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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.
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Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 02, 2025 12:35 by Petra Clayton
- Arroyo Grande: Cypress Ridge Golf Course, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.5764117&<ll...>,-120.5764117 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287121899 - Media: 5 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing since 12/1/25 (Ann Stockert). Returned for third winter.
Gun-metal gray body; brown mantle; dark gray crown and neck; white-edged flanks; short tail with white edges; maroon-colored "shield" and bill with yellow tip; dark eye.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/54961183509/in/dateposted-public/" title="Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata), Arroyo Grande, CA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/54961183509_4794215ccc_z.jpg" alt="Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata), Arroyo Grande, CA" /></a>
Past eBird reports:
First winter: January 25th - March 9th, 2024
Second winter: November 2nd, 2024 - March 22nd, 2025
Third winter: December 1st, 2025+"
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) (1)
- Reported Dec 03, 2025 11:30 by Owen Shapleigh
- Pt. Piedras Blancas--elephant seal colony, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.2567043&<ll...>,-121.2567043 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287231386 - Media: 4 Photos
- Comments: "PAGP. Smaller size, with thinner, shorter bill than BBPls in photo. Golden coloration and dark auriculars. Also, short projection of primaries to distinguish from American.
Seen on southern most Eseal viewing platform."
Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 02, 2025 08:33 by Kevin Zimmer
- San Simeon Creek Mouth/Beach, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1267052&<ll...>,-121.1267052 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287174421 - Comments: "First spotted by Tom Edell, who was scoping offshore as I was photographing the Short-billed Dowitcher along the lagoon edge. This small alcid was distant, steadily working its way south along a line of floating bull kelp. There was substantial swell, and it took me a minute to get my scope on the bird, which kept disappearing behind the swells. Its tiny size was particularly striking in comparison to a nearby Western Grebe and a group of nearby Red-throated Loons, all of which dwarfed the murrelet in overall size, and had proportionately much longer necks and bills. The murrelet was basically blackish above and white below (lacking the crown versus back contrast that one would see with an Ancient Murrelet), with the dark crown extending below the eye on the side of the face and down the center of the nape and neck. A white, partial collar cutting in on the side of the neck was apparent even at a distance, and was set off by a dark wedge of feathering extending into the white chest at the shoulder. As the bird would come into better view between swells, I could just get glimpses of a single white scapular streak on the murrelet's left side, barely visible through the scope. Tom and I kept talking about attempting to get photos, but it was hard enough following and relocating the bird in our scopes, and would have been hopeless to find through the camera viewfinder."
Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed) (Passerculus sandwichensis rostratus/atratus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 03, 2025 08:15 by Nick & Jane
- Morro Bay SP--Marina/Boardwalk Trail, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8418006&<ll...>,-120.8418006 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287220686 - Media: 9 Photos
- Comments: "Near southwestern corner of boardwalk perched on shrub (a few feet inside the boardwalk). Blurry grey and brown back streaking, extended pale supercilium, long pink bill, fine red-brown chest and flank streaking . . . plumper than other area savannahs. Photos."
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) (1)
- Reported Dec 03, 2025 16:06 by Christine Hogue
- Backfence, Arroyo Grande US-CA, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.569998&<ll...>,-120.569998 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287226820 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Heard distinct tik tik call. Brown face and head with white stripe above eye. Orange chest with thin brown streaks. Female or immature. Photos."
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