RBA
* California * Orange County * February 16, 2023 * CAOC23.02.16
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
White-winged Scoter Lewiss Woodpecker Gray Flycatcher Brown-crested Flycatcher Sage Thrasher Mountain Bluebird Townsends Solitaire Varied Thrush Red Crossbill Lawrences Goldfinch Grasshopper Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Black-and-White Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler
A male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER continued off of Bolsa Chica State Beach through February 13.
A LEWISS WOODPECKER continued at Irvine Regional Park in Orange around Parking Lot Q through February 16.
A GRAY FLYCATCHER continued on the Willows Trail just west of Irvine Regional Park through February 15.
The BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER continued at the Chrisanta Drive spot in Mission Viejo through February 14.
A SAGE THRASHER continued on the undeveloped slopes of Round Canyon north of Portola Parkway in Irvine through February 14.
A MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was reported to be continuing near the parking lot of the Upper Newport Bay Muth Center in Newport Beach on February 12, and at least 8 continued in the grasslands at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa through February 15.
A TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE continued at the ponds at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through February 11.
A VARIED THRUSH continued around Lot M at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through February 16.
A RED CROSSBILL was photographed in a Mission Viejo backyard on February 14. There is no public access
Big numbers of LAWRENCES GOLDFINCHES continued at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, Round Canyon in Irvine, and the Villa Park Flood Control (Magic) Basin in Villa Park this week. More birds were found at the Nora Kuttner Trail in Fullerton.
GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were at the Quail Hill Preserve in Irvine from February 13 through 15 near the ponds.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW continued at Clark Regional Park in Buena Park through February 16.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW continued at Irvine Regional Park at Lot P on February 11.
A SWAMP SPARROW was in the easternmost basin west of Esencia Sports Park in San Clemente on February 11.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at Lot M at Irvine Regional Park in Orange through February 16.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach through February 11, with another continuing at Aurora Park in Mission Viejo through February 14.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was in Irvine in the vegetation just east of the Costco Tire Center, behind the air stations, on February 15 and 16.

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 Anaheim Coves bird walk will take place on February 19 from 8:00am to 12:00pm.
The next Upper Newport Bay bird walk will take place on February 26 from 8:00am to 11:00am.

BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
Bill Clark will host an introductory raptor workshop from March 4-5 and an intermediate/advanced workshop from March 11-12. You can sign up with the form here: https://wp.seaandsageaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/RaptorID-workshop.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 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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Ryan Winkleman
Rancho Santa Margarita