Reddish Egret

Table

Reddish Egret – Accepted
1. 04–09 Sep 1954	HY	Lake Havasu SBE	1986-250	14	ph., MVZ 135902
2. 16 Nov 1961–? May 1962	HY	Upper Newport Bay ORA	1986-146	14
3. 05 May–27 Jun 1962	ASY	San Diego Bay SD	1986-147	14
4. 05 May–27 Jun 1962	H-SY	San Diego Bay SD	1986-148	14
5. 06–13 Oct 1963		Bolsa Chica ORA	1986-261	14
6. 12–23 Oct 1963	HY	Tijuana R. mouth SD	1986-048	10	ph., SDNHM 30757
7. 12 Oct–06 Nov 1963	HY	Tijuana R. mouth SD	1986-339	10
8. 08 Aug 1964	H-SY	s end Salton Sea IMP	1986-149	14,30
9. late Aug–08 Oct 1967	HY	Moss Landing MTY	1985-037	10
10-11. 02 Sep–16 Nov 1968	2 HY	Los Peñasquitos Lagoon SD	1986-150/ 1986-151	14
12-13. 31 Aug–28 Sep 1969	2 HY	Whitewater R., Salton Sea RIV	-152/1986-153	14
14-15. 11–12 Oct 1969	2 HY	San Diego Bay SD	1986-154/ 1986-155	14,30
16. 01 Nov–21 Dec 1969	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	1986-156	14
17. 26 Jul–29 Aug 1970	H-SY	San Diego Bay SD	1986-157	14
18. 31 Jul 1970		Upper Newport Bay ORA	1986-233	14
19. 16 Apr 1972	ASY	sw San Diego Bay SD	1972-011	1
20. 19 Sep 1972–31 Mar 1973	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	1972-081	1
21. 06 Oct 1973–03 Apr 1974	HY	San Diego Bay/Tijuana R. mouth SD	1986-158	14
22. 24 Apr–14 May 1977		Imperial Beach SD	1978-045	5
23. 20–22 May 1977		Pt. Mugu VEN	1977-115	5
24. 08–17 Oct 1977	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	1978-057	5	ph., Roberson (1980)
25-27. 15 Oct 1977–08 Sep 1978	≤3HY	Tijuana R. mouth/	1978-057	5
		San Diego Bay SD	1987-194	14
28. 11 Feb–mid Mar 1979	SY	Imperial Dam IMP	1980-029/ 1988-104	6,14	ph.
29. 19 Aug–26 Sep 1979	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	1980-153	6
30. 26 Sep 1980		Long Beach LA	1985-009	11
31. 08 Nov 1980–28 Feb 1981	HY	Seal Beach/Bolsa Chica ORA	1986-223	12	ph.
32. 17 Apr–03 May 1981	SY	Santa Margarita R. mouth SD	1987-023	12
33. 17 Jul–17 Sep 1981	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	1988-201	14
34. 15 Aug 1981	HY	Salton City IMP	1997-102	14,22	ph.
35. 18 Dec 1982–26 Mar 1983	AHY	San Diego Bay/Tijuana R. mouth SD	1984-049	9	ph.
and 18 Jan–15 Mar 1984			1985-045	9	ph.
and 12 Dec 1984–09 Mar 1985			1985-050	10	ph.
and 09 Nov 1985–26 Jan 1986			1986-069	11	ph.
and 13 Oct 1986–31 Jan 1987			1986-437	12
and 25 Sep 1987–12 Mar 1988			1987-303	13
and 11 Sep 1988–07 Feb 1989			1988-190	13
and 13 Sep 1989–23 Jan 1990			1989-190	15
and 02 Sep 1990–01 Jan 1991			1990-135/ 1991-105	16
and 27 Sep 1991–10 Jan 1992			1991-169	17
and 14 Aug–13 Sep 1992			1992-263	18
and 10 Sep–27 Oct 1993			1994-032	19
and 28 Aug–23 Dec 1994			1994-155	20
and 07 Oct–26 Nov 1995			1995-100	21
and 13 Oct 1996–25 Mar 1997			1996-145	22
and 07 Aug–20 Dec 1997			1997-134	23
and 02 Aug 1998–20 Apr 1999			1999-083	25
and 19 Aug 1999–9 Feb 2000	*		2004-527	30	NAB 54:220
and 26 Aug 2000–24 Jan 2001			2000-115	26
and 25 Aug–23 Dec 2001			2001-136	27
36. 10 Sep 1984	HY	Anaheim ORA	1984-210	10
