Date: 5/27/26 8:53 am From: eBird alert via groups.io <alert.ebird...> Subject: [slocobirding] [eBird Alert] San Luis Obispo County Rare Bird Alert
*** Species Summary:
- American Oystercatcher (12 reports)
- American Redstart (2 reports)
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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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American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 19:01 by Yamina Pressler
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347489940 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "What a delightful bird. Nice views in evening light. Hanging out with a group of black oystercatchers in rocky intertidal. White chest and belly; black head with more brownish back; pinkish legs; unmistakable long, thick bright red bill. Potential hybrid? I will await the verdict! Continuing bird found by AW on 5/25 and reported by several others. Photos."
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 17:14 by Jake Hager
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347482112 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Observed with Tom Slater at Hazards reef associating with a flock of about a dozen black oystercatchers. First noticed when the flock took off from the reef that they were roosting on; its white undersides were distinct from the rest of the all-black birds. They flew north out of site toward sandspit beach, but thankfully returned to the reef about 20 minutes later for better more prolonged looks."
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 13:01 by Michael Moss
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347354946 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing found by Allison Webenbauer on 5/25 then relocated by Kilian this morning white belly and flanks with a white strip up into shoulders brownish black wings tail and back darker head with bright red beak peachy colored legs pics"
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 08:45 by marlin harms
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347343463 - Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "First seen yesterday (25 May) by Allison Webenbauer. When I arrived, the bird had beak in wing feathers & rested on rocks near shore. After a short while it preened and then began foraging, sometimes down behind rocks out of sight. I only saw it with one food item, a very small thing shown in a photo. The bird showed some irregular, scalloped blackish feathers on upper breast below where black of head/neck met white of belly/breast. Back & wings browner-black. A few wing coverts showed small, white edgings where folded wing meets sides. It suddenly flew and we realized it joined 5 or 6 Black Oystercatchers flying south, eventually disappearing around distant rocks. Poor flight photos show several new/black tail feathers partially grown in at the center of the tail and several new/black wing feathers, probably inner primaries, partially grown in. Note too that white stripe in wings did not appear as full as in adults and the white at base of tail feathers was marked with dark brown-black blotches."
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 08:45 by Doug Drynan
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347383713 - Media: 10 Photos
- Comments: "continuing bird first obs in this location by Allison Webenbauer 25 may. bird was down on the rocky shoreline, already seen by many other birders this AM. Was resting when I first saw the bird. And then proceeded to preen its feathers, and then forged in the rocks. After about 10 minutes, it flew to the south towards Spooner's Cove where there were black oyster catchers, calling and flying. bird had black head and neck. red bill with a dusky tip. dark brownish back and tail. bright white belly and mostly white undertail coverts. there was a disorderly transition from the black of the neck to the white of the upper chest. i tried running through the Synopsis of Color Characters in Oystercatchers (Jehl 1985, table1) that Russ sent, and i came up with a score of 26 which would put it in the hybrid zone. but i will defer to the eBird reviewers on this one."
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 07:30 by Jay Carroll
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347707006 - Media: 4 Photos
- Comments: "Oystercatcher with extensive white underparts, dark brown back blending to black head, black throat and upper breast with indistinct border between white lower breast; sturdy orange bill with some dusky shading on terminus of upper mandible; some indications of molting and feather wear on wings; the bird was foraging, preening, and resting along the mid-intertidal rocky shoreline; degree of hybridization with Black Oystercatcher tbd; Photos."
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 06:34 by Reef Comer
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347467638 - Media: 16 Photos
- Comments: "Very rare. Tentatively entered as American over hybrid pending comparison of images with the individual that wintered at Jalama Beach/and or any additional scoring. Our small group was able to relocate this continuing Oystercatcher rather quickly ~200 meters south of where the surfer trail leads out onto the beach this morning around here: (35.286462, -120.884481). This was an obvious Oystercatcher that exhibited a thick laterally compressed bill that was a mostly bright fiery orange-red color that also had a slightly paler tip that was washed dusky on the tip of the upper mandible. The bill was thickest in the center. The orbital skin was a similar reddish color, and the iris was a pale egg yolk yellow color. The pupil was dark and there was a large fleck in the eye which suggests this bird is a female. The legs and three toes were thick and a fleshy pale pink color. The toe nails were dark and contrasted with the feet and toes. The head, neck, and upper breast were dark and the edges of the breast band were ragged and was not sharply delineated from the pale belly. Much of the back was a dark brown color that contrasted weakly with the darker black head, neck, and breast. The belly, sides, vent, and thighs were a bright white color. The undertail coverts were a white color as well, but were mottled dark. The entire upperside of the wing was a dark brown color with the exception of a few growing greater secondary coverts which formed the beginning of a pale white wing stripe that extended to or almost to the outer secondaries. The axillars and underwing was completely white. The uppertail coverts appeared to be almost evenly brown and white and the rectricies were mainly dark except for a trace of white at the base of the feather vane. The only part of the bird I did not see well if at all was the tertials. This bird appeared to be very much in molt, and it appears based on other’s photos that p1-2 has already replaced and p3 is still growing in, whereas p4 appears to have been dropped. Also one new r6 and r2 appear to be growing in and an r1 and r3 have been dropped. Unfortunately, it appears as though a good number of the central greater secondary coverts have actually been dropped.
