eider

Varanger north of Norway

Steller's Eiders peeling out.

Steller's Eiders, males and females resting on a melt water pond near Barrow, Alaska.

Kind Eider male feeding in a melt water pond in Deadhorse, Alaska.

After the 'fox gate' we parked the other side of the causeway to scan around and see what we could fird. First up was some female Eider, no youngsters with them though. It appears that all the males disappear from the coast after breeding, as we didn't see any during my holiday. I'm off out...

This group of Eider with their ducklings sailed past the hide, still a little distant for my wee camera but I think there are three females with about a dozen little ones. Always good to see the next generation, isn't it. Is it me... or can I see a croc in the background? LOL

She wasn't any closer to us than her hubby, and wouldn't turn her head so I could get any detail! Some birds just don't deserve having their pictures taken, do they!!! Taken in the same place as yesterday's male.

Normally, when you return along the same road (no choice), it goes more quickly than the outward journey. However, our drive back gave us more views and birds than we'd seen before. As someone once said to me "we see the other side of the rocks" - which had me in fits LOL. Got this...

.... well either she refused to look at me or where she was going.... or couldn't take her eyes of the boys. Another lovely species at Ardrishaig..... and not only a trip tick but a Year one too.

The Northumberland County bird

The Eider duck had just taken off from the water. Again a very choppy sea on a boat. It's a wonder I managed to capture it at all!

Most people say Eiderdown. Loads of these beautiful ducks on the Isle of May.

Would you believe this Edier (who was pretty distant) wouldn't lift his head? Och well, I tried! He was over by an island that shelters the little bay.

I'm rather surprised it took me so long to come across one of these big ducks!!! This one could have made up for it by being a bit closer and slightly more side-on for the first image of a year and trip tick. However, that's birds for you, isn't it. I hope I didn't miss commenting on your...

Common eider with ducklings in the nest in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway.

This was the only female Eider I saw and I don't know where she popped out from. But the male was making sure she was just for him, wasn't he. LOL. He'd come down off that island with the three of them, so presumably she had been near there.

The tide was quite low, so the Eiders had taken the opportunity to rest on the rocks. I don't know were the girls where, but I did see one shortly after swimming with one of the males. I've not studied the pictures of her as yet, so don't know if I'm going to upload it. Another year and trip tick.

The UK's fastest flying duck so I was well pleased to get this flight shot :D

Drake King Eider taking off from the sea at Andoyane in Liefdefjorden.

Eider

So on a recent trip to Iceland I was made up photographing all the eider, then when I got home I noticed something else in this photo: a king eider. A bird I've long wanted to see was right in front of me and I didn't even notice it!

We moved down further into the Montrose Basin to an area known as the Lurgies. Unfortunately the tide was pretty low, so distant birds again! This Eider scuttled out from near the bank, so all I got was a disappearing back view (par for the course) but a year tick all the same.