Pitvar
Well-known member
Hello all, I had the pleasure of watching the Scoter flock at Embo yesterday, after creeping onto the pier and staying very low until they came in to feed [well until some chap set a fire on the beach and put them out to sea].
Both in the field and on looking through the photos I got, a few birds stand out - I believe they're all Common as there aren't obvious candidates for any of the other species but I'd appreciate any further information.
The birds that stood out were a single male still in the black plumage - in nearly 150 birds it was the only one in that plumage - is it late to moult or was I watching a female/immature flock with a lone male?
The others included one that was so dark on the face and neck that it looked almost like a Velvet [next to the black male in the third shot] and one with a dark marking to its lower cheek [middle second shot]. For these two I guess they're within the variation that Collins mentions but is it that they're more likely to be moulting/first year males with this darker pattern?
Thanks in anticipation
Both in the field and on looking through the photos I got, a few birds stand out - I believe they're all Common as there aren't obvious candidates for any of the other species but I'd appreciate any further information.
The birds that stood out were a single male still in the black plumage - in nearly 150 birds it was the only one in that plumage - is it late to moult or was I watching a female/immature flock with a lone male?
The others included one that was so dark on the face and neck that it looked almost like a Velvet [next to the black male in the third shot] and one with a dark marking to its lower cheek [middle second shot]. For these two I guess they're within the variation that Collins mentions but is it that they're more likely to be moulting/first year males with this darker pattern?
Thanks in anticipation