The very next day after me prematurely proclaiming the Moussier's Redstart, which, by the way, is still there, to be my potential bird of the year, all hell broke lose. Proclaimed to be the rarest bird ever to be found in The Netherlands and the biggest rarity of the millennium, the subadult male Spectacled Eider discovered amongst Common Eiders on the eastern side of Texel was not on anyone's radar and everybody's initial reaction was that it had to be a hoax or an escaped bird. There are just a handful of winter records way up inside the Arctic Circle, along the northern coast of Norway and off of Svalbard, and only a couple along the Pacific coast of America. In fact, it's wintering grounds were completely unknown until the entire population was discovered amongst holes in the pack ice of the northern Bering Sea in the mid-nineties. Frustratingly, the Texel bird was discovered the day before I flew to Malta, so a tense few days ensued wondering whether it would stay and whether or not I might have to cut short my winter break in the sun. It seemed to be settled, however, and faithful to a short stretch of coast with rich feeding grounds, where it was very successful in catching mussels, starfish and crabs. I finally got to see it on day 25 of its legendary (and ongoing) stay, joining the crowds of birders from all over Europe who have made a trip to Texel for this special bird you would normally have to go all the way to Alaska to see.