We were able to study this bird at a reasonably close distance for an extended period of time and were able to get very good views and were able to see almost all parts of the bird as it foraged, preened, rested, and flew about. At one point when this bird flew it called, which sounded similar to Black Oystercatcher to my ear. It seems likely that this bird is the same individual that wintered around Jalama Beach (January 2026) in Santa Barbara county, and if so, it was apparently “accepted as American” and would thus constitute a second county record (the first being a bird that wintered in Avila Beach 10/25/1964 - 3/15/1965). Many photos tba."
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 06:34 by Ann Stockert
- West Hazard Canyon--Montana de Oro SP, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8812916&<ll...>,-120.8812916 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347443263 - Media: 16 Photos
- Comments: "Very rare. Tentatively entered as American over hybrid pending comparison of images with the individual that wintered at Jalama Beach/and or any additional scoring. Our small group was able to relocate this continuing Oystercatcher rather quickly ~200 meters south of where the surfer trail leads out onto the beach this morning around here: (35.286462, -120.884481). This was an obvious Oystercatcher that exhibited a thick laterally compressed bill that was a mostly bright fiery orange-red color that also had a slightly paler tip that was washed dusky on the tip of the upper mandible. The bill was thickest in the center. The orbital skin was a similar reddish color, and the iris was a pale egg yolk yellow color. The pupil was dark and there was a large fleck in the eye which suggests this bird is a female. The legs and three toes were thick and a fleshy pale pink color. The toe nails were dark and contrasted with the feet and toes. The head, neck, and upper breast were dark and the edges of the breast band were ragged and was not sharply delineated from the pale belly. Much of the back was a dark brown color that contrasted weakly with the darker black head, neck, and breast. The belly, sides, vent, and thighs were a bright white color. The undertail coverts were a white color as well, but were mottled dark. The entire upperside of the wing was a dark brown color with the exception of a few growing greater secondary coverts which formed the beginning of a pale white wing stripe that extended to or almost to the outer secondaries. The axillars and underwing was completely white. The uppertail coverts appeared to be almost evenly brown and white and the rectricies were mainly dark except for a trace of white at the base of the feather vane. The only part of the bird I did not see well if at all was the tertials. This bird appeared to be very much in molt, and it appears based on other’s photos that p1-2 has already replaced and p3 is still growing in, whereas p4 appears to have been dropped. Also one new r6 and r2 appear to be growing in and an r1 and r3 have been dropped. Unfortunately, it appears as though a good number of the central greater secondary coverts have actually been dropped.
We were able to study this bird at a reasonably close distance for an extended period of time and were able to get very good views and were able to see almost all parts of the bird as it foraged, preened, rested, and flew about. At one point when this bird flew it called, which sounded similar to Black Oystercatcher to my ear. It seems likely that this bird is the same individual that wintered around Jalama Beach (January 2026) in Santa Barbara county, and if so, it was apparently “accepted as American” and would thus constitute a second county record (the first being a bird that wintered in Avila Beach 10/25/1964 - 3/15/1965). Many photos tba."
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported May 26, 2026 16:31 by Stephen Peterson
- 111 Norswing/Coolidge Trail Entrance, Oceano, California, US (35.11, -120.625), San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6252493&<ll...>,-120.6252493 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347456186 - Comments: "Heard distinctive song in the same location as previously recorded earlier today. Merlin IDed it as American redstart as well. Did not see it. Further south of this point near the culvert pipe heard the bird again and then was able to catch a quick glimpse of the black and orange plumaged bird foraging in the willows. Too fast to grab a photo. I hung out for a while at the culvert location and the bird moved back and forth across the trail, singing a lot. Just too thick in the willows to get a photo. Eventually gave up after 30 min, but the bird kept moving mostly through the willows on the east side of the trail."
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) (1)
- Reported May 26, 2026 13:07 by Isaiah Woodard
- Pismo SB--Oceano Campground, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6265268&<ll...>,-120.6265268 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S347367863 - Comments: "Continuing. First heard singing clearly around (35.1110411, -120.6256550) at 14:10. Seen very clearly farther counterclockwise from that point near the exposed plastic culvert. Photos TBA."
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