This morning my wife and I walked at Pleasant Valley Reservoir from the power plant at the upstream end. About 1/2 mile below where the Owens River enters the Reservoir, I photographed a female Surf Scoter. This was at about 8:48 am, 11/12/2025. Since this bird is rare here, I thought I would report it. I attach 3 photos below. I used a Nikon Z8. Lens was Nikkor Z 600mm with built in 1.4 Teleconverter. Equivalent to 840mm.



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Peter Cummings
250 Grandview Drive
Bishop CA 93514
<peter44c...>
760-873-3058
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Date: 11/11/25 6:07 am From: Ryan Garrett <ryan...> Subject: ESbirds: 2025 Mammoth Lakes CBC
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your patience, and my apologies for the delay in getting this out, but I’m happy to share that we officially have a date for the Mammoth Lakes Christmas Bird Count!
The count will take place on Friday, December 19, 2025.
Please RSVP as soon as possible and let me know if you have an area preference. Once I hear from folks, I’ll start assigning teams.
A few quick notes for this year’s organizing:
1.
Timing: The count is happening a little later than usual. Normally, we schedule Mammoth right after the Bishop CBC, but this year’s count window landed awkwardly. Holding all three counts—Bishop, Mammoth, and Mono Basin—back-to-back would have meant three intensive days of birding in a row! Spacing it out a bit should help everyone enjoy the experience (and keep our eyes and ears sharp).
1.
Scheduling and Travel: I’ll be traveling internationally and offline from November 27 through December 14. Because I return so close to the count window, I know it is not ideal, but I’m determined to make it work. To help things run smoothly, it would be great to know before Thanksgiving whether you plan to participate. If you reach out while I’m away, it may take a while for me to reply, but my coworker Brendan Peralez (cc’d here) will be available to help coordinate during that time.
Thank you all for your flexibility and continued enthusiasm for the Mammoth Lakes CBC. I’m grateful we can keep this tradition going. This year marks the 38th annual count!
Cheers,
Ryan Garrett
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Ryan Garrett (he/him), Education Director
Mono Lake Committee
(760) 647-6595 | (760) 647-6595x113
51365 Hwy 395 at Third Street, P.O. Box 29, Lee Vining, CA 93541
www.monolake.org<http://www.monolake.org/> | www.monobasinresearch.org<http://www.monobasinresearch.org/>
Saving Mono Lake for future generations through
protection, restoration, education, and science.
Long Live Mono Lake!
Hello everyone,
It’s time to mark your calendars for the Mono Basin Christmas Bird Count!
My name is Brendan Peralez, and I am a Project Specialist and the summer Canoe Coordinator for the Mono Lake Committee. I will be working with Ryan Garrett to organize this year's Mono Basin CBC.
The Mono Basin CBC will take place on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Please RSVP as soon as possible and let me know if you have an area preference. Once I hear from folks, I will begin assigning teams.
Thank you for your passion for birds in the Eastern Sierra—I look forward to connecting with you all!
Happy Birding,
Brendan
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Brendan Peralez (he/him), Project Specialist
Mono Lake Committee
(760) 647-6595 | (760) 647-6597 x125
Hwy 395 at Third Street, P.O. Box 29, Lee Vining, CA 93541
www.monolake.org<http://www.monolake.org/> | www.monobasinresearch.org<http://www.monobasinresearch.org/>
Saving Mono Lake for future generations through
protection, restoration, education, and science.
Long Live Mono Lake!
