Aythya fuligula (Another rarity!)

The Tufted Duck is a widespread species, occupying the whole of the Eurasian continent, with some migrating to Africa in the winter. It is not a difficult duck to observe if you're in the right part of the world--indeed, I was in the UK less than a day when I saw my first one ever. Where you're not likely to see it, however, is in the Americas. There are no breeding records of the species here, though they are recorded annually in the winter along both North American coasts in relatively miniscule numbers. Somehow a few of them find their way off Eurasia and across the ocean for a winter holiday in the New World.

As far as seeing a Tufted Duck in the United States, Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is pretty much a sure thing. There's always at least one found wintering over on the lake every year, and as of today, I myself have seen it! There it is, right next to its close cousin, the Greater Scaup. I went walking around the lake today on an impulse to finally tick it off my ABA list and was kind of amazed how quickly I came across that tell-tale tuft. It's been a good week for rare birds!