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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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Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) (5)
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 18:49 by Marcella Munson
- 9235 Santa Margarita Rd, Atascadero US-CA 35.42441, -120.61713, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.617134&<ll...>,-120.617134 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S271018127 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Identified via coloration, close-up photos of back, flanks, and tail feathers (including R2/R5 - with telltale coloration/shape), vocalizations, and behavior. Extreme resource-guarding behavior; perching on top of feeder and chasing all others away. We have only been seeing one at a time in recent weeks, but today there was an “explosion” in their feeder population and we saw four at once! Very sustained “fighter-jet” chases between them and the resident Anna’s. We are on the edge of Santa Margarita Ranch and have a number of very large, mature oak trees on 3 acres. Will append photos once back at the computer."
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) (1)
- Reported Aug 31, 2025 11:35 by Kevin Zimmer
- Atascadero Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6667256&<ll...>,-120.6667256 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S271033981 - Comments: "Continuing; first reported yesterday by Gabriel Ruby. Seen near a lone Spotted Sandpiper, foraging on exposed mud on the west shore of the lake, just north of the northern tip of the island. Typical Tringa, bigger and longer-billed than the nearby Spotted; with dull, greenish-yellow legs; big white eye ring, dark central rectrices, but outer rectrices white, barred with black. Photos to be uploaded later."
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) (1)
- Reported Aug 26, 2025 16:26 by Pair of Wing-Nuts
- Morro Creek mouth, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8624411&<ll...>,-120.8624411 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270826146 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing mid-sized sandpiper (Kevin Zimmer 8.26.25) was brown on back with white spotting, brown streaking on upper breast, white throat, clean white below and had a small, round head with prominent white eye-ring, white lores, straight, dark bill about the same length as the head (front to back) and greenish/yellow legs."
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1)
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 11:05 by Petra Clayton
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270974496 - Media: 5 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing juvenile from last night's first eBird report at Laguna Lake (Sam Larkin, 8/31/25 at 5:38 p.m). Very likely the same individual that had been observed at Morro Creek Mouth from 8/30/25 to 8/31/25. (Last eBird report at Morro Creek mouth: 8/31/25 at 4:35 p.m.)
Viewed through the scope from the empty lot at the Prefumo Creek mouth: Perched at the edge of the vegetation across the lake (on the north side of the lake). Over all white with greenish-yellow legs and feet; greenish lores and dark bill, however not as dark as that of a Snowy Egret.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/54759178532/in/dateposted-public/" title="Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), juvenile, San Luis Obispo, CACA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/54759178532_90a2e18d06_z.jpg" alt="Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), juvenile, San Luis Obispo, CACA" /></a>"
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1)
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 10:52 by Ann Stockert
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270953475 - Comments: "Previously reported by Herb this morning. Possibly same juvenile from Morro Creek Mouth. Distant scope views across the lake but too far for photos. Did observe all pale green legs and bicolored bill, but unable to distinguish dark tipped primaries."
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1)
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 09:55 by The Spotting Twohees
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270946129 - Comments: "This bird seems to be the same individual that was at Morro Creek mouth for several days. There was no overlap in sightings between the two locations since late yesterday afternoon. When we arrived the bird was on the mudflat out from the vacant lot viewing area. It had all white plumage except for gray tips on the primaries that are barely exposed when standing. The legs were all green as well as the feet. The bill was dark at the tip and lighter colored at the base. The eyes looked yellow. After about 20 minutes a Bald Eagle flew by and flushed a lot of birds including the LBHE. It flew to the other side (northeast) of the lake and ended up in a small snag opposite our location about here. 35°15'59.8"N 120°41'26.0"W It stayed there for the rest of the time we were onsight which was about another 20 minutes."
