This week I am sharing some images of surf scoters, one of my favourite ducks. I love the males’ colourful beak and the way it contrasts with their dark bodies.
Surf scoters are diving ducks that eat mostly invertebrates. They spend their summers on both the east and west coasts and move inland to freshwater lakes to breed or wait out bad weather. Some immature surf scoters skip the summer trip north to breeding grounds, and hang around bays and estuaries around Baja California or New Jersey. Sounds like typical teenagers trying to avoid the family summer vacation!
In this series of images you can see a number of male birds and one female bird. I watched the males chase each other off and one quite aggressively. However, the female bird was just as adept at shooing away the males she was not interested in.
The oldest recorded Surf Scoter was a male, and at least 11 years, 7 months old when he was found in Maryland in 2015. He had been banded in the Newfoundland/Labrador area in 2004.
I have yet to spot a banded bird. I think it is even more difficult with ducks as they usually have thier legs in the water. One day perhaps!