Some Birds from San Luis Obispo County

We recently visited San Luis Obispo and had the opportunity to do some birding. Our hotel was directly beside the bird-rich Laguna Lake, so we didn’t have to go far for birds. Moreover, for an auspicious start to our first morning, this gorgeous Red-tailed Hawk greeted us from the hotel parking lot!

One of the first birds we spotted at Laguna Lake was the Scaly-breasted Munia — a non-native but now naturalized bird in areas of California. This species is native to Southeast Asia and is also referred to as the Nutmeg Mannikin or Spice Finch. Starting in 2019, the Scaly-breasted Munia has been periodically reported on eBird in Sonoma County as well.

Most birds molt in fall, so this dapper Black Phoebe was in its Sunday best — every crisp new feather exactly in place!

Several American Coots snaked in and out of the reeds lining the edge of the lake.

Who else was enjoying the reeds? A boisterous flock of Red-winged Blackbirds!

As we scanned the water, we noticed a large bird soaring in the distance — “That’s not a Turkey Vulture!” As the bird flew closer, its massive size and white bookends became apparent — hooray, a Bald Eagle sighting for the day!

A species we don’t see back home is the Cassin’s Kingbird, so spotting a handful around the lake was exciting! Cousin to the Western Kingbird (which is present in Sonoma County during breeding season), the Cassin’s Kingbird has a darker gray head which contrasts with its white mustache and chin.

We followed our ears into a small stand of pines to track a familiar high-pitched, wheezy, squeaky sound — a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher!

Though we finally got nice looks at it, we only captured a photo of its rear end.

As we approached a parking lot, a cacophony of raucous sounds belied the presence of Great-tailed Grackles before we even spotted them. These vocalizations always evoke our past visits to Costa Rica, where incredibly squeaky gates — errr, we mean Great-tailed Grackles — are ubiquitous.

What even is happening in this photo??? These two birds had been squabbling and one remained upside down momentarily.

How lucky are we here on the West Coast to have the vibrant Townsend’s Warbler brighten our days during fall and winter?! This one foraged at eye-level within a eucalyptus tree.

The following day, we headed to a popular SLO County birding hotspot — Oceano Campground within Pismo State Beach. A group of Double-crested Cormorants decorated the branches overhead.

Black-crowned Night-Herons are adept at hiding in lakeside vegetation — still, that candy-colored marble of an eye is hard to miss.

Meanwhile, a group of Gadwalls paddled by. A male Gadwall’s call sounds like a frog-croak crossed with a burp, and it makes us laugh every time.

A handful of Pied-billed Grebes swam around the lagoon. During fall and winter, the plumage of this species turns a little more “rusty”-colored brown like these two below.

Although this recording isn’t from this actual day, please enjoy the sound of a Pied-billed Grebe pair performing a duet.

Later, we also spotted this rather-late-in-the-season Pied-billed Grebe juvenile all by itself. Where were the parent birds? And how cute is its face pattern?

As we admired the young grebe, the call of a Sora rang out. We peered down the length of the mucky pond and discovered it foraging out in the open — an unusual occurrence and a real treat for the day!

The Wrentit is an elusive bird — often heard but not seen while it skulks within a bush. We captured a fantastic recording of a Wrentit’s song — listen to this classic vocalization described as the sound of a bouncing ball.

We watched an American Crow repeatedly try to steal a mystery food item from this California Ground Squirrel. Each time the crow approached too closely, the ground squirrel postured aggressively and the crow retreated.

In a nearby thicket, we heard a variety of birds alarming. We wondered what all the commotion was about and ventured closer. In this recording below of multiple White-crowned Sparrows, the urgency and intensity of the calls is apparent.

After observing the alarm scene patiently — suddenly, a Cooper’s Hawk burst out of a close tree and flew off. Almost immediately, the intense vocalizations ceased, and minutes later the birds returned to baseline.  A gorgeous Anna’s Hummingbird landed nearby and we noticed some yellow around its beak — perhaps some pollen?

Let’s take a closer look!

Any sizable body of water wouldn’t be complete without a Great Blue Heron — and we finally spotted one towards the end of our walk at Oceano Campground. Here’s one in classic form — perched on a large fallen snag sticking out above the water.

Our last quick stop in San Luis Obispo was Meadow Park, a lovely neighborhood park where we spotted a feathered resident of the community — this White-tailed Kite!

Take care, everyone. We hope the birds bring you some peaceful joy this fall season!