ORANGECOUNTYBIRDING - Message Board

RBA * California * Orange County * January 5, 2023 * CAOC23.01.05 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* Bald Eagle *SNOWY OWL* Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Lewiss Woodpecker Brown-crested Flycatcher Tropical Kingbird Plumbeous Vireo Mountain Bluebird Townsends Solitaire Grasshopper Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Ovenbird Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Northern Parula Hermit Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak The presumed *MEXICAN DUCK* was reported continuing at Carr Park in Huntington Beach through January 4. A BALD EAGLE continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach all week, with another (or the same) at Huntington Central Park, Carr Park and Newport Back Bay through January 4. By far the most surprising bird in Orange County in years, a *SNOWY OWL* was first brought to birder attention on December 26 sitting on a rooftop in the City of Cypress. It has continued through January 5. It is presumably the same bird that was in San Pedro on November 12. It has been observed sitting on rooftops around Pitcairn, Saipan, Tokelau, Onyx, and Reefton Streets. A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was reported at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea on December 31. A LEWISS WOODPECKER continued at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through January 4. The BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER continued at the Chrisanta Drive spot in Mission Viejo through January 4. A TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine through January 1 with another bird reported at Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach on January 2. A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at North Lake in Irvine on December 3, with another bird reported from Westminster Memorial Park in Westminster on January 2. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS continued at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa through January 4. A TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE was at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on January 1. A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was at the Olinda Oil Museum and Trail in Brea on December 31. A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW continued at Ralph B. Clark Regional Park in Buena Park on January 1. WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were found in the last week at Dana Woods Park in Dana Point through January 4, Pacific View Memorial Park in Newport Beach on January 2, Panorama Nature Preserve in Fullerton on December 31 and at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton on December 31. Two VESPER SPARROWS were at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach on January 2. A SWAMP SPARROW was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on January 2 and continued through January 4. A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at Harriett Wieder Regional Park in Huntington Beach through January 3. Another bird was reported from Talbert Regional Park (south) in Costa Mesa on January 2. An OVENBIRD continued in the southeast corner of the fenced portion of the Urban Forest in Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach through January 2. Another bird was reported from Irvine Regional Park in Orange on January 4. Seen on the east end of the park. A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued on the east side of Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach through January 2. An AMERICAN REDSTART was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on January 4. A NORTHERN PARULA continued at Estancia Park in Costa Mesa through January 3. Another bird was found at Sycamore Creek Trail in Dana Point on January 1. A HERMIT WARBLER was at Twila Reid Park in Anaheim on January 2. A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at Estancia Park in Costa Mesa through January 4. An immature male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was at Mason Regional Park in Irvine on January 2. Another male bird was at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on January 2. 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 January 8 from 8:00am to noon. Meet at the Audubon House. The next Carbon Canyon Regional Park bird walk will take place on January 15 from 8:00am to 12:00pm. The next Upper Newport Bay pontoon trip is on January 18 from 8:15am to 11:30am but is currently full. BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES None beginning anytime soon. **************************************************** 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