Observers: Justin Hite and Bartshe Miller
Email: justinhite@gmail.com
Verification: sierra
Remote Name: 65.241.2.253
Date: 11/20/2006
Time: 02:12 PM -0500
During a lunchtime birding break at the Lee Vining Creek delta yesterday (11/19) Bartshe Miller and I spotted a mystery bird about halfway from the delta to Lee Vining Tufa, but it was way too far for us to tell what it was – we were speculating perhaps an immature Ring-billed Gull or Horned Grebe. I went back out this morning, and the mystery bird turned out to be a female Long-tailed Duck, swimming around with the Rudy Ducks in the same spot as the day before. I’m guessing this is the same bird that Kathy Duvall and Larry Arbanas found at Navy Beach on October 28th. If it is the same bird that means it’s been at Mono Lake for at least three weeks, so hopefully more people will be able to see it. To get to this area, take Test Station Rd east from 395 (this junction is about 1 mile south of Lee Vining). After about a mile and a half the road forks at a ranch house – take the left fork. Go another mile or two – you’ll see the tufa and eventually you’ll see the delta, and the bird was south of the delta and about halfway to the northern-most tufa in the water.
