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Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Santa Barbara County Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Santa Barbara County. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35915 NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
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King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) (1)
- Reported Dec 17, 2025 07:53 by Ann Stockert
- Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve, including Santa Maria River Estuary (SBA Co.), Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6473815&<ll...>,-120.6473815 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S289019415 - Comments: "***Continuing apparent 1st county record found yesterday and probably(?) the same bird seen recently off the Sandspit in Morro Bay and in MTY? Maybe same bird that was in Morro Bay this last summer? Will be interesting to see if more than one individual is involved in the recent sightings in central California.
Fairly large cinnamon brown female (Queen) King Eider with brown belly, slightly mottled breast, sides and back extensively marked with chevrons, brown tail, mostly brown wings with white tips on greater secondary coverts, mostly pale underwing, dark eye, stubby round head, and small dark slipper-shaped bill with brown feathering extending short of the nostril and farther on forehead giving a stubby-headed/billed shape.
Presumably associating with a small scoter flock here: (34.961905, -120.655408) but not picked up in that flock when looking thru it probably due to large swells. Instead seen well and very close above the upper shoreface as it flew by itself within 200 feet of us as we were scoping. Zipped by heading from the SBA side towards the SLO side but we did not see it necessarily cross over. Got very good close looks but unfortunately by the time we attempted to get photos it had already moved out of range :(
This is the ~2nd King Eider we’ve seen this year and the ~4th KH has seen in the state."
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) (1)
- Reported Dec 17, 2025 10:00 by Diego Perez
- Sedgwick Reserve (restricted access), Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.0405478&<ll...>,-120.0405478 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288997812 - Comments: "Flushed from hillside in dry grass while walking down road just after gate 3 at sedgwick reserve (34.74058° N, 120.02670° W). Flew to nearby hummock where I got good views before it flew off. Owl, brown above. Very distinct underwing pattern— pale contrasted with black wing tips and a black carpal notch/“comma”. Ruling out long-eared based on habitat and time of sighting. Also lack of long ear tuffs. it is very windy up here, though, which could have pushed them down, making them appear absent/small, as I saw on the bird when perched)."
Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) (1)
- Reported Dec 16, 2025 16:09 by Michael I Christie
- River Park (SBA Co.), Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.4344893&<ll...>,-120.4344893 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288984395 - Comments: "an immature male, likely the same one seen Nov 15, sallying from low trees by restrooms. small flycatcher with red crown, brownish back and reddish underside, still with some white on chest."
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