ORANGECOUNTYBIRDING - Message Board

RBA
* California * Orange County * May 20, 2021 * CAOC21.05.20
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
Little Blue Heron Black Tern Purple Martin Bank Swallow Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Yellow-headed Blackbird Summer Tanager
A LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at Upper Newport Bay through May 14.
A BLACK TERN was photographed offshore on May 14. Eleven PURPLE MARTINS were at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on May 19.
As many as four BANK SWALLOWS were at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on May 15 through May 17.
A BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER reported from Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on May 15 is exceptionally late for this species to be on the coast. For those who arent aware, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers start leaving the coast around mid-April and heading to breeding grounds. They DO NOT BREED on the Orange County coast, except for apparently small populations in the San Joaquin Hills. Otherwise their breeding grounds in Orange County are in the foothills and up into the Santa Ana Mountains. Therefore, any reports of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers anywhere in the coastal region of the county from late April and on during the breeding season should provide photographs or adequate written documentation to establish the correct ID.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS continued to delight birders at the Great Crappy Park in Irvine through May 18. The birds have been most reliable in the early mornings or late evenings as they are off foraging somewhere else during the day.
A SUMMER TANAGER was photographed in the Urban Forest at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on May 15.

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 scheduled at this time.
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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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Jeff Bray
Irvine, CA