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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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Canada Goose (canadensis Group) (Branta canadensis [canadensis Group]) (1)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 07:18 by Herb Elliott
- 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/S287308830 - Comments: "**Very rare. Adult(?) parvipes with CANG. Small CANG with shorter neck, smaller bill, slightly duller/dirtier-looking chinstrap, pale breast, and faint pale collar/neck ring which is typical of many parvipes. KH has a few IDable digis."
Canada Goose (canadensis Group) (Branta canadensis [canadensis Group]) (1)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 07:18 by Ann Stockert
- 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/S287320895 - Comments: "**Very rare. Adult(?) parvipes with CANG. Small CANG with shorter neck, smaller bill, slightly duller/dirtier-looking chinstrap, pale breast, and faint pale collar/neck ring which is typical of many parvipes. KH has a few IDable digis."
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) (9) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 02, 2025 15:06 by Jan Bugge
- 15541–15557 Soda Lake Rd, Santa Margarita US-CA 35.22488, -119.90102, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.901023&<ll...>,-119.901023 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287290648 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "These birds were way across the lake on the east side. White with tinges of sooty grey and black bills and legs. Ruled out Ross’s and Snow geese because of body and bill size and color of bill. Apologies for the bad photos."
Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid) (Mareca penelope x americana) (2)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 07:18 by Ann Stockert
- 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/S287320895 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "*Rare. Continuing (returning?) adult male + new adult male. Continuing male like Eurasian but with obvious green streak on face and mixed buff/gray sides, new male looking essentially like American but with obvious ruddy cheek and some scattered red on head. KH might have digis of the new bird."
Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid) (Mareca penelope x americana) (2)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 07:18 by Herb Elliott
- 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/S287308830 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "*Rare. Continuing (returning?) adult male + new adult male. Continuing male like Eurasian but with obvious green streak on face and mixed buff/gray sides, new male looking essentially like American but with obvious ruddy cheek and some scattered red on head. KH might have digis of the new bird."
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 01, 2025 14:25 by Lou McGonagill
- 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/S287326706 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Very confiding apparent adult/imm female in creek directly under Hwy 1 bridge. Possibly returning individual. Crappy, but definitive digibins attached. FOS!"
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (1)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 07:20 by Chris Wills
- San Simeon SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1235286&<ll...>,-121.1235286 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287301847 - Comments: "Continuing female in creek near Highway, almost the same location as last night. Photos to add to that checklist. Flew up stream to bridge in campground visible from campsite 114. Then the bald eagle flew in and dove at it, still there after bald eagle left."
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (1)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 07:20 by Teri Wills
- San Simeon SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1235286&<ll...>,-121.1235286 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287301846 - Comments: "Continuing female in creek near Highway, almost the same location as last night. Photos to add to that checklist. Flew up stream to bridge in campground visible from campsite 114. Then the bald eagle flew in and dove at it, still there after bald eagle left."
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 08:35 by Nick & Jane
- 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/S287314390 - Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing visitor from Arctic tundra. At first there were eleven black-bellied plovers. Then fourteen. Then after twenty more minutes, sixteen. Where were they coming from?? I tried to magically turn some of them into a golden. Then suddenly in the little flock next to a log was the pacific golden-plover—this was a dozen or so feet from the spine of a humpback whale. Lots of gold spangles in its blingy crisp upper plumage. Yellowy wash on cheeks and sides of neck. Slender and smaller than nearby plovers. Smaller, more slender black bill than surrounding plovers. Photo"
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 03, 2025 09:18 by Herb Elliott
- 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/S287231341 - Media: 5 Photos
- Comments: "Previously reported and continuing. The bird's plumage lacked the grayish hue seen in nearby Black-bellied Plovers, instead showing vibrant golden speckles. Notably, its primary feathers were relatively short, barely extending beyond the tip of its tail."
Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) (1)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 09:56 by Tom Edell
- Tidelands Park, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8514118&<ll...>,-120.8514118 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287316848 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "continuing juvenile in the Monterey Cypress trees closest to the south side of the boat ramp. Gray-brown plumage with small pale marks on tips of wing coverts. Mostly dark bill with pale base to lower mandible and pale yellow chin."
Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed) (Passerculus sandwichensis rostratus/atratus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 09:04 by Barry Langdon-Lassagne
- 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/S287300150 - Media: 3 Photos, 1 Audio
- Comments: "Continuing rarity, pointed out to us by Herb E. Plainer than the other SAVS & dramatically larger bill. Chip call deeper and more “throaty”. Photos, audio."
Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed) (Passerculus sandwichensis rostratus/atratus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 09:04 by Virginia Langdon-Lassagne
- 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/S287300149 - Media: 3 Photos, 1 Audio
- Comments: "Continuing rarity, pointed out to us by Herb E. Plainer than the other SAVS & dramatically larger bill. Chip call deeper and more “throaty”. Photos, audio."
Lucy's Warbler (Leiothlypis luciae) (1)
- Reported Dec 04, 2025 15:39 by Tom Edell
- Home, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8953657&<ll...>,-120.8953657 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S287321423 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "I first spotted this bird when it dropped down to the water feature to bathe. I quickly noted the gray upperparts, cream colored underparts, plain face with a pale diffuse ring around the eye, and the thin pointed warbler type bill. It was similar in size to a Ruby-crowned Kinglet present at the same time. As it bathed, it showed rusty streaks on the otherwise gray crown and rusty upper tail coverts. Unfortunately my camera was in the car and after retrieving it the bird was doing its after bath preening in the middle of a wax myrtle. I managed to get a few photos to document the bird."
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