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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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Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) (2) CONFIRMED
- Reported Oct 17, 2025 11:25 by Terri Osborn
- Hwy 1 Vista Point south of San Simeon Ck., San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1232341&<ll...>,-121.1232341 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S279977541 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Reported earlier today by Tom Edell. Two Marbled Murrelets were seen floating and occasionally diving between the offshore kelp beds. They stayed close together. They were smaller than the nearby Common Murres. They had a short beak, a white face, throat and chest, a dark cap extending to eye line, a thin stripe down the nape to a dark back, a white patch on the side and a whitish belly. Tail was short and pointed up. Tom stopped by location while I was there and confirmed ID. (Poor long distance photos for identification.)"
Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) (3) CONFIRMED
- Reported Oct 17, 2025 07:46 by Tom Edell
- Hwy 1 Vista point south of San Simeon Ck, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.12334&<ll...>,-121.12334 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S279964511 - Media: 3 Photos
- Comments: "While scoping the offshore waters from a high vantage point, I found two together but after posting the birds looked back to see three together. They were swimming around the offshore kelp and did not dive while in view. I first noticed their small size compared to the Red-throated Loons and gulls I previously viewed. Overall they were small birds, dark above and white below, with very short dark bills and cocked tails that help show their white undertail coverts. Their white collars and dark crowns really stood out in the morning light. The dark crowns extended down to around the eyes and there was a thin dark line extending down the nape from the rear of the crown to the back. I could not see the white in the scapulars very well. I managed a few distant photos that I cropped to better show details."
Western Cattle-Egret (Ardea ibis) (1)
- Reported Oct 17, 2025 18:22 by Pair of Wing-Nuts
- Old Creek--Cayucos, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8875608&<ll...>,-120.8875608 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S279981557 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Small, nearly all white wader with bright yellow iris, lores, short, blunt bill and dull, yellowish legs. Observed in creek mouth lagoon illuminated by last rays of setting sun."
Cassin's Vireo (Vireo cassinii) (1)
- Reported Oct 17, 2025 08:00 by Kevin Zimmer
- KJZ yard, Garcia Rd, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.7064838&<ll...>,-120.7064838 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S279981391 - Comments: "Seen briefly as it hopped through the spruce tree above the fountain over our pond at around 0930h. Typical thickish vireo bill and rather sluggish movements; entirely olive above, with only slightly grayer cast to crown; bold white 'spectacles', including a complete eyering (not broken at top like a Hutton's Vireo); lacked the stark contrast between dark auriculars and white throat as would be expected from the much rarer Blue-headed Vireo; two rather bold white wingbars and duller whitish edging to folded remiges; mostly pale below, with slight greenish-yellow wash to the sides. I typically see a few of these in the yard each year, more often in spring, when they are often singing, but I believe this was the first one for the yard this year."
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) (1)
- Reported Oct 15, 2025 11:05 by Petra Clayton
- San Simeon: San Simeon Road / Arroyo del Puerto, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1890228&<ll...>,-121.1890228 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S279621971 - Media: 12 Photos
- Comments: "First-ever eBird report of this species at this location.
Recent eBird reports in the general area: 9/14/2025: San Simeon Point / 9/25/2025: Little Pico Creek.
Boldly streaked black and white pattern; black upperparts with white streaks; grayish-white face; white eyering; eyeline starting behind the eye; black crown with broad white center stripe; broad white supercilium; white throat and underparts; black streaks on the flanks; black spots on the undertail; two white wingbars; sharply pointed bill.
Observed east of the Arroyo del Puerto bridge, quickly moving along bare branches at the side of the creek and later briefly seen on top of the fence on the west side of the bridge.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/54858401858/in/dateposted-public/" title="Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), San Simeon, CA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/54858401858_afb09a113f_z.jpg" alt="Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), San Simeon, CA" /></a>"
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