sbcobirding.com

Dedicated to the avifauna of Santa Barbara County

Species The Santa Barbara County Bird List contains more than 500 bird species. This list is updated when new birds have been recorded in the county, or when CA Bird Records Committee decisions and taxonomic updates are published. 

 Discussion Send and receive birding reports, read announcements about local rarities, and participate in general discussion through the sbcobirding forum. This group is open to everyone with an interest in county birding. 

 eBird Data eBird is a real-time, online checklist program that has revolutionized the way birders report and access information about birds. Participate in citizen science! Learn more about local birds by exploring the SBA county eBird page links. 

For everything birding in Santa Barbara County:

sbcobirding.com

Western Snowy Plover Beach closures are now in effect at several county beaches for the federally protected Western Snowy Plover nesting season. Access is limited at Ocean Park, Guadalupe Beach, and public beaches on Vandenberg AFB. The season extends from March 1 - September 30 each year. 

News & Events

Channel Islands Live The Channel Islands Live Bald Eagle nest cam is now online for the 2021 breeding season. This live camera overlooks a bald eagle nest at Sauces Canyon on Santa Cruz Island 22 miles off the coast of southern California. Visit the explore.org link to read and post live chat comments. 

Global Big Day Results Global Big Day results are in! A total of 177 different bird species were recorded at 56 Hotspot locations in Santa Barbara County on 8 May, 2021. Visit the GBD results page to see the complete list of birds and where they were reported from: 

A Birder’s Guide to

Santa Barbara County

Visit the Birder’s Guide for a listing of popular local birding spots. This guide aligns with the four districts in Paul Lehman’s, The Birds of Santa Barbara County, California, and includes descriptions and eBird Hotspot links. 

Santa Barbara County boasts a rich diversity of bird life and there are many places to explore. Where the Birds Are

eBird RBA The eBird Rare Bird Alert displays observations of rarities in Santa Barbara County over the past seven days. Reports include un-reviewed and reviewed/validated sightings. 

Rare Bird Photos You can find many rare bird photos at the Rare Birds of Santa Barbara County photo pool at Flickr. Images in the pool have been shared by local and visiting birders. Contribute yours! 

SB Breeding Bird Study The Santa Barbara County Breeding Bird Study (BBS) provides a database of accounts of breeding bird records in the county. You can contribute your own records at this website link: 

County Statistics

Total

Species

The Santa Barbara County Bird Checklist has surpassed the 500 species milestone.

eBird

Hotspots

As suggested by birders, eBird Hotspots are the “better” places to go birding in the county.

Big Day

Record

A dedicated trio recorded a record setting 193 species in a single day on April 25, 2008.

400 Club

A field of 19 make up the 400 Club. You can participate in this “non- competitive” listing game. Join in!

431

504

193

Recent Rarities

Email sbcobirding@protonmail.com

Webmaster Jamie Chavez

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 sbcobirding This website was created as a resource for everything birding in Santa Barbara County. The goal is simply to promote the activity of field birding in the county and to provide information to interested birders. If you have comments about this website or would like more information about local birding, please contact me.

sbcobirding receives the generous support of the Santa Barbara Audubon Society. For more than 50 years SBAS has helped to preserve the biological diversity of the Santa Barbara area.