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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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Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) (1)
- Reported Jan 05, 2026 09:12 by Mark Hays
- San Luis Obispo Creek Lagoon, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.7364416&<ll...>,-120.7364416 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S292626132 - Comments: "Continuing. Swimming with Common Goldeneyes and coots. Diving and foraging actively with many of the others. Had to wait to get a good shot because it was partially obscured by the rest of the birds and because there was a lot of glare from the sun reflections. Full orange bill."
Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 04, 2026 14:05 by Petra Clayton
- San Luis Obispo Creek Lagoon, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.7364416&<ll...>,-120.7364416 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S292520044 - Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing female since 1/3/26 (Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne)
Swimming, preening and occasionally diving down-creek from the last golf cart bridge in the company of Common Goldeneyes and American Coots. - She appeared a bit larger than the Common Goldeneyes, --- Head and neck were chocolate brown with a white band at the end of the stretched neck. The head appeared larger because of the feathering at the back of the head and the peaked front-crown, giving it a steep-forehead-look. The crown was slicked back when she was ready to dive. --- The bill was yellow with a dark base and a black tip.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video, showing the Barrow's Goldeneye with Common Goldeneyes:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/55023785877/in/dateposted-public/" title="Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica), Avila Beach, CA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/55023785877_ebca0da70e_z.jpg" alt="Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica), Avila Beach, CA" /></a>"
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) (1)
- Reported Dec 31, 2025 08:00 by Roger Hammer
- 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/S292533172 - Comments: "I saw this bird both in the morning during the rain and again in the afternoon while brighter and not raining. It was to the south of the last viewing platform on the boardwalk about 100 yards standing in front of a singular curved drift log on the beach. At the time it was not closely associating with BBPL's but not far away either; there were 2 there in the morning and 3 there in the afternoon to compare size and color with. The PGPL was slightly smaller and yellowish in the face and lighter overall than the BBPLs. I could not detect any gold or yellow flecking on the back at that distance with only binocs. However, I presumed this bird was likely a PGPL. Subsequently, I did recognize the photo of this bird in the Wingnuts' report as the one I saw in the exact same spot several days earlier."
Least Bittern (Botaurus exilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 05, 2026 10:43 by Barry Langdon-Lassagne
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S292645684 - Comments: "Finally!! Been hunting for this bird for a year now! Clearly heard in the reeds, directly in front of us at the Prefumo Creek mouth observation area (effectively eliminating the chance of it being another birder, taping!). “Kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek”"
Least Bittern (Botaurus exilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 05, 2026 10:43 by Virginia Langdon-Lassagne
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S292662266 - Comments: "Finally!! Been hunting for this bird for a year now! Clearly heard in the reeds, directly in front of us at the Prefumo Creek mouth observation area (effectively eliminating the chance of it being another birder, taping!). “Kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek”"
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