Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima, “eider à duvet” in French) are the largest ducks in the Northern Hemisphere, and are famed for their soft and highly insulating down. They breed mostly in the far North, and are not at all “common” in North America except in southeast Alaska, Atlantic Canada, and Long Island NY north through coastal New England. Like Harlequins, they are diving sea ducks which live on rocky coastlines where they can find their prey (crustaceans; periwinkles, mussels and other mollusks; fish eggs...). They nest in depressions in the ground, which they line with vegetation and also with down which the female pulls from her own breast.
According to waterfowl.org.uk, there are six subspecies of Common Eider. The one we see here in New England is S. m. dresseri, or “Dresser’s.” Male adult Dresser’s are sharp black and white with pistachio green napes, and grayish/taupe or yellow bills with a pale tip. Females are warm brown with fine dark barring. Immature males are darker chocolate brown with variable amounts of white mottling. All Common Eiders have a long, powerful, wedge-shaped beak which helps them to pry Blue Mussels and other prey (which they swallow whole, shells and all) off of rocks.
Thousands of Common Eiders appear in Massachusetts by late November, many on their way to points a little further south. Some overwinter here, including large rafts of them off of Chatham on Cape Cod (funny article at this link) and some on Cape Ann and Plum Island, and some possibly stay year-round. According to MassAudubon, their numbers have been dramatically increasing in Massachusetts since the 1930’s, and they are now known to breed here, although their “regular” breeding range extends only as far south as Casco Bay in Maine. Most spring migration to (and through) Massachusetts happens in late March and early April, and nesting begins in late April.
“Drakes abandon the hens at the end of laying or during early incubation and gather in their own flocks to molt. …
Upon hatching [in May or June], the brood is led to tidal pools along the ocean edge to begin feeding. Characteristically, Common Eiders merge their broods into large groups called crèches, with a small number of females guarding the ducklings and brooding them at night while they are small.”
I haven’t clearly heard or been able to capture their vocalizations, which I think are heard more during mating season. AllAboutBirds says this about their calls:
“Common Eiders are quite vocal, with males frequently giving pleasant cooing calls that can be heard far across the water on still days. Females, when feeding or responding to male courtship displays, give a low gog-gog-gog. Both sexes give a harsh grating kor-korr-korr, probably an alarm call.”
Some pics I took at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport (one of the four towns on Cape Ann, Massachusetts) in November 2021...
I completely forgot until recently that I used to see these birds in Gloucester (another town on Cape Ann), at the harborfront…I even saw them swimming with ducklings sometimes, off of Gloucester’s Stage Fort Park, and took phone videos of them. I had forgotten partly because I had been avoiding that area because of the pandemic (the paths get crowded)...also because I only started paying closer attention to birds and taking pictures of them about two and a half years ago. I did like sea ducks before then, but I hadn’t fully realized what I was seeing. Or how lucky I was to see Common Eiders, since they aren’t seen in many other parts of the U.S. Thanks to the Daily Bucket (and especially OceanDiver who has made me appreciate ducks so much more!) I’m now amazed by these birds.
Some pics and videos I took from the Gloucester waterfront, December 4, 2021...
The next day (December 5th) I looked for them in the same place at high tide. I didn’t see any of them, but at least 40 or 50 appeared later when the tide was about half out. According to this Audubon page, they “may feed in day or night, most often on falling tide or at low tide.”
This time I took the stone stairs down to the beach, and got pics and video of them from there. Besides the Eiders, there were at least a dozen Buffleheads, six Common Mergansers, and 10+ Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
The creaking sounds in this video are from my camera auto-focusing, not the birds...
This is the area where I saw them on both of those days, not very far out from the shore...
A video (not mine...I wish!) of Common Eiders in the Farne Islands off of Northumberland, England, in the North Sea...
I went back to the Gloucester waterfront on the evening of December 6th, during a bit of stormy weather. A group of Eiders in the waves was a magical sight from the walkway which overlooks the small beach, drawbridge and canal. Eiders seem to love this spot, I’m guessing because of the tide waters that rush through the canal, and the many rocks on the shore.
It’s cloudy and in the mid-30’s on the North Shore of MA today. There’s a chance we will get some snow or rain this evening.
YOUR TURN: WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR AREA?