RBA
* California * Orange County * July 21, 2022 * CAOC22.07.21
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
Ruff Laysan Albatross Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Our beloved OC RUFF has returned along the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim generally between Lakeview and the Imperial Highway. This year, it arrived on July 16 and has continued to be seen through at least July 19 (last eBird report). This is a bird that returns to this location every year in mid- to late summer. It likes to hang out with the dowitchers. This is the earliest it has returned by 5 days. See the list below for the pastdates of this returning bird each year, with the expectation of 2015 when it decided to stay in San Bernardino Co.
Previous years sightings of this bird from eBird: 2013/08/29 - 2013/09/19 2014/07/24 - 2014/09/26 2015 - No reports in OC, but bird was likely in San Bernardino this year 2016/08/13 - 2016/09/23 2017/08/16 - 2017/10/20 2018/08/11 - 2018/09/20 2019/08/03 - 2019/09/29 2020/07/21 - 2020/09/22 2021/08/13 - 2021/09/20 2022/07/16 - 2022//
A LAYSAN ALBATROSS was photographed from a whale watching boat about 6 miles off Newport Beach on July 21. Oddly enough, the last documented report of a Laysan Albatross was 5 years ago to the day, near the oil rigs.
A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON continued in Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach, where they are presumably breeding somewhere. Two adults were also seen in the San Diego Creek in Irvine on July 15, adjacent to Pond 2 at San Joaquin Marsh. A Juvenile bird was seen on the jetties of Newport Harbor on July 21.

LOCAL EVENTS
For a complete up-to-date list of current field trips, please visit the webpage on Sea and Sages website: https://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/FieldTrips/fieldtripscurrent.htm
** As a reminder, all field trips continue to require reservations in advance and proof of full Covid-19 vaccination. Email nancykenyon@... to make a reservation or get on the waitlist.
The next bird walk at Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach will take place on July 31 from 8:00am to 11:00am.
The summer pelagic trip will take place on August 13.
The next bird walk at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine will take place on August 14 from 8:00am to 12:00pm.
The next bird walk at Anaheim Coves in Anaheim will take place on August 21 from 8:00am to 12:00pm.

BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
None 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

--
Jeff Bray
Irvine, CA