RBA
* California * Orange County * May 18, 2023 * CAOC23.05.18
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 Brown Booby Neotropic Cormorant Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Vermilion Flycatcher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Townsends Solitaire White-throated Sparrow Bells Sparrow Black-and-white Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak
A LONG-TAILED DUCK was found sitting onshore at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach on May 12 and continued through to May 18, where it has been repeatedly documented on the spit of land coming east of the walkbridge from PCH.
BROWN BOOBIES were reported offshore on May 13 and May 14.
An immature NEOTROPIC CORMORANT continued at Pond 1 at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine through May 14.
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were reported from usual locations this week at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach and Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve in Newport Beach.
An adult male VERMILION FLYCATCHER at the Dana Point Headlands on May 16 was a good patch bird.
A BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER recorded at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park on May 12 was part of a small population that apparently breeds in the San Joaquin Hills.
A TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE was observed at Alta Laguna Park in Laguna Beach on May 13.
Yet another WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was found this last week, with one at the parking lot at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach on May 13.
Its May, which means that Orange County birders flock up Coal Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains foothills to tick off their Bells Sparrow for the year (April is for Silverado Canyon). Reports of this species continued this week.
A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was photographed along the Sycamore Creek Trail just north of Del Obispo Park in Dana Point on May 13.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS were at Canyon Park in Costa Mesa on May 12, residential Laguna Niguel on May 14, and the Agua Chinon Trail in Irvine on May 15.

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 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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Ryan Winkleman
Rancho Santa Margarita

A male Vermilion Flycatcher is in the area just West of the Senior Center at HB Central Park-West.
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Lam-Son Vinh
Huntington Beach, CA

Just refound the palm warbler. Chuck Schussman and his wife Carol arrived and Chuck was able to get some photos and videos of the warbler. He'll post them later on Vero.

While we were observing the PAWA, a female vermilion flycatcher flew in as well. Chuck was able to get shots of it, too

Charles Baker
Tustin

If anyone is interested in writing city boards and that sort of thing

Theres a proposal in Los Alamitos to build a new housing development next to Arbor Park. Looks like 77 apartments and 100+ townhomes/cluster homes. This is the property that is currently an open field, a parking lot, and the Fish/Game office building. That area specifically is a regular spot for Vermilion flycatchers, kingbirds, bluebirds, lark sparrows, etc. The area at large obviously hosts a variety of hawks, owls, kites. This development, in conjunction with the base filling significant portions of the neighboring field with solar panels, is causing a somewhat extreme loss of habitat.

If anyone cares to comment, Los Al has a public comment period ending Nov 2. Details in the link below.

http://cityoflosalamitos.org/CivicAlerts.aspxAID=106

Ralph B Clark Park at 12:00 by baseball field bathroom.
Male Vermilion Flycatcher sitting in bare trees in parking lot A.
Irene Horiuchi
HB

Hi all.

Just a note. This weekend is the Pacific Air Show that will be putting on a display in Huntington Beach. All of those fancy planes will depart from and return to the Joint Forces Base in Los Alamitos. Which likely makes it the most interesting weekend to visit Arbor Park, which is situated just south of the airfield. The air show is Fri-Sun. There will likely be planes departing on Monday as well.

Theres plenty of bird watching to do. Theres nearly always kites and harriers in the field, vermilion flycatchers and kingbirds on the fence line. And you might get lucky with an unexpected migrant. And occasionally a Blue Angel will fly by.

The parking lot is not massive and will likely fill up on Saturday and Sunday. You can also park in the neighborhood near Lampson/Heather or Lampson/Rose and walk across the street.

Anyway, just thought Id mention it as a possibility.

Happy birding everyone.

All the best,

Ben Newhouse
Seal Beach

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Ben Newhouse
Seal Beach

Hey Huntington Beach patch listers,
An eBird report just came in for a Vermilion Flycatcher at Huntington Central Park West. There are only a few records of this species at HCP.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S90757526
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Ryan Winkleman
Rancho Santa Margarita

Vermilion flycatcher at mile square park, rear of nature center near archery range. June 16. David Telles, Irvine

Yesterday morning, a male Vermilion flycatcher was present at around 10:30 on the soccer fields immediately adjacent to the reflecting ponds.

Link to picture:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S80530085

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John Haney
Tustin

An adult female Vermilion Flycatcher, an adult male Yellow Warbler, and more white-eyes than I could shake a stick at (which I tried)were at the east end of Harbor Lawn-Mt Olive cemetery in Costa Mesa today. A Red-breasted Nuthatch continues at nearby Mesa Verde Park; it was previously found in the west end of the park, but was at the east end this morning. (Sorry, Raymond, for calling this Mesa View Park previously. What I could see of the mesa today was quite green).
Jim Pike HB

On Sunday, I stopped by Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana,
where the only highlights were two female Vermilion Flycatchers: one was a
yellow-flanked immature bird with pale brown (retained juvenile) primary
coverts (photo 1) and the other was a yellow-flanked adult with dark gray (freshly-replaced)
primary coverts (photo 2). I hadnt been aware of the yellow-flanked adult
female phenomenon until the late, great Doug Willick (actually in great health,
but reliably late and great) had just such a bird a decade ago at famed El Modena
Park in Orange that returned for consecutive winters in essentially the same dull
plumage. Ive since photographed several of these immature-female-like adults
with telltale fresh gray primary coverts, a few of which Ive included in the
link below. The yellow tends to be a little richer than that of immatures,
sometimes with a hint of salmon, but not the expected rich salmon-pink of most
adults. The only identification caveat is that some immatures molt more of their
inner primary coverts than others, thus having a mix of older brown and newer
gray coverts, and raising the possibility of being misconstrued as adults. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9KKM6vZxuVxyGbXz7

Jim Pike HB

Greetings,

This morning, Saturday, I headed for Bolsa Chica but it was fogging in so I continued on to San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. There the sun was out. I found a male Vermilion Flycatcher at the southeast corner of Pond A.

I returned to Bolsa Chica midmorning and found the Eurasian Wigeon in the muted tidal area next to the north trail of Wintersburg Channel just east of the tide gates. I posted a photo of it in the "Waterfowl" Album of the Photos file.

Enjoy, Al Borodayko
Cypress, CA

I've kind of set up camp on the little sandbag mound which isn't much of a mound and so far I've seen ferruginous hawk Swanson's Hawk a really good candidate for Harlan's Hawk a couple of white tailed kites possible Merlin, a vermilion flycatcher. Etc. Etc. Scope and height really needed to see over the fence

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Trish Gussler, Anaheim

An adult female Vermilion Flycatcher

at Lebard Park
this afternoon was almost as unexpected as the recent male at Greer Park. Two juvenile Reddish Egrets were cavorting in the river south of Hamilton, and a Red-throated Loon was lingering under the overpass.
Jim Pike HB

The two female Mountain Bluebirds continue just west of where originally found, this time between ballfields 1 and 2. An all-female flock of blackbirds was also around the ballfields, evenly divided between Red-wingeds and Brown-headed Cowbirds. A hatch-year male Vermilion Flycatcher with relatively little color was also present, making the eleventh of this species I've seen in the park this fall/winter. Lastly, an adult male Bullock's Oriole was in a red-flowering eucalyptus tree 50 yards west of the nature center, along with a briefly-seen second bird that might have been a Baltimore. I returned later and was only able to refind the Bullock's.
Jim Pike HB