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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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Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 10:06 by Bettina Eastman
- Morro Rock, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8670566&<ll...>,-120.8670566 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294429544 - Comments: "This bird was seen and identified by leader as Pigeon Guillemot but, there were some lingering questions. So, it was originally listed as a more common species. However, photos were later reviewed and it was determined to Pigeon Guillemot. Photos will follow in the coming days."
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 10:06 by Morro Bay Bird Festival
- Morro Rock, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8670566&<ll...>,-120.8670566 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294430659 - Comments: "This bird was seen and identified by leader as Pigeon Guillemot but, there were some lingering questions. So, it was originally listed as a more common species. However, photos were later reviewed and it was determined to Pigeon Guillemot. Photos will follow in the coming days."
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 09:00 by Morro Bay Bird Festival
- Morro Rock, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8670566&<ll...>,-120.8670566 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294406067 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Initially believed to be a common murre, upon photo review this appears to be a previously reported pigeon guillemot. Lack of definition on face, white markings on back that I didn't see initially point to first year/hatch year Guillemot. Photos to come. Bird was south of the rock floating and feeding in the channel."
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 09:00 by Ethan Stokes
- Morro Rock, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8670566&<ll...>,-120.8670566 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294421112 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Initially believed to be a common murre, upon photo review this appears to be a previously reported pigeon guillemot. Lack of definition on face, white markings on back that I didn't see initially point to first year/hatch year Guillemot. Photos to come. Bird was south of the rock floating and feeding in the channel."
Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) (1)
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 15:18 by Kevin Zimmer
- Morro Bay Harbor, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.857&<ll...>,-120.857 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294528348 - Comments: "Continuing juvenile in cypress tree at south end of Tidelands Park. Entirely dark bill; overall slaty grayish-brown plumage, with small, white markings on wing-coverts."
Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 17:05 by Nick & Jane
- 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/S294424441 - Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing juvenile. Strange to be a nemesis bird but yeah, fourth try and I still didn’t find it in the trees—a gentleman on a dock said, “it’s over here!” It was foraging in the low-tide shallows, not caring that people were closeby. Mostly-dark bill tapering to yellow base and lores—yellow even around its bright red eyes—and a fine yellow streak almost unnoticeable on the bottom of lower bill. Legs were yellowy too. Tan plumage though lighter with white streakiness on neck, underside, and chin. The wings had small white triangular speckling. Photos"
California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) (4) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 11:02 by Lola Ross
- 990 San Simeon Creek Rd, Cambria US-CA 35.59973, -121.12221, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.122208&<ll...>,-121.122208 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294420562 - Media: 12 Photos
- Comments: "Yellow #6 wing tag on the closest one, a juvenile. Condor spotter shows a yellow #6 as Female 1206 from the Southern California flock, hatched at San Diego Zoo, 2 years 8 months. Birds looked like giant vultures with white under wings."
California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) (1)
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 13:23 by Nancy Overholtz
- Atascadero US-CA (35.4863,-120.6672), San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.667187&<ll...>,-120.667187 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294429775 - Comments: "It was seen from the 101 near the exit to Highway 41. It was soaring with at least three TUVU which it dwarfed in size. The flight was extremely stable; it did not flap at all. The wings looked like planks with long “fingers” at the tips and were held completely flat showing no dihedral like the TUVU. The white in the under-wings was seen well. I pulled over as soon as I got off the ramp but could not see the birds."
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) (1)
- Reported Jan 15, 2026 13:27 by Nick & Jane
- San Simeon Point, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1946398&<ll...>,-121.1946398 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S294427174 - Media: 2 Audio
- Comments: "Continuing skulky bird found by S.G. and also seen by A.Y. I now know why folks are having a hard time photographing this bird. It is super skulky and master of shadows in brambles and berry bushes and doesn’t want to be seen. Granted I wasn’t looking in the morning when the bird might have been more active—though I have my doubts if that would have even helped. Anyway, I arrived to the location A.Y. posted on the main trail, didn’t see or hear anything, so made my way on a plowed path off the main trail indicated by S.G.’s coordinates: 35.63910, -121.19645. I was somewhere close to that pin when I heard what S.G. accurately described as a “scratchy mew.” The mew repeated but moved or faded away. When I found the brambles near a berry bush where I thought the sound emanated I spotted an all-grey slender bird with a long tail—this was in the dry scrub near a broken trunk. I only had a side view and wasn’t able to note a dark cap though I can say the bird had no bright markings. Didn’t get a look at its undertail. A nearby spotted towhee’s rusty, white and black colors were easily seen in the same brambles, so that helped my confidence regarding the all-grey plumage of a catbird that I noted. The bird soon quietly sang its jumbled song then went silent. There were no mockingbirds around. About twenty minutes went by before the bird vocalized again, once again giving a series of scratchy mews. I tried to creep in slow for a view. This time I managed some good recordings. I was really close to the bird but couldn’t see it. I waited quite a while longer for it to sing or call again, and even half hid nearby so that it might pop up and mew or sing or feed. I eventually gave up on the idea of a photo and left. Recordings."
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