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 09:33 by Tom Edell
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270957975 - Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "Continuing juvenile first reported here late afternoon yesterday. Possibly the same bird previously at Morro Creek. All white egret with completely greenish legs, a two tone bill that was grayish toward the base and dark toward the tip and a pale iris. (Photo)"
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1)
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 08:28 by Herb Elliott
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270943675 - Media: 8 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing; first reported here at Laguna Lake (Prefumo Overlook) on 31 Aug 2025 (5:38 PM ) by Sam Larkin. When I arrived this morning Nick Belardes and Jake Hager were already on the bird.
Very likely the same bird seen yesterday at Morro Creek mouth - https://ebird.org/checklist/S270718485.
The Little Blue Heron at Morro Creek mouth was last reported on 31 Aug 2025 at 4:35 PM."
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1)
- Reported Sep 01, 2025 07:38 by Nick & Jane
- Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.6903817&<ll...>,-120.6903817 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270947662 - Comments: "Continuing from late yesterday evening when S.L. spotted it foraging in the shallows of the mudflats at the creek mouth. It was there early this morn when I arrived, in a hunter’s pose, staring down at the water, sometimes in the channel between the mudflats. The bird was small and white, with grey tips to its primaries (the grey was pointed out to me by H.E), and overall was much smaller than a snowy egret. It had pale, fierce eyes, and a touch of green in its lores. Its coal-tipped bill was otherwise grey-blue, and its legs and feet were yellow-green. Two other birders arrived, J.H. and H.E. We watched the bird fly toward the creek, bank and turn and come back to the flats. Later, on the north side of the lake I could see the bird also on the north side, perched on a foliage. Photos"
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Aug 31, 2025 07:35 by Petra Clayton
- Morro Creek mouth, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8624411&<ll...>,-120.8624411 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270790680 - Media: 9 Photos
- Comments: "Continuing juvenile since 8/30/2025.
Overall white, but a bit smaller than nearby Snowy Egrets.
Greenish-yellow legs and feet; multi-toned bill, with bluish-gray base on the upper mandible, pinkish on the lower mandible, dark blue-gray on the distal third; greenish lores; pale-yellow iris.
After feeding in the creek about 50 feet east of the pedestrian bridge it flew up, circling around and finally landing in the cypress up-creek.
Click on the image below for a Flickr video:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jack-petra-clayton/54760191374/in/dateposted-public/" title="Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), juvenile, Morro Bay, CA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/54760191374_caedfd6c18_z.jpg" alt="Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), juvenile, Morro Bay, CA" /></a>"
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (1)
- Reported Aug 30, 2025 13:10 by Kevin Zimmer
- Morro Creek mouth, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.8624411&<ll...>,-120.8624411 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S271034711 - Media: 17 Photos
- Comments: "Juvenile bird found earlier in the day by LH. Visibly smaller than nearby Snowy Egret; plumage entirely white, except for inconspicuous dusky-blackish tips/edges to primaries (most noticeable in flight, or when the wings were raised above the head); legs and feet uniformly dull, pale olive; bill two-toned, with black distal half and paler base (blue-gray on upper mandible, somewhat more pinkish at base of lower mandible); loral skin gray (not yellow as in Snowy Egret), iris pale, slightly greenish-white, outlined by contrastingly dark orbital ring. Every time I see a juvenile Little Blue, I'm struck by the different facial pattern (compared to Snowy Egret) that results from the contrast between the gray lores, dark orbital ring, and whitish eye. Most Snowy Egrets (certainly most adults) have bright yellow loral skin, and more yellow irides, and they don't seem to have the outlined look created by the dark orbital ring around the white eye. I saw the Little Blue catch multiple smallish flat fish (Possibly Sand Dabs?) from the shallow creek and eat them."
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) (1) CONFIRMED
- Reported Aug 31, 2025 13:30 by Kaaren Perry
- Morro Bay yard, San Luis Obispo, California
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&<q...>,-120.844846&<ll...>,-120.844846 - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270981969 - Media: 2 Photos
- Comments: "Returning from morning visit to the yard. The bird was very interested in the fountain and spent a total of 8 uninterrupted minutes bathing. Continuing."
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