Thursday Morning Birding and a King Eider

King Eider

Although my friend and colleague Doug and I did the new year beach ramble, this is the first day and a long time that we went out birding.  We started off at Jenney Pond in Plymouth where the usual's species were there and I decided to try some flight shots.  The mallets are acclimatized to people feeding them, but they usually fed only bread which is not the best food for them.  I utilized a technique that Artie Morris showed me of using crack corn, which is a lot more nutritious for the ducks, dug through some out on the ice where the ducks all evil walk swam or flew to to eat the corn.  I utilized my Nikon 70-200 with a telly converter and station myself on the bridge.  Doug came up to the bridge and we dropped the corner to the water and many of the mallards flew from the ice to the water, giving me a chance for flight shots.

Mallards Flying

Our next stop was Plymouth Harbor where I photographed red breasted merganser preening and flapping its wings.  I also was able to photograph a white-wing scoter close to the shore.  Normally these scoters are further out and if they see you, the scoters usually will swim away.  The scoter was very nice by staying in close to shore.

Red-breasted Merganser Flapping

White-winged Scoter

We made a couple more stops on the way to the Cape Cod Canal, because I had heard that a king eider was present among a large flock of common eiders around the Herring Run on the canal.  Arriving at the Herring Run information area.  We saw a large flock of eiders located near the opening of the Herring run.  We walked over there and search and searched which at first without seeing the king eider.  The common eiders was splashing and preening and after I photographed a drake common eider, I looked up as a group of eiders was swimming by and in the middle was the king eider.  I got a few pictures and then called to Doug so he could identify the bird also.  Then we follow the bird as it swam around and was able to get more pictures of this beautiful bird.

Drake Common Eider Flapping Its Wings

Hen Common Eider Taking off

King Eider in the Flock of Common Eiders

Swimming, along with the flock of eiders was a common loon who allowed a very decent portrait.  So ended a good morning, with a total of 39 different species of birds identified.

Common Loon

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King Eider at Scuesset Beach

Male King Eider taking off along with two female common eiders

It is now Tuesday, birding with Doug day.  First, we decided to check out a new area, West Island in Fairhaven.  There was a brisk wind blowing, and not a huge amount the birds were present.  Through the scope we got great look at a number of common goldeneyes, who were too far out for any pictures.

Because Doug has not had a great view of a King Eider, his only view was one flying away from us at Provincetown harbor, we traveled down to Scuesset beach state reservation, where there has been a King Eider present.  I had been previously down to Scuesset beach on the weekend and did have great views of the King Eider.  At Scuesset beach, we met a friend Linda, who had sighted the King Eider earlier.  We search through the hundreds of common eiders and finally found the King Eider.  All the eiders slowly swam toward us, giving us some good close-up views.  For me, the best photographs that I obtained today was when the majority of the flock of eiders, including the King Eider suddenly took to the air and flew down the Cape Cod canal to the ocean, and I captured the King Eider taking off.

Male King Eider taking off along with two female common eiders

King Eider