Surf Scoters are really uncommon visitors to this region.
In the summer, Surf Scoters breed beside small boreal lakes, all of which are at least 800 km north of here. They winter along the Pacific coast, over 400 km to the west. Scoters have scant reason to pass this way during migration and so are rarely seen. However, now and then, storms drive them astray.
A male Surf Scoter visits.
A very nice photo of the scoter. This is a new one for me, hadn’t heard of it before.
Forget about Cleopatra’s nose changing the world. How about a full-on chemical olfactory?
Such a nozeous weight to carry.
Beautiful photo, Alistair. As you’ve stated, Surf Scoters are uncommon along the West Arm, and to get a male in full breeding plumage is even more special. As it gets later, the males lose this colorful “alternate” plumage and take on an overall drab brown color. And we tend to get juveniles and females as well, which aren’t this colourful.