Scoter watch

SkunkDucks are coming

Every year, as the Labor Day crowds dissipate and the feeling of fall creeps up on me, I begin to anticipate the annual arrival of the skunk ducks. A less appropriate nickname does not exists for my favorite shore bird. I have always had an affinity for animals that don’t really fit into the boxes they are expected to fit into. Legless lizards spring to mind. Not a lizard, Not a snake. Well, the Skunk ducks, or more appropriately the scoters are included in this motley crew of confused critters.

The scoters are oceanic ducks. they summer in the arctic and they winter along the pacific coast. The most common are the surf scoter and the Black scoter. They like to hang out together right in the surf zone. They dive for crustaceans in the chaotic maelstrom of the breaking waves. If you have ever walked along the beach around sunset in California in October/November you have probably seen 20-30 scoter’s doing their thing. You might not have even noticed them. Take a closer look and you will see that they are very distinctive birds. both the black scoter and the surf scoter are mostly black in color and the males have coloration on their upper bill. The surf scoter is the more distinctive of the two and its whitish markings are the origin of the skunk duck name. Sorry, no chemical weapon defense systems here. They tend to feed in flocks (sometimes mixed flocks of black and surf scoters together) and they tend to take flight all together. If you are very lucky, you will observe a scoter resurface with a wriggling crab in his beak. That slightly enlarged beak is there for a reason! so…. Where were you when you saw your first scoter for the season? Let me know.