Once we wrapped up our visit to the Pea Island NWR, the group and I headed out to Jennettes Pier in Nags Head, NC to see I could provide some good views of any pelagic species hunting on the ocean for my guests.
A few minutes after walking to the end of the pier, we were delighted to see these four Common Eiders floating on the waves!
It was an incredible experience to be able to share these ducks with the group as they were life birds for everyone.
The plumage of the Common Eider varies in several stages while the bird is growing into an adult.
During their three years, males will molt their feathers eight times, changing their color from a juvenile blackish brown to an adult chocolate brown plumage mottled with white in winter (as seen in these photos).
When breeding season arrives, they’ll morph into a handsome black and white plumage combination with a small area of light emerald green on their back and sides of their heads.
Changes in female plumage are less dramatic: from a juvenile blackish brown, the hen then becomes a warm reddish brown as an adult.
Common Eiders nest in large colonies along much of the coast of northern North America, south to Maine in the east and south to the Alaska Peninