Denmark, sea birds (1 Viewer)

[testoduro]

Hello!
Last week at sea. I'm not familiar with these birds, so I thought I'd better have their identity confirmed. The birds were far away.
My guess:
1- Female Common Scoter.
2.3 and 4- Common Eider, although its white patches don't quite add up. Pictures 3 and 4 are the same bird.

Thanks!

 

[THE_FERN]

I think you're right. But the poor quality of the first made me wonder about guillemots and Grebes (not those, though, for various reasons)

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

2-4 are definitely Eiders. They're quite variable at this time of year. 1 is hard to discern. It looks maybe more like an auk than a duck but the low image quality makes it hard to work out the shape.

 

[testoduro]

Thank you you, Andrew and The Fern!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,

do you have more pictures of the first bird? Yes, picture quality might well make a confident ID impossible (even for those with extrem experience in distant seabird ID?), but you know I cant resist.

Did you got a Common Scooter vibe from me the field? If yes, then it might well be one. You know, that observers opinion is far more reliable than a poor picture (no offence you know).

But if not, then I agree with The Fern and Andrew. And a Black Guillemot or a possible Red throated Diver would be my first guess.

But I hope for more pictures and comments!

 

[THE_FERN]

Hello,

do you have more pictures of the first bird? Yes, picture quality might well make a confident ID impossible (even for those with extrem experience in distant seabird ID?), but you know I cant resist.

Did you got a Common Scooter vibe from me the field? If yes, then it might well be one. You know, that observers opinion is far more reliable than a poor picture (no offence you know).

But if not, then I agree with The Fern and Andrew. And a Black Guillemot or a possible Red throated Diver would be my first guess.

But I hope for more pictures and comments!

For the first, I think it must be common scoter even though it recalls other things like guillemots and grebes. I think the pattern of pale and dark rules most of these out (taking artifacts into account), as does the bill shape---even though it's not "obviously" a scoter bill, I think it rules out the longer guillemot "dagger" for example

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Could very easily be a shorter billed, juv guillemot at this time of year. One to leave unidentified.