another chase

The biggest source of excitement for a Big Year comes from the thrill of the chase. It must be instinctive, it brings out your inner predator. Yesterday a Sierra Vista area birder found a Black Scoter at Parker Canyon Lake on the other side of the Huachucas. Black Scoter is only acidental in Arizona and it would be tough to get in New Hampshire in summer or in southern California in December. I got up early, stopped to renew my annual pass so I could cross Fort Huachuca, and flew direct to the “lake”. It was 32 degrees with a howling wind and there was no scoter in sight. Around the back side of the lake I ran into another birder who said he had the bird. We’re looking for a female scoter and this was a dark duck with a white face patch. (“My good sir, that is a Ruddy Duck!”) Back I went to the starting point but after a few hours, no scoter. As can be expected, all was not lost. I found a Common Goldeneye, which could be hard elsewhere, and a Hooded Merganser, supposedly rare here:

I checked a few more places around the fort on the way back but couldn’t find anything new. Up the total to 142. Tomorrow I have bird guide duties so Thursday I may try to round up a few more local common ones to pad The List.