Last Sunday, while travelling north towards Wick, Caithness, I had planned to stop at Dornoch to look for a Black Scoter, an uncommon North American vagrant and a species still required for my Scottish list. The bird had been present for approximately a month, associating with a flock of Common Scoters offshore. Black Scoter breeds across Alaska and northern Canada and winters along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America; only small numbers reach Britain each year, most frequently along northern and western coasts and usually in the company of Common Scoters.
However, reports that the Bonaparte’s Gull was still present at Gairloch prompted a change of plans and a diversion west. This afternoon, after work, I returned to Dornoch to pursue the original plan. Scanning the scoter flock from the beach, the Black Scoter was eventually located after careful searching, allowing prolonged views and providing an excellent opportunity to study this scarce Scottish visitor.
Black Scoter
(c)Graeme Risdon