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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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Arctic Loon (Gavia arctica) (1)
- Reported Dec 29, 2025 10:02 by Kevin Zimmer
- Morro Bay Sandspit, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8670158&<ll...>,-120.8670158 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S291121925 - Comments: "Basic plumaged bird, actively diving in the smooth swells just beyond the farthest breakers. This is the zone where the majority of loons were feeding as I made my way north along the spit, but there were relatively few birds feeding there a few hours later. The Arctic Loon was not closely associated with any other birds, although there were some Surf Scoters and a single Red-throated Loon not far away. This bird basically looked like a larger version of a basic-plumaged Pacific Loon, but with a flatter crown, more angular rise to the forehead (not as smoothly rounded of a profile), and with the bill always held characteristically pointed upwards (like a Yellow-billed Loon or a Red-throated Loon, and completely unlike Pacific or Common Loon). Dark, grayish-brown above (lacking paler, speckled look of basic Red-throated), and very white on chin, throat, fore neck and breast, without any dark “chinstrap” (as in most basic Pacific Loons). The division between dark feathering and white feathering on the sides of the neck was sharp and even, as it was on the face, and the line of demarcation was below the eye, with the gray-brown of the crown extending below the eye — very different from Common, Yellow-billed and Red-throated Loons, and matched only by Pacific Loon. Most eye catching was a conspicuous, white, oval-shaped flank patch that showed above the waterline at all times whenever the bird surfaced between dives. I saw the bird surface 5-6 times, always swimming steadily parallel to the beach, and heading south. When diving, it stayed under for a long time, and always seemed to cover a long distance. After following it for a few hundred meters down the beach for some 15 minutes or so, I lost it during a dive, and couldn’t relocate it despite much scanning all the way on my return hike. I assume this is the same bird first found by KH on the Morro Bay CBC close to Morro Rock on December 14. This is the 2nd one I’ve seen in the county. I see multiple individuals every May-June in Alaska, albeit there, always in alternate plumage. The combination of size/structural characters, posture (bill always pointed up), and conspicuous white flank patch all pointed towards an ID of Arctic Loon."
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored/cismontanus) (Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis/cismontanus) (1)
- Reported Dec 29, 2025 09:15 by Nick & Jane
- 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/S291069280 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "Continuing in gazebo area. Lots of dark tones mixed with brown tones and a messy dark hood. Flanks have brown and dark tones. Overall, a non-uniform look to this dark-toned junco. Photo"
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