Monday, January 12, 2009

Suft Scoter


Surf Scoter or "skunk-duck"; Melanitta perspicillata. Found these guys hovering around the Imperial Beach pier during a very low tide. They were diving for seaweed off the bottom. I first saw these ducks up in the Prince William Sound in Alaska. Ironically, after spending all that money to go up to Alaska to see the wildlife, I find that the birds, at least, spend their Winters in San Diego. Go figure.

1 comment:

Birdie said...

Don't forget the whales! They winter off the coast of Mexico and drift by San Diego on their way up and down from Alaska.

My sister lives in Haines, at the northern end of the Inside Passage. Jaw-dropping scenery at every turn and literally thousands of bald eagles. Take the ferry from Seattle, Vancouver or Juneau for a fraction of the price of a cruise ship and see all the same scenery.