37. 28 Oct 1984–late Feb 1985	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	1984-274	10	ph., specimen lost
38. 04 Sep 1986–07 Mar 1987	HY	Tijuana R. mouth SD	1986-441	12
39. 08 Nov 1986–28 Feb 1987	AHY	Tijuana R. mouth SD	1987-031	14
40. 03 Aug–26 Nov 1988	HY	Tijuana R. mouth SD	1988-191	13
41. 20 Nov 1988–09 Sep 1989	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	1989-041	13
42. 28 Dec 1989–25 Jan 1990	HY	Moss Landing MTY	1989-206	15	ph., CAS 84409
43-49. 23 Mar–06 May 1990	#7 ASY	s San Diego Bay SD/	1990-091/ 1990-190	15
		San Diego R. mouth SD	1990-214	15
50. 17–19 Apr 1990	ASY	Pt. Mugu VEN	1990-081	15
51. 27 Apr 1990	ASY	Marina del Rey LA	1991-016	16	ph.
52. 28 Jul 1990	ASY	Whitewater R., Salton Sea RIV	1990-111	15
53. 02 Sep 1990	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	1990-136	16
54. 08–24 Oct 1990	HY	Del Mar SD	1990-191	16
55. 14 Oct 1990–08 Feb 1991	HY	Tijuana R. valley/mouth SD	1991-004	17
56. 19 May 1991	SY	San Elijo Lagoon SD	1991-100	16	ph.
57. 16–19 Oct 1991		Del Mar SD	1991-192	17
58. 11 Nov 1991–29 Mar 1992	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	1992-001	17	ph.
59. 28 Mar 1992	ASY	Pt. Mugu VEN	1992-105	18
60. 12 Apr–09 May 1992		Seal Beach ORA	1992-133	18
61. 17 Apr–19 Jun 1992	SY	s San Diego Bay SD	1992-138	18
62. 18 Oct 1992–20 Mar 1993	HY	Bolsa Chica ORA	1992-288	18	ph.
63. 19 Dec 1993–20 Mar 1994	HY	vic. Oasis, Salton Sea RIV	1994-046	19	ph.
64. 24–30 Apr 1994	ASY	Seal Beach ORA	1994-082	20
65. 29 Apr–31 May 1994	ASY	Bolsa Chica ORA	1994-113	20
66. 01 May 1994	ASY	Pt. Fermin LA	1994-097	20
67. 04 Sep 1994	HY	Obsidian Butte, Salton Sea IMP	1994-202	20
68. 05 Nov 1994–14 Apr 1995	HY	Famosa Slough/San Diego R. mouth SD	1995-003	20	ph.
69. 18–23 Dec 1994	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	1995-015A	22
70. 09 May–17 Jun 1995	SY	s San Diego Bay SD	1995-015B	22
71-73. 10 Jul 1996	3 ASY	Bolsa Chica ORA	1996-095	22
and 24 Apr–11 May 1997	ASY		1997-088	23	one of two reported
74. 14 Sep–20 Oct 1996	HY	Bolsa Chica ORA	1998-015	22	published with incorrect dates and location
75. 16–31 Aug 1997	HY	Salton City IMP	1997-125	23	ph.
76. 17 Apr 1998	SY	Seal Beach ORA	1998-071	24
77. 11 Jul–01 Aug 1998	SY	vic. Mecca, Salton Sea RIV	1998-101	24
and 02–08 Aug 1998	SY	Obsidian Butte, Salton Sea IMP	1998-114	24
78. 29 Aug–04 Oct 1998	HY	Tijuana R. mouth SD	1998-121	24
79. 11 Aug–24 Nov 1999	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	1999-136	25
80. 11–24 Sep 2000	HY	San Elijo Lagoon SD	2000-120	26	ph.
81. 01 Jan–18 Apr 2001	SY	San Diego R. mouth SD	2001-014	27	ph.
82. 06 Apr 2001	ASY	Bolsa Chica ORA	2001-109	27
83. 07 Jul 2001	HY	Whitewater R. mouth RIV	2001-115	27	ph.
84. 14 Jul–11 Sep 2001	HY	Goleta SBA	2001-117	27	ph., video
and 15 Sep 2001–02 Mar 2003		Mugu Lagoon VEN	2001-222	28
85. 28 Jul–19 Aug 2001	SY	Obsidian Butte, Salton Sea IMP	2001-125	27	ph.
