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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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King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 23, 2026 09:48 by Ann Stockert
- 1137 Pasadena Dr, Los Osos US-CA (35.3313,-120.8432), San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.843218&<ll...>,-120.843218 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S295841757 - Comments: "Continuing female foraging near oyster beds. No photo but did observe fly at 9:49am towards marina boardwalk area. Buffy-brown sea duck with dark bill and flight clearly seen was a dark under wing with white “armpits” :)"
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 23, 2026 09:48 by Alexander Yan
- 1137 Pasadena Dr, Los Osos US-CA (35.3313,-120.8432), San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.843218&<ll...>,-120.843218 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S295848723 - Comments: "Continuing female foraging near oyster beds. No photo but did observe fly at 9:49am towards marina boardwalk area. Buffy-brown sea duck with dark bill and flight clearly seen was a dark under wing with white “armpits” :)"
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 23, 2026 08:51 by Bob McCay
- 1167 Pasadena Dr, Los Osos US-CA 35.33086, -120.84346, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.843465&<ll...>,-120.843465 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S295827093 - Comments: "Two quick looks. Continuing female seen from the vacant lot on Pasadena in Los Osos. Found resting among the uprights in the oyster farm, then swimming shore side of the oyster Farm towards the uprights. ."
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 23, 2026 10:14 by Alexander Yan
- 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/S295831919 - Comments: "Continuing female seen on-and-off since August 2025; seen with Ann S & mob. Big brown diving duck with a silhouette sort of similar to a canvasback swimming around mixed with gulls on the edge of the pickleweed. Distinctive face and bill shape, cinnamon brown throughout, and actively preening & diving occasionally before we lost it behind the gulls, pelicans, and cormorants resting onshore."
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) (1)
- Reported Jan 22, 2026 09:30 by Petra Clayton
- Pasadena Park Beach, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8440733&<ll...>,-120.8440733 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S295734364 - Media: 1 Video, 7 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing female, most likely the one first reported on 8/17/2025 (Brian O'Kelly & Alexander Yan).
Viewed through a scope: Overall brown with the head and neck being lighter than the back. - When seen in profile, the bill-shape was unlike a Mallard's in that it seemed shorter and the forehead was sloping down to the bill in a more straight line. --- It was preening for the entire observation time, while perched on a small plank behind the oyster farm's white poles, to the right of another larger plank with cormorants.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video, showing the King Eider preening:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/55056718787/in/dateposted-public/" title="King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), Baywood Park, CA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/55056718787_dc55ae90b3_z.jpg" alt="King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), Baywood Park, CA" /></a>"
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Jan 18, 2026 11:01 by Bradley Burner
- Estero Bay pelagic--nearshore waters (SLO Co.), San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.9427955&<ll...>,-120.9427955 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S295842250 - Comments: "Medium size alcid with rounded head and pointed dark bill. Dark above including wings which had a messy white patch in the wing coverts and with white underparts. Photos were taken."
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