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Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Santa Barbara County Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Santa Barbara County. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35915 NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
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Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Nov 04, 2026 16:19 by Linda Blue
- Elings Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.7349691&<ll...>,-119.7349691 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S408070951 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Discovered today by Zach Nett. This bird was not showing when we got there at 4:25 PM, so we searched on both sides of the stone bench. We almost gave up, but then finally spotted it at 4:40 PM here: (34.4090224, -119.7334825), which was near where it was initially discovered. It then began to very slowly and deliberately forage in the path. However, it flew four minutes later and was not seen again.
This was a sparrow-like bird that continually crouched low to the ground. It was tan overall with pale white flanks and undertail coverts. The breast was lightly streaked. There were two white stripes running down its back and it had two pale wingbars. There was a pale supercilium and a thin white eyering. The face showed a broad darker area with a lighter area in the middle. It had a white chin and throat bordered by two dark malar stripes."
Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Nov 04, 2026 16:19 by David Blue
- Elings Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.7349691&<ll...>,-119.7349691 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S408070520 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Discovered today by Zach Nett. This bird was not showing when we got there at 4:25 PM, so we searched on both sides of the stone bench. We almost gave up, but then finally spotted it at 4:40 PM here: (34.4090224, -119.7334825), which was near where it was initially discovered. It then began to very slowly and deliberately forage in the path. However, it flew four minutes later and was not seen again.
This was a sparrow-like bird that continually crouched low to the ground. It was tan overall with pale white flanks and undertail coverts. The breast was lightly streaked. There were two white stripes running down its back and it had two pale wingbars. There was a pale supercilium and a thin white eyering. The face showed a broad darker area with a lighter area in the middle. It had a white chin and throat bordered by two dark malar stripes."
Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Nov 04, 2026 13:30 by Alistair Skinner
- Elings Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.7349691&<ll...>,-119.7349691 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S408064849 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "Continuing. Small sparrow like bird, smallish bill. Brown above lighter below with faint brown streaking on breast with dark areas showing through below. After an hour of looking, flew into favorite area and foraged in the bare dirt path. Viewed with Libby & Armando."
Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Nov 04, 2026 12:42 by Armando Aispuro
- Elings Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.7349691&<ll...>,-119.7349691 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S408041374 - Media: 6 Photos
- Comments: "Rarity found by Zach Nett earlier today. Elongated sparrow-like bird with very long primaries and short but thick bill. Back is streaked with fuzzy black lines, face has brown square-shaped auricular. Belly and breast has fading black to blackish markings. Generally dull buffy with the strongest brown coloration on its coverts and wings. White eye ring and whitish throat. Foraging actively on seeds and occasionally fly-catching for small lepidopterans with a relaxed droopy-wing posture. Seen at the base of a dirt bike jump."
Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Nov 04, 2026 10:30 by Eunice Schroeder
- Elings Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.7349691&<ll...>,-119.7349691 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S408047194 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Great find today by Zach Nett. Male, with small white shoulder patch and blackish breast and belly obscured by blurry streaking. Tan and brownish overall. Face pattern shows pale auricular surrounded by darker brown coloration. Confiding; feeding low to ground for extended period. Photos."
Longspur with rounded head and relatively thicker bill compared to Smith's Longspur. Some of photos below seem to retain some breeding plumage on its belly (this rules out Smith's Longspur as Smith's doesn't have any black plumage). Also, my overall impression for this bird is paler, compared to Smith's yellow-ish impression."
Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Nov 04, 2026 08:53 by Zach Nett
- Elings Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.7349691&<ll...>,-119.7349691 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S407999908 - Media: 7 Photos
- Comments: "came across this bird at just about the same location as the Lapland Longspur I found last month. stocky bird relative to associating Savannah Sparrows, pretty docile, not flushing far even by dogs. light buff color overall with ill-defined streaking far down light grey chest. underlying black belly noticeable under lighter nonbreeding plumage. auricular framing less dark and defined as Lapland. short primary projection seems to rule out Smith’s though I have little familiarity with longspurs."
Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) (1)
- Reported Nov 05, 2026 07:35 by John Lewis
- Hale Park, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.6573704&<ll...>,-119.6573704 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S408176970 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Dark red and easy to spot, calling repeatedly. Initially heard only on 11/4/26 but visually confirmed today. This may be the same male observed at Hale Park in December of 2025 and 2024."
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