Birders,

The immature male KING EIDER was still present and easily
observable yesterday at the Semiahmoo Resort, on the
west side of Drayton Harbor in Blaine. While I was there from about
2:30 to 3:00 PM, the eider was actively diving along the inside
of the floating breakwater at the west end of the Semiahmoo Resort
marina-- the same place where it has been ever since it was
discovered. The bird was farther away than on my last visit
(about 130 to 150 metres from shore), but the key field marks were
still easily observable. However, I did not see the YELLOW-BILLED
LOON seen a short time earlier by Charlie Wright, although there were
several COMMON LOONS present inside the breakwater.

If anyone has not yet seen the eider, I would say that there is a good
chance of it staying around for awhile. In the Vancouver, BC area,
when King Eiders have appeared, they have often remained for weeks or
months. The first one ever seen at Vancouver stayed for a full 6
months, from November 1973 through May 1974, although it moved around
English Bay quite a bit with scoter flocks. The Semiahmoo Resort bird
seems to have been quite stationary since it was found on
December 8, although it does not seem to be particularly
associating with scoters, unlike most of the other King Eiders
I have seen.