RBA
* California * Orange County * December 2, 2022 * CAOC22.12.02
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
*MEXICAN DUCK* White-winged Scoter Neotropic Cormorant Little Blue Heron Zone-tailed Hawk Williamsons Sapsucker Lewiss Woodpecker Brown-crested Flycatcher Tropical Kingbird Verdin Brown Creeper Mountain Bluebird Varied Thrush Clay-colored Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Black-and-White Warbler Tennessee Warbler American Redstart Blue Grosbeak
The presumed *MEXICAN DUCK* continued at Carr Park in Huntington Beach through November 29. Note that this bird has still not been accepted by the CBRC, so until it is accepted it technically is not considered valid on the OC list of countable birds.
A WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was seen off the coast of Seal Beach through November 30.
An adult NEOTROPIC CORMORANT continued at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine through November 26.
An adult LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach through November 30.
The ZONE-TAILED HAWK at the Serrano Creek Trail continued through November 27. Another bird seen in RSM on November 30 may or may not be the same bird.
A WILLIAMSONS SAPSUCKER continued at the Los Pinos Probation Camp in the Santa Ana Mountains through November 30.
A LEWISS WOODPECKER continued in the vicinity of the Horseshoe Loop Trail and Puma Ridge Trail at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on November 26.
The BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER continued at the Chrisanta Drive spot in Mission Viejo through November 26.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine through November 28, and seems to move around widely around the lettered ponds.
A VERDIN was an unexpected surprise in Huntington Beach on November 30. Seen again today, December 1. Its been seen along the Brightwater Trail area, towards the far east somewhere near GPS: 33.709417, -118.037726. This is only the third record of this desert-dwelling species for Orange County, and the first in ten years.
A BROWN CREEPER was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on November 23.
Four MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were on the Puma Ridge Trail at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on November 25, with one at Harriett M. Wieder Park in Huntington Beach on November 27.
A VARIED THRUSH continued in the grassy area between Lot S and the restrooms at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through November 26.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at Ralph B. Clark Park in Buena Park on November 26. Likely a continuing bird.
Two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS continued along the Salt Creek Trail in Laguna Niguel through November 29.
As many as five VESPER SPARROWS were on the Puma Ridge Trail at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through November 26.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued near Parking Lot N at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through November 30.
An ORCHARD ORIOLE was at a private residence in Fountain Valley on November 25 through November 27.
A BALTIMORE ORIOLE was at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley on November 29. Likely a continuing bird.
The black-throated BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at Aurora Park in Mission Viejo through December 1. Another bird continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on November 29.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was at Oso Creek Trail on November 25.
An AMERICAN REDSTART continued at the entrance to the Morningside Condos in Orange through November 27.
A female BLUE GROSBEAK was photographed along lower Peters Canyon Trail in Irvine on November 29. Quite late in the year for one of these.
LOCAL EVENTS
For a complete up-to-date list of current field trips, please visit the webpage on Sea and Sages website: https://wp.seaandsageaudubon.org/home-sas/field-trip-2/#FTSchedule
The next San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary bird walk will take place on December 11 from 8:00am to noon. Meet at the Audubon House.
The next Upper Newport Bay pontoon trip is on December 21 from 8:15am to 11:30am.
The annual Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) have been scheduled for December and January. The Inland CBC is on December 18, the San Juan Capistrano CBC is on December 26, the Chino Puente-Hills CBC is on December 31, and the Coastal CBC is on January 2. Reach out to Doug Lithgow, Darrell Wilson, Sam Bressler, or Bettina Eastman, respectively, if interested in any of these counts.
BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
None beginning anytime soon.
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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 https://wp.seaandsageaudubon.org/home-sas/field-trip-2/#FTSchedule . 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