Four green herons have been hanging around the footbridge on the Bob Jones Trail in recent days. Two are adults and two are juveniles just losing the last bit of baby fluff on their heads. The creek h

On Avila Beach Drive between the car bridge over the estuary and the Cal Poly Pier there is a big rock offshore. It may have a name but I call it Black Oystercatcher Rock because they try to nest ther

A western tanager showed up at my fountain in Avila Beach today for the first time in the ten years I have lived here. Vicki Morrow

For people interested in bald eagles, they have been hanging around Avila for the past couple of weeks. There seem to be two adults and I have seen one or two on three occasions, and other people have

Hello again. I write in shame to indicate that what I saw was a long-tailed duck, not a harlequin. My sincere apologies. Vicki Morrow

There was a harlequin duck near the footbridge on the Bob Jones Trail this morning between 8:15and 8:30, very close and just downstream. Vicki Morrow

There are three wood ducks at Atascadero Lake hanging around the southern tip behind the island, one male and two females. I saw the pair several days ago and then the three yesterday. Vicki Morrow

Hi Lynne, I appreciate the concern you express and my love of birds ensures that I would never endanger them. I understand why we sometimes decline to specify the locations of nests in order to avoid

A pied billed grebe pair has successfully hatched a clutch of at least three chicks, notable because their prior nest was blown apart by a helicopter scooping water from the creek to fight the recent

I have seen and photographed northern rough winged swallows along the Bob Jones Trail many times. No clue on the other bird. Vicki Morrow

Absolutely! I have three rufous/Allen’s consistently in my yard in Avila Beach and saw one today on the Bob Jones Trail for the first time in the nine years I have been loving here. What a treat they

This morning at sunrise there were four red breasted mergansers in the surf at Pismo Beach just south of Addie St.—two male, two female. They moved from there to the lagoon. First time I have seen the

The violet green swallows are nesting once again in the uplifted Monterey shale along the Bob Jones Trail just downstream from the weir. They lost a choice spot to erosion and rockfall since last year

P.S. Should anyone be concerned about the disclosure of the owl location, be aware that this little bird has chosen a highly trafficked area with a nifty perch that is visible but is hard to get to. W

Hi Mitch, Thanks so much for your first rate description. I went to that spot this morning and after having no luck from the beach, I walked back up the steps to the street, stopped by the little tree

There was a red phalarope in the Pismo lagoon this morning about 7:30 am. Other birds included the usual suspects plus increasing numbers of buffleheads and ruddy ducks. A peregrine falcon noshed on i

A reddish egret continues in Avila this morning in the estuary along with a red throated loon. The loon was there yesterday too, but only today did I get a photo good enough for an ID. Vicki Morrow

A reddish egret appeared in the estuary at Avila Beach about 8:30 this morning, visible from the car bridge, and was still there at 12:40, though the tide is coming in and the shallow water it likes i

This morning in Pismo Lagoon there were buffleheads, ruddy ducks, red breasted mergansers, northern shovelers, Clark’s grebes and Bonaparte’s gulls. Vicki Morrow

I was on Villa Creek Road in Cayucos twice last week and both times encountered loads of raptors--three white tailed kites, a dozen red-tailed hawks, a golden eagle, two Cooper's hawks. Vicki