Subject: [Tweeters] Black Scoters, 8 boys and a girl
Date: Dec 30 17:15:24 2010
From: gluhm - gluhm at comcast.net


Today about 11 am I was kayaking off of Constellation Park in West Seattle. About 100 yards off shore, I happened upon a flock of scoters. They were dark and backlit, so I couldn't immediately figure them out. I raised my glass to get an ID and it turned out to be 8 male Black Scoters, orange knobs-on-schnoz shining brilliantly, plus one female. I wanted to get a picture, but it was backlit. I was also being blown toward them by the north wind, getting too close, so I froze, hoping they would swim around me, and then I could paddle up sun and maybe get a shot. They flew anyway as I sat there. I watched them go with binoculars and they flew for a minute, finally settling on the water a long, long way out in the Sound. I've observed this before with Black Scoters. They're less skittish than Surf Scoters, but when they fly, they're gone. In any case, I've never seen this many Black Scoters together at Constellation. I was impressed to have 8 males all in view through my bins.

Other usual suspects were all there: about 20 Brant, 8 Harlequin Duck, a couple Horned Grebes, a dozen Barrow's Goldeneye, 5 Red-breasted Merganzers, many Bufflehead, and a few Sanderlings and Dunlin.

Gary

Gary Luhm Photography
Specializing in sea kayaking, kayak surfing, birding, mountain scenics,
tidepools
e-mail: gluhm at garyluhm.net
website: www.garyluhm.net
425-828-6594