86. 01 Aug 2001	HY	vic. Salton City IMP	2001-126	27
87. 17 Aug–12 Oct 2001	HY	Obsidian Butte, Salton Sea IMP	2001-146	27	ph.
88. 03 Sep 2001–22 May 2002	HY	San Diego R. mouth SD	2001-149	27	ph., video
89. 06 Sep–12 Dec 2001	HY	Batiquitos Lagoon SD	2001-182	27
90. 07–12 Sep 2001	AHY	s San Diego Bay SD	2001-151	27	ph.
91. 09 Sep–09 Nov 2001	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	2001-148	27	ph.
92. 29 Sep–04 Oct 2001	HY	Little Lake INY	2001-217	27	ph.
93. 12 Oct 2001–12 Feb 2002	AHY	San Diego R. mouth SD	2001-174	27	Figs. 88, 204, ph.
Reddish Egret – Not accepted, identification not established
25 Sep 1937		vic. Coronado SD	1987-395	14
20 Sep 1943		Otay Lakes SD 1986-266/1986-336	14
18 Aug–mid Nov 1969		Pt. Mugu VEN	1986-461	14,30
08 May 1978		Whitewater R., Salton Sea RIV	1992-098	16
08 Oct 1989		Moss Landing MTY	1989-193	15
02 Jan 1993		Seal Beach ORA	1993-123	19
Reddish Egret – Not submitted
12 Feb 1931		San Diego Bay SD		14	Huey (1931a), Grinnell & Miller (1944)
30 Sep 1954–03 Mar 1955		Imperial Dam IMP		14	McCaskie (1964), Garrett & Dunn (1981),
					Rosenberg et al. (1991), Patten et al. (2003)
19 Nov 1955		Imperial Dam IMP		14	McCaskie (1964), Rosenberg et al. (1991)
19–30 Apr 1958		Mission Bay SD		14	white bird, AFN 12:385,
					questioned by Unitt (1984)
02 Sep 1960		vic. Picacho IMP		14	McCaskie (1964), Rosenberg et al. (1991)
09 Jul 1962		Morro Bay SLO		14	Garrett & Dunn (1981)
11–18 Sep 1962		Batiquitos Lagoon SD			King et al. (1987), Unitt (2004)
11 Nov 1967		Bolsa Chica ORA			Sexton & Hunt (1979),
					Hamilton & Willick (1996)
22 Apr 1968		Pt. Mugu VEN			Webster et al. (1980)
29 Sep 1968		San Elijo Lagoon SD		14	Unitt (2004), cf. table entries 10-11
13 Dec 1969		San Elijo Lagoon SD			Unitt (2004)
10 Jul 1972		n end Salton Sea RIV		14	AB 26:904
19 Feb 1982		San Diego Bay SD		14	AB 36:300
16 Nov 1986–11 Jan 1987		Del Mar SD			AB 41:143, 328
06–08 Aug 1989		Imperial Beach SD		14	AB 44:161
21 May 1995	ASY	Seal Beach ORA			FN 49:309
10–28 Oct 1995	HY	Anaheim ORA			FN 50:114
30 Apr–02 May 1997		Bolsa Chica ORA			FN 51:927, see table entries 71-73
21 Sep 1997	HY	Bolsa Chica ORA			FN 52:125
18 Apr 1998	ASY	Bolsa Chica ORA			FN 52:390, see table entries 71-73
13 Jun 1998	3 ASY	Bolsa Chica ORA			FN 52:503
08 Aug–15 Sep 1998		Seal Beach ORA			NAB 53:103
07–28 Sep 1998		Bolsa Chica ORA			NAB 53:103, see table entries 71-73
21 Aug–02 Sep 1999		Santa Margarita R. mouth SD			NAB 54:104
25 Sep–26 Dec 1999		Del Mar SD			NAB 54:220
25 Sep 1999–30 Jan 2000		Del Mar SD			Unitt (2004)
09–23 Jan 2000		Los Peñasquitos Lagoon SD			Unitt (2004)
14 May 2000	2	s San Diego Bay SD			Unitt (2004)
08 Sep 2000		San Diego R. mouth SD			NAB 55:102, cf. table entry 80
25 Aug 2001		Santa Margarita R. mouth SD			Unitt (2004)
23 Dec 2001		Tijuana R. mouth SD			NAB 56:223
26 Dec 2001–07 Feb 2002		San Diego R. mouth SD			Unitt (2004)
29 Dec 2001		Mission Bay SD			NAB 56:223

Figures

Figure 88. Reddish Egrets are found annually in coastal San Diego County, and the species has occurred northward to Monterey County on the coast and Inyo County inland. This adult, demonstrating a characteristically creative foraging method that makes Reddish Egrets so enjoyable to watch, was photographed on 5 January 2002 at the mouth of the San Diego River, San Diego County (2001-174; David Furseth).

Figure 89. Distribution of 93 Reddish Egrets accepted through the close of the species’ CBRC review period in 2001. Caution is advised when comparing this map against that of the Tricolored Heron (Figure 87), since their review periods are different, but it is true that Tricoloreds have wandered more widely in the state, particularly to the Salton Sea and to central and northern California.

Figure 204. Reddish Egrets occur regularly, albeit sparingly, in coastal San Diego County. This adult was photographed at the mouth of the San Diego River, San Diego County, on 5 January 2002, just days after the cutoff date for CBRC review of this species (David Furseth).

Reddish Egret

REDDISH EGRET Egretta rufescens (Gmelin, 1789)

Accepted: 93 (94%)	Treated in Appendix H: no
Not accepted: 6	CBRC review: records through 2001¹
Not submitted/reviewed: 36	Large color image: see Figures

Reddish_Egret This active egret is closely associated with coastal marshes, lagoons, and mudflats in the Southeast, West Indies, and Middle America, with some non-breeders reaching northern South America. The species is rare, but increasingly frequent, in Arizona and New Mexico. Records from the southern Great Plains have also increased in recent years, and birds have strayed casually north to Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts (NAB 57:466). A few pairs now nest on the Islas Todos Santos off Ensenada (e.g., NAB 55:359), extending the Pacific coast breeding range northward from the central Baja California Peninsula. The species also breeds in the Gulf of California. San Diego County appears to lie within the regular non-breeding range, having hosted at least one bird annually since 1980. The species was removed from the CBRC’s review list in 2002.

San Bernardino County’s lone record of the Reddish Egret, involving a first-fall bird collected at Lake Havasu on 9 September 1954 (five days after initial detection per Monson 1958), was California’s first acceptable one. A few older records from San Diego County are likely correct but either lack details (e.g., Huey 1931a) or are only marginally supported (e.g., Delareuelle 1938; see also Roberson 1993). Most California records come between mid September and late March along the southern coast, and coastal records extend north to Moss Landing in Monterey County. Inland, the Reddish Egret is a casual summer visitor to the Salton Sea, and the species has been recorded as far north as Little Lake in Inyo County. Of note, a bird initially found as an adult that was identifiable by its deformed bill wintered on San Diego Bay from 1982 through 2001, establishing the longevity record for the species (cf. Lowther and Paul 2002). The return of vagrants to the same location year after year represents a method of determining bird life spans that could be better represented in the literature. California records presumably involve E. r. dickeyi of northwestern Mexico, but the only specimens involve first-year birds, which cannot be identified to subspecies. In contrast to E. r. rufescens, which breeds from Texas eastward, there is no evidence that dickeyi has a white morph (Jones 1978); moreover, no white-morph bird has ever been recorded in California or on the Baja California Peninsula (contra Cogswell 1977:96).

¹Off the review list 1974–1975 and 1982–1983

[AGAMI HERON Agamia agami (Gmelin, 1789) – see hypothetical section]

[CHINESE POND-HERON Ardeola bacchus (Bonaparte, 1855) – see hypothetical section]