Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Take Off Point, Lake Havasu, Parker, La Paz County

A female Long-tailed Duck was first discovered by Scott Schuette and Keith Kamper on 8 December 2007 on Lake Havasu at Site Six in Lake Havasu City.  Subsequently a pair of Long-tailed Ducks were seen below Parker Dam and then the female above it, near Take Off point.  None of the observations overlap, so they could involve the same or different birds.  The female Long-tailed Duck was photographed at Take Off Point by Michael Moore on 30 March 2008.

Long-tailed Duck is a rare but fairly regular winter visitor to Arizona.  It is an Arizona Bird Committee Sketch Details species. 

Submitting photos to AZFO does not constitute reporting a rare bird for consideration as an official record. To ensure that a record becomes official, details or photos of Sketch Details Species should be sent to the Editors of North American Birds and a full report of Review Species should be submitted to the Arizona Bird Committee. Most rare birds are under _documented and subsequent observers of a rarity are always encouraged to submit reports and additional photos, especially for birds that are challenging to identify.

30 March 2008, digiscoped photo by Michael Moore