RBA
* California * Orange County * May 11, 2023 * CAOC23.05.11
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
Neotropic Cormorant Bald Eagle Lewiss Woodpecker Bells Sparrow Yellow-headed Blackbird American Redstart
An immature NEOTROPIC CORMORANT continued around the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine this week.
A BALD EAGLE continued at Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve in Newport Beach this week.
A LEWISS WOODPECKER continued at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on May 6.
Up to three BELLS SPARROW were at Coal Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains foothills on May 6 and May 7 with a single bird reported on May 10, where this species is expected.
As many as seven YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were reported along the Great Park Wildlife Corridor in Irvine this week.
An AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach behind the amphitheater on May 10.

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 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.
The next Carbon Canyon Regional Park bird walk will take place on May 21 from 8:00am to 12:00pm.
The new Upper Newport Bay bird walk will take place on May 28 from 8:00am to 11:00am.

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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Jeff Bray
Irvine, CA