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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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Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Aug 05, 2025 16:33 by Rob Farber
- Carpinteria Creek Estuary, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-119.5198238&<ll...>,-119.5198238 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S265323270 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "Reddish Egret still foraging mostly SW end of estuary at 4:50 pm. Young bird, white iris, straight dark bill , black feet, dark (maybe black) legs. Overall bluish-gray with purple or reddish overtones . Small reddish-brown chin.
Gray mantle. Similar size as nearby Snwy Egret. Moving most of the time in shallow water.Photos ."
Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Aug 04, 2025 08:36 by Rob Farber
- Refugio State Beach, Santa Barbara, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.0694835&<ll...>,-120.0694835 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S265321142 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "We were at the bridge and walking towards the scrub when I spotted a heron that I didn't recognize fly in over the lagoon. I backtracked and, luckily, found that it had landed right at the mouth and was foraging near the Snowy Egret. It was bigger than the Snowy and smaller than a nearby Great Egret. A young bird, I think, as, although it reminded me of a Reddish Egret, it didn't have any of the field marks I knew - the bill was mostly solid dark gray rather than half pink, it was foraging more like a Snowy than the "dance" of a Reddish, the plumage was a mix of mottled purplish-rust (especially on the neck) and purplish-blue and the legs and feet were black. But it did show the white iris and the bill was rather stout and dagger-like. It was seen from about about 9-9:30 a.m. at the mouth of the lagoon between the bridge and the ocean then seen leaving the lagoon and flying east along the beach about 10:00 a.m. A million thanks to John C. for bolstering my confidence on the ID and letting others know. [EM]"
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