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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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Redhead (Aythya americana) (1)
- Reported Dec 20, 2025 10:32 by Bob McCay
- Whale Rock Reservoir, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8708239&<ll...>,-120.8708239 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S289387641 - Comments: "Redheaded duck with dark breast and dark gray body. Rounded head without the triangular shape of Canvasback. No photo, but I had a good look with my scope as it preened, but when I went to get my camera it had tucked its head and decided to take a nap. The distance was far for my camera lens, so it probably wouldn’t have done any good anyway. Cottontail Creek arm on the far side of the arm."
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 20, 2025 11:00 by Ben Kolstad
- 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/S289375205 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing bird, first found by Marlin Harms on December 10. White-headed duck with large multicolored bill (yellow at base, pink near end, black tip), black patch below and behind eye, dark back, white-gray flanks. Brown eye."
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 20, 2025 09:35 by Kaaren Perry
- 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/S289384118 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Previously reported and photographed by many. Seen from the Morro Bay marina parking lot. Striking profile and in non-breeding/immature plumage of male."
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Dec 20, 2025 08:21 by Ben Kolstad
- Bluff Trail--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8948396&<ll...>,-120.8948396 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S289373979 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Alcid with black body, black head with white chin but black neck, large white stripe on body/wing area, lot of white underneath near the water line. Head looked very "guillemot-y" as opposed to murre or murrelet-y. See pictures."
Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) (1)
- Reported Dec 20, 2025 08:38 by Nick & Jane
- Harris’s hangout, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.844431&<ll...>,-120.844431 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S289393555 - Media: 1 Audio
- Comments: "Continuing. After the bird was reported yesterday I thought I would pop into the area and see if it was around. Wasn’t sure whether to be on Pine Way or Estero Ave, so went to Estero and parked close to Olive St. Right away I could hear and see a fair number of sparrows and other birds and soon heard a harsh “cheek.” After a few moments I saw a large sparrow with a pink bill fly into a tree that has flowering red blooms (located in a front yard near the corner of Olive and Estero). It hid but kept calling and made some slurry noises too, so I turned on Merlin, which agreed on the ID. Not that I always trust Merlin, but there has been a Harris’s nearby so doubt the coincidence, and was also confident of the harsh “cheek” I was hearing, as it was so different from other nearby sparrow calls and in the right tonal range. Never got great looks at the bird other than what I noted. Its skulky behavior matches what’s been told to me about this particular bird’s shyness. Recording."
Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed) (Passerculus sandwichensis rostratus/atratus) (1)
- Reported Dec 20, 2025 08:48 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/S289387261 - Comments: "Maybe two. One was skulky in a bush about half way down boardwalk then a few mins later saw one atop a bush thirty yards to the north. Could be the same bird. Can’t really tell from images. I could tell their fieldmarks for large-billed. Large pink bills, blurry striping on backs, fine streaking on undersides, pale superciliums. The one on bush was more in the light and could see a hint of pale yellow in front portion of supercilium. Photos of both/recording of the one calling from atop bush."
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