Tweeters,

Today I came across a scoter in a ditch the drains to Deep Lake, south of Olympia in Thurston
County Washington. I was able to catch it as it dove rather than take flight. I am going to
take it a wildlife rehabilitator. Near as I can tell, it is a juvenile Surf Scoter (I think).
It has the two white spots, one in front and one behind the eye. Its feet and legs are rather
red, perhaps tending toward a bit orange in color. It has no white speculum or any real
contrasting coloration on its wings, either dorsal or ventral. It seems awfully small for
a scoter but it is a scoter. It has a sharp keel and is probably nearly starved. Best I can
guess, it left nesting site in the northern tundra and was heading for the marine environment of
distant southern lands when it ran out of gas and crashed into the wetlands drained by the
ditch I found it in.

Pretty strange to see a scoter on a freshwater marsh in summer (around here).

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia Washington