Surf Scoter

Surf Scoters breed across northern Canada and winter along coasts of Canada and the United States. They often migrate through the Great Lake States and New England. These birds are females. Most of the Surf Scoters here in Washington breed in the Northwest Territories. Soon after arriving in Canada, males retire to coastal molting areas (like Puget Sound). Non-breeding individuals may remain in the winter range, so these ducks can be listed all year in western Washington. Curiously, although males and females often return to the same breeding and wintering areas, they and young birds migrate separately (Anderson et. al 2020). We took this image on 10 October 2020 in Olympia.