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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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Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) (1)
- Reported Oct 29, 2025 12:42 by Ann Stockert
- Lopez Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.4758081&<ll...>,-120.4758081 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281986942 - Media: 10 Photos
- Comments: "First reported this morning by Dave Lawrence. Seen by park rangers yesterday morning farther up the shore beyond Mallard Cove. Adult with black bill and very small yellow spot near the corner of the eye. Photos"
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) (1)
- Reported Oct 29, 2025 11:14 by Alexander Yan
- Lopez Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.4758081&<ll...>,-120.4758081 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281949157 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Presumably the same bird originally found in Oso Falco earlier (?), (re?)found by David Lawrence earlier today. At mallard cove, seen from 35.19834° N, 120.46052° W. Giving gorgeous looks foraging regally with much smaller ducks and coots. An absolute unit."
Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) (1)
- Reported Oct 29, 2025 14:59 by Jane Mygatt
- San Simeon Creek Mouth/Beach, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1267052&<ll...>,-121.1267052 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281976041 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "Yellow-bellied kingbird with large bill, chest light gray up to throat (not dark gray), belly lemon yellow. No white on tail tip or edges, and the tail is forked. Wing coverts pale edged. Back of camera photo until I can upload better when I get home in a day or two. Location of bird: 35.5958230, -121.1255698. Was flycatching and returning to the same tree for quite some time. Seen at about 3:00-3:25 p.m."
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) (1)
- Reported Oct 29, 2025 08:06 by Kathleen Kent
- Oakview Village, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.660672&<ll...>,-120.660672 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281937744 - Comments: "My neighbor has several feeders in her yard and CHSPs are regular visitors to these feeders. I’ve seen as many as three CHSPs at a time. Taking photos is very difficult because the angle at which the feeders are visible looks directly into the sun. I’m going to copy and paste this note and use it when I report these sparrows since taking photos is so difficult. The sparrows have rufous crowns and the dark lores that are definitive field marks for this sparrow, plus Merlin consistently picks up their vocalization."
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) (1)
- Reported Oct 27, 2025 07:59 by Kathleen Kent
- Oakview Village, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.660672&<ll...>,-120.660672 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281937633 - Comments: "My neighbor has several feeders in her yard and CHSPs are regular visitors to these feeders. I’ve seen as many as three CHSPs at a time. Taking photos is very difficult because the angle at which the feeders are visible looks directly into the sun. I’m going to copy and paste this note and use it when I report these sparrows since taking photos is so difficult. The sparrows have rufous crowns and the dark lores that are definitive field marks for this sparrow, plus Merlin consistently picks up their vocalization."
Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) (1)
- Reported Oct 29, 2025 07:52 by Nick & Jane
- Meadow Park--San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6606531&<ll...>,-120.6606531 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281950430 - Media: 13 Photos
- Comments: "I’m guessing a first-year bird, though I can’t confidently tell the age/sex based on my Sibley’s Guide. Well anyway, this was weird. I was tracking a Nashville Warbler that had flown from the community garden to the condos when I stumbled into this unlikely rarity. So, yeah, I was hearing the Nashy and was walking toward two trees in a condo backyard when I stopped a good twenty yards away, having spotted a large tanager-shaped yellowy bird perched in one of the trees. I immediately forgot about Mr. Nashville and said, Whoa! Hello chatty watty cutie birb! The bird had a large bicolored bill, yellow breast and throat, with some burnt orange on its flanks, a white belly and white undertail, weak forehead spectacles that included broken white eyerings, bright white malars, and dark lores that didn’t seem black. Most of its upperparts were dark olive, though a burnt orange wash colored the area above at least one of its eye arcs. No vocals. It stayed perched for about a minute, at first with its tail down, then with it raised. It eventually got uncomfortable with me examining it and dove into a backyard next door that had obvious foliage up its interior yard wall. Can you imagine living in one of those condos with the teeny backyards and a chat is in it? Rad! First park record of this species.
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Oct 28, 2025 13:28 by Terri Osborn
- Santa Rosa Creek Trail--Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-121.1005139&<ll...>,-121.1005139 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281856471 - Media: 4 Photos
- Comments: "Seen in the canopy of a tall tree just before the chain gate at the Windsor Blvd trailhead. It was very active and stayed hidden in the foliage for the most part. I didn't hear any vocalization. The bird had a greenish gray back with a brownish green patch, gray wings with double white wing bars, gray head with white eye arcs above and below, yellow chin and chest, pale gray and rust neck band, white belly and under tail coverts, and bill was bicolored. This is the first report of this species at this hotspot location but it was reported at Santa Rosa Creek-- below Windsor on 9/20/2020 by T. Edell.
GPS location (35.567801, -121.103708) Poor photos for ID"
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