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Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> San Luis Obispo County Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in San Luis Obispo County. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN36231 NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Redhead (Aythya americana) (9) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 06, 2025 08:59 by Kevin Zimmer
- Whale Rock Reservoir, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8708239&<ll...>,-120.8708239 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208340758 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing: 4 males (red heads with yellow eyes, dingy gray sides, black rear parts and breast; head rounded in profile, not sloped as in Canvasback), 5 females, all on the Cottontail Creek arm of the reservoir. Poor (distant but identifiable) photos to follow -- the birds were sleeping with bills tucked for most of the time I was there."
Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 06, 2025 14:05 by Petra Clayton
- Swainson's Hawk Stateout--Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.7295938&<ll...>,-120.7295938 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208341087 - Media: 14 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing juvenile since 1/1/25 (Steve Tillmann).
Observed near a transmission tower on the north side of Los Osos Valley Road about 1 mile west of the intersection with Foothill Boulevard. First perched on several fence posts, then flying over the pasture and landing on the ground before taking flight again.
Brown back with some pale feathers and the dark head, heavily streaked breast and belly; pale cheeks, pale supercilium, pale chin and throat; dark bill with a yellow cere and yellow gape. As it took off in flight it showed a white undertail/vent, a mottled brown and white underwing pattern, and yellow legs and feet.
Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 06, 2025 12:20 by The Spotting Twohees
- Swainson's Hawk Stateout--Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.7295938&<ll...>,-120.7295938 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208313222 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing in same location along LOVR. Seen just west of powerlines and shack, perched on a wood power pole near the fence on the north side. Flew around for about 5 minutes and landed on the north side road fence line. Photos"
Black back, wings and tail with white splotches and spots; vertical white stripe along the leading edge of the closed wing; broad black stripe through the eye bordered above and below by a white stripe; white throat; mottled underparts with yellowish wash.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video, which includes a Red-breasted Sapsucker:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/54251750989/in/dateposted-public/" title="Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), Arroyo Grande, CA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/54251750989_6b9101fe09_z.jpg" alt="Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), Arroyo Grande, CA" /></a>"
Red-breasted Sapsucker (daggetti) (Sphyrapicus ruber daggetti) (1)
- Reported Jan 03, 2025 08:41 by Kevin Zimmer
- Biddle Regional Park, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.5179596&<ll...>,-120.5179596 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S207914721 - Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "Subspecies S. r. daggetti (the expected subspecies in this area): note the whiter underparts, more extensive and whiter spotting on the back, and more extensive white & black on the sides of the head compared to subspecies S. r. ruber."
Red-breasted Sapsucker (ruber) (Sphyrapicus ruber ruber) (1)
- Reported Jan 03, 2025 08:41 by Kevin Zimmer
- Biddle Regional Park, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.5179596&<ll...>,-120.5179596 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S207914721 - Media: 9 Photos
- Comments: "Subspecies S. r. ruber, as evidenced by reduced white & black on face/malar (almost entirely red-headed); less prominent and yellow-tinged spotting on back; and distinctly yellowish belly. Very rare in this region. Photos to be added shortly."
Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) (3)
- Reported Jan 06, 2025 10:27 by Virginia Langdon-Lassagne
- Elkhorn Road, Santa Margarita US-CA 35.28636, -119.84262, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.842621&<ll...>,-119.842621 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208301697 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing birds found yesterday by Mike Bush. Similar to Bell’s Sparrow, but cap paler gray, notable streaking on back, thin dark stripe at throat. Photos."
Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) (3)
- Reported Jan 06, 2025 10:27 by Barry Langdon-Lassagne
- Elkhorn Road, Santa Margarita US-CA 35.28636, -119.84262, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.842621&<ll...>,-119.842621 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208301698 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing birds found yesterday by Mike Bush. Similar to Bell’s Sparrow, but cap paler gray, notable streaking on back, thin dark stripe at throat. Photos."
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) (1)
- Reported Jan 06, 2025 09:34 by Nick & Jane
- Meadow Park--San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6606531&<ll...>,-120.6606531 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208308146 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing? Could this be the same female I found last year? Last observed Oct. 28, 2024 (https://ebird.org/checklist/S200621147). Worst photo award for a cool bird, today. Spotted the oriole twice and each time couldn’t get camera focused. Bird appeared to be developing dark lore and crown, had extensive orange on head and underside otherwise, a blackish smudgy back, white wingbars (though the upper wingbar had a lot of orange wash to it) and black wings. Bird was seen in two locations relatively close to each other. Here (35.2676571, -120.6604640) and in backyard cape honeysuckle along south fence here (35.2672794, -120.6597056). Awful pics though telling of fieldmarks."
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