Date: 8/15/25 5:33 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: August 15, 2025
* California
* Orange County
* August 15, 2025
* CAOC25.08.15
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
American Oystercatcher
Ruff
Neotropic Cormorant
*CRESTED CARACARA*
An American Oystercatcher continued off of Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach
through August 14.
The Ruff is back again for its like 50th year and was on the Upper Santa
Ana River from August 12 through August 15. It seems to like the part of
the river in front of the NexGen building.
Neotropic Cormorants continued on the Santa Ana River and at the San
Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary and Mason Regional Park in Irvine this week.
Finally, a *CRESTED CARACARA* photographed in flight from Santiago Oaks
Regional Park in Orange on August 12 would be the second record of this
species for Orange County if accepted. A bird reported in February 2024 was
not photographed and not submitted to the CBRC for review.
LOCAL EVENTS
Note: We will no longer be listing individual trips on this weekly email.
For a complete up-to-date list of current field trips, please visit the
webpage on Sea and Sage’s website:
https://seaandsageaudubon.org/home-sas/field-trip-2/#FallFT.
The Orange County RBA and events summary is produced weekly by Ryan
Winkleman. Sightings of rare birds can be posted to the OrangeCountyBirding
listserv, emailed directly to 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 can be viewed on 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://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 for inclusion. #RBA
