparent Neotropic x Double-crested Cormorant hybrid. That bird and the July bird both mostly show characteristics of a typical Neotropic Cormorant, particularly with the small size, long tail, and sharply-angled gular pouch with white edging. However, the extent of yellow in the lores of the bird is particularly troublesome to clinch the ID as a Neotropic. Should this bird be seen again, I would appreciate personally receiving high quality photos. There is of course currently only one accepted record of Neotropic Cormorant in Orange County, after we finally got our first county record in October 2019 after every other county in southern California was freaking sick and tired of all the constant Neotropics... An adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was photographed along the jetties of Dana Point Harbor on July 10.
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