RBA
* California * Orange County * April 27, 2023 * CAOC23.04.27
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
Long-tailed Duck Red-throated Loon Neotropic Cormorant Bald Eagle Lewiss Woodpecker Townsend's Solitaire Brewers Sparrow Bells Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Yellow-headed Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Bay-breasted Warbler Palm Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler

A LONG-TAILED DUCK continued hanging around the Newport Coast through April 26, but was taken to rehab this morning.
An inland RED-THROATED LOON delighted many listers and chasers on Pond C at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on April 26 and 27.
An immature NEOTROPIC CORMORANT continued around Pond 1 at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine this week.
A pair of CATTLE EGRETS were at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on April 14 and April 15. Another bird was at Anaheim Coves Park on April 18.
Two BALD EAGLES continued at Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve in Newport Beach this week.
A LEWISS WOODPECKER continued at Irvine Regional Park in Orange around Lot Q through April 24. A TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE presumably continued at the Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim on April 20.
A BREWERS SPARROW was reported to be continuing on April 27 at Esencia Sports Park in Rancho Mission Viejo by the cottonwood tree at the lower pond.
A BELLS SPARROW was at Fremont Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains foothills on April 21, where this species is expected.
A GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continued at Esencia Sports Park in Rancho Mission Viejo through April 24, by the cottonwood near the lowest pond. Another was at Fremont Canyon on April 21, and another was in residential Rancho Santa Margarita from April 24 to April 26.
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were reported around northern Orange County over the last week including Fairview Park in Costa Mesa on April 22, Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach on April 26, and Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Seal Beach on April 26.
A BALTIMORE ORIOLE continued in Lot G at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley through April 23. A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach through April 24, while another continued at Aurora Park in Mission Viejo on April 23. Another bird was reported at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine on April 22.
An AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach behind the amphitheater through April 27.
A BAY-BREASTED WARBLER continued at Gum Grove Park in Seal Beach through April 22.
A PALM WARBLER continued east of the entrance to Mason Regional Park in Irvine through April 25.
A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER continued at Estancia Park in Costa Mesa through April 22.

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 Upper Newport Bay Bird Walk will take place on April 30 from 8:00am to 11:00am.
The next San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary Bird Walk will take place on May 14 from 8:00am to 11:00am,
The next Bolsa Chica Wetlands walk will take place on May 18 from 8:00am to 12:00pm.

BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
None just yet but an advanced shorebirds class is planned for this spring...

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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