Surf Scoters

Being on the north side of this island, we never feel any sun this time of year - we have to walk to find some. A little over freezing today, it felt warmer, and it’s almost up to 60F inside!

Large rafts of surf scoters are back. Heavy birds with large strange looking beaks, one can hear them as they have to pad across the water in order to take off and it sounds like loud whistling. They dive for mussels and other mollusks, all together. For short times. (I guess for a big clam you need a big beak) You can see a few with a meal in their beak, males black with a white patch behind their neck, and orange on their beaks and legs, females brown/black with little white spots on their heads. Fun to watch.