Date: 2/6/26 6:40 pm From: Ryan Winkleman via groups.io <rswinkleman...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Orange County RBA: February 6, 2026
* California
* Orange County
* February 6, 2026
* CAOC26.02.06
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-ish Oystercatcher
Neotropic Cormorant
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Western Cattle-Egret
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Phoebe
Tropical Kingbird
Plumbeous Vireo
Grasshopper Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Scott’s Oriole
Tennessee Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-headed Grosbeak
An AMERICAN-ish OYSTERCATCHER continued at Crescent Bay Point Park in
Laguna Beach on February 1.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS continued along the Upper Santa Ana River in Anaheim
this week, while more were at Haster Basin in Garden Grove.
At least one immature LITTLE BLUE HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological
Reserve in Huntington Beach through February 4.
A TRICOLORED HERON continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through February 6.
A WESTERN CATTLE-EGRET continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through February 4.
A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was at Tustin Heritage Park in Tustin from
February 1 through February 6.
An EASTERN PHOEBE continued still at Overlook Park/Harriett Wieder Regional
Park in Huntington Beach on February 5.
A TROPICAL KINGBIRD continued at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in
Huntington Beach through February 5.
A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at Tustin Heritage Park in Tustin from February 1
through February 6, while another was at Heritage Park in Santa Ana on
January 31.
Multiple wintering GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS continued at Quail Hill in Irvine.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was hanging around the playground at O’Neill
Regional Park in Rancho Santa Margarita from February 1 through February 6.
A VESPER SPARROW continued at Bommer Canyon in Irvine on January 31 by the
Cattle Camp, while another continued off of the Horseshoe Trail at Irvine
Regional Park in Orange on the same day.
A SCOTT’S ORIOLE was at the Ramakrishna Monastery in Trabuco Canyon from
January 31 through February 6.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER was at Tustin Heritage Park in Tustin from February 1
through February 3.
An AMERICAN REDSTART continued at Huntington Central Park West in
Huntington Beach through February 2.
A NORTHERN PARULA continued at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach
through February 5.
A CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER continued at Gibbs Park in Huntington Beach
through February 4.
A very drab immature female PINE WARBLER continued at Good Shepherd
Cemetery in Huntington Beach through February 5.
A BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK continued in residential Laguna Beach through
February 5.
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/field-trips/.
BIRDING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
Sylvia Gallagher’s Learning More California Land Birds Workshop will be
starting in March. Registration doesn’t open until March 2 so I will post
the link when it gets closer!
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/field-trips/. 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
