ORANGECOUNTYBIRDING - Message Board

RBA
* California * Orange County * September 24, 2020 * CAOC20.09.24
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
Pacific Golden-Plover Ruff Stilt Sandpiper Bairds Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Sabine's Gull *MASKED BOOBY* Brown Booby Little Blue Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Tropical Kingbird *ARCTIC WARBLER* Brewers Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Yellow-headed Blackbird Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Virginia's Warbler American Redstart Northern Parula Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Canada Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Three PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS were at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach over the last week.
A RUFF continued in the Santa Ana River in Anaheim through September 12, most recently about 0.25 mile upstream of Lakeview.
Three STILT SANDPIPERS were in Pond C at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on September 23.
At least one BAIRDS SANDPIPER continued in Peters Canyon Creek in Irvine through September 18, with reports ranging from behind Harvard Community Park to the confluence with San Diego Creek.
Between one and four PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine from September 20 through September 23, in Pond C.
A juvenile SABINE'S GULL was offshore on September 18.
A *MASKED BOOBY* found off the point of Crescent Bay Point Park in Laguna Beach on September 13 was last seen September 17, flying over the ocean. Because this is a CBRC review species, please email documentation to Tom Benson at secretary@... .
A BROWN BOOBY was photographed in the water offshore on September 18.
A juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON was reported in San Diego Creek in Irvine between Main and Alton through September 23.
At least seven YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were in the county this week, including at least four (two hatch year birds, one second year bird, and one adult) at Dana Point Harbor, two hatch year birds at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach, and one hatch year bird in Newport Harbor.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD was photographed at Harriett Wieder Regional Park in Huntington Beach on September 18.
A presumed *ARCTIC WARBLER* was at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on September 20. Unfortunately for the five of us who couldn't make it, the bird was a one-day wonder. This bird was located in the eastern portion of the Nature Center, where it was found moving back and forth along the fence line with Camp Sycamore. This species was recently split into three new species (along with Kamchatka Leaf Warbler and Japanese Leaf Warbler), but Arctic Warbler is the most likely of the three to occur in California given that it breeds in Alaska. Although essentially identical in appearance, the three species are diagnostically separable by vocalization. Unfortunately, the bird in Orange County seemingly did not vocalize. The CBRC has thus far accepted all records of this species in California as the taxonomically uncertain Arctic/Kamchatka Leaf Warbler, and presumably would do so again for Orange County's bird. However, in this case this is an acceptable taxon for record-keeping, meaning that assuming acceptance by the CBRC this record will increase Orange County's official species list to 494 . Because this is a mega rare review species, please forward all documentation to the CBRC secretary Tom Benson at secretary@... .
BREWERS SPARROWS were documented at six more locations this week, including ONeill Regional Park in Rancho Santa Margarita on September 17, one on Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Seal Beach on September 17, residential Laguna Niguel from September 18 through September 21, Lower Round Canyon in Irvine on September 18, Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley from September 19 through September 22, and San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine from September 21 through September 23. Three birds were present at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. This brings this falls total count of Brewers Sparrows to a solid 13 ! This rivals the "maximum" count for fall 1998, during which between 10 and 13 Brewer's Sparrows were recorded in the county and which has long stood as the county's seasonal record. Somebody find one more!
Two VESPER SPARROWS were at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Seal Beach on September 17.
GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES were at Harriett Wieder Regional Park in Huntington Beach from September 17 through September 19, with another bird presumably continuing at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley through September 20.
A female-type YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on September 17.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was photographed at Vista Point Park in Laguna Beach on September 22. Another was photographed at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on September 23.
TENNESSEE WARBLERS were reported from Huntington Central Park West in Huntington Beach at the terminus of Lakeview Drive on September 21 and at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley from September 21 to 22 at the dried pond. The Fountain Valley bird was presumably a continuing bird first found on September 12 and 13. Another bird was at Huntington Central Park East on September 23.
A VIRGINIAS WARBLER has been present in the northwest section of the Nature Center at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley from September 18 to September 23.
A female-type AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Gilman Park in Fullerton through September 19. Another female-type bird was in the crescent pond area of Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on September 17, and yet a third female-type bird was in the Northpark area of Irvine on September 20.
A NORTHERN PARULA continued at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley through September 22 in the Nature Center.
A female-type BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park (West) in Huntington Beach through September 23, where it continued to be found in the trees along Inlet Drive.
A BLACKPOLL WARBLER was at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on September 18.
A female-type CANADA WARBLER was at Huntington Central Park (West) in Huntington Beach on September 21 in the trees lining Goldenwest Street, at the entrance to Shipley Nature Center.
Male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS were at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on September 20 (an adult male) and September 23 (an immature male) and in the Nature Center at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on September 21.

LOCAL EVENTS
All Sea and Sage Audubon sponsored field trips, including the September 26 pelagic trip, have been canceled until further notice due to cautionary measures regarding the coronavirus.
BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
Sylvia Gallagher will be hosting the introductory visual workshop Birds of Southern California this fall from October to December. You can find out more information here: https://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/Classes/BirdsOfSoCA.pdf
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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 ( 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