Hi Tweets,

The 'v-nigra'-race subadult male *Common Eider* in Basic 2 Molt was just off
the tip of the Iona S Jetty early this afternoon, roosting with a few Surf
and one female Black Scoter, then feeding on mussels on the foundation
stones of the old S Jetty just beyond the end of the new one. Average
distance was about 20-30 meters (60-90 feet). When the bird's in close, it's
in *close*, sometimes just a few feet away.

Those thinking of travelling here to see it may want to time their arrival
out at the end of the jetty for ebb tide to slack low water--today, that was
about 12-2 PM. The bird has usually headed out further on the incoming flood
and is often gone even out of scope distance by high tide (where to?).
Speaking of water, if you're hoofing out to the end of the jetty, it's 4 km
(2.5 mi) from the parking-lot at the base to the end and no drinking
fountain when you get there (though here are washrooms), so suggest you
bring it with you. Don't leave your valuables in the car.

This guy's in well-advanced Basic (Eclipse) molt, primarily pale grey-brown
on the wings and tail, and very dark-bodied, so two-toned--pale above, dark
below, but black-and-white checkerboard on chest where it showed above
water. Scaps, tertials and rectrices medium to very pale grey-brown and
worn-looking (when it rears up, shows greyish underwing, very white
axillars); some coarse white mottling on forward scaps; blackish on the
sides and rump; upper back black-and-white mottled, chest above water
conspicuously likewise; neck blackish with some fine white mottling on
rear-neck (no color visible through mottling), cheeks blackish, rear-crown
blackish very finely mottled white; broad dull grey-white tabular stripe
over eye angling down behind dark eye, and thin dark central crown stripe.
Very conspicuous long orange-yellow bill typical of v-nigra race makes head
look massively triangular in full profile, bill long and thin face-on, with
forked facial shield extending well up onto crown sides in front of eye,
which is placed very high on side of head, almost to crown; nail pale
citron-yellow. About 20% bigger than immediately-adjacent male Surf and
female Black Scoter. As grotty as it looks in its Basic (Eclipse) Molt
plumage --bill excepted, it resembles a giant pale female scoter --you will
not overlook this bird if it's there, guaranteed.

This plumage state seems not to be illustrated anywhere. I looked through
all my old and new Peterson editions, East & West; the Richard Pough Eastern
& Western Audubon Guides with the Don Ecklebery plates; Madge & Burns'
Waterfowl; Birds of Canada, Master Guide, National G, came up dry. The
closest is the head only of the immature bird (even though another race
depicted) shown in the 1990 rev'd Western Peterson on p. 53.

Even if it's not there, well, we're in the window (for Vancouver BC, anyway)
for southbound adult Wandering Tattlers which sometimes stop on the rocks
near or at the end, and we're about due to get some southbound
Alternate-plumaged Surfbirds which sometimes stop on the rocks at the *very*
end beyond the observation platform at the end (an alternate, and more
comfortable, observation site is the top of the slanting concrete ramp on
the west side of the large pumphouse at the end of the jetty). Seabird or
shorebird, passerine or raptor, you never know what might show up at the
jetty's tip.

Cheers

Michael Price When I found out that seven of my years
Vancouver BC Canada was only one of theirs,
mprice at mindlink.net I started biting absolutely everything.
-Max Carlson (Ron Carlson's dog)