Tuesday, 6 October 2020

Wild Bird Wednesday 428 - Common Eider

The Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is a sea-duck found on the seas around northern Europe, America and Siberia. It breeds in the Arctic,  but comes south in the winter.  When I lived in the North of England, the arrival of this duck was a sure sign that winter was coming.

The bird has a couple of other common names, including St. Cuthbert's Duck and Cuddy's Duck.  The famous Eider down is (or at least was) harvested from the nests of these birds.  The scientific name of this bird refers to the warmth and softness of its feathers.

These pictures may not be the best I have ever taken, but they were taken in very gloomy conditions in Bergen in Norway in the winter.  While not being north of the Arctic Circle it was close! I have used some new software to reduce the noise in the pictures caused by the need to use a high ISO rating - the result seem pretty good.











These images need to be seem in an enlarged form to see them at their best.  Click on the image to make it larger.

I have just been 'passed' significant amount of new work - so please excuse my limited visits to other blogs of late.

Stay well and don't forget to link up to WBW.  SM


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14 comments:

  1. David M. Gascoigne,6 October 2020 at 20:59

    Hardy chap that you are, Stewart, I expected that you would have passed the camera to Sally for her to record your polar dip. "Swimming with Eiders" might have made a grand title for a novel you could write while imprisoned by COVID.

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  2. italiafinlandia6 October 2020 at 21:14

    Hello,
    they are pretty birds.
    They live in Finland too, but I have not seen them yet.
    All the best, Stewart!

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  3. Brian King6 October 2020 at 22:31

    Great bunch of sea ducks! Just breeding in the Arctic makes them hardy in my book.

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  4. Yamini MacLean7 October 2020 at 00:47

    Hari OM
    Oh I do love and eider garthering! YAM xx

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  5. Margaret Birding For Pleasure7 October 2020 at 01:50

    Those are great rafts of Eider Stewart. We have Eider that breed in the Northern Ireland and it is lovely to see the chicks. THanks for hosting, stay safe and have a good week ahead.

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  6. Karen7 October 2020 at 02:04

    That's a lot of ducks!

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  7. Marie Smith7 October 2020 at 03:22

    Eider ducks come to PEI as well though I haven’t see them. Great photos.

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  8. waldlaeufer68 Frank Scholtyssek7 October 2020 at 06:38

    Hello Stewart
    a lot of ducks in one place, looks great
    Greetings Frank

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  9. Lea7 October 2020 at 19:35

    Great photos!
    Thanks for hosting!

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  10. Kenneth Cole Schneider8 October 2020 at 00:58

    Quite a remarkable gathering of eiders!

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  11. Cloudia8 October 2020 at 03:40

    I enjoyed this post very much Stewart. Pace yourself and take time to enjoy your day.

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  12. Rhodesia8 October 2020 at 06:19

    They are such pretty birds I love them and especially their call. Keep well and stay safe, Diane

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  13. Linda8 October 2020 at 14:17

    Nice photos! That's quite a flock.

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  14. Caroline 11 October 2020 at 18:54

    Hi Stewart, beautiful photos of the eider ducks. Sometimes I see them in spring in Denmark. Have a nice sunday. Greetings Caroline

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