Common Eider

With Common Eiders being reported from Duluth in November 2014, I searched my blog for photos I knew I had taken off Martha's Vineyard in September 2009. To my surprise, I have not shared this photo with you.

Common Eiders are the largest ducks in the Northern Hemisphere. The Duluth birds aside, eiders are usually restricted to coastal oceans. An Arctic breeder, many winter as far north as open water remains. Eiders were historically over-hunted, almost to extinction in eastern North America. Populations are now stable despite “increasing harvest pressure" (Goudie et al. 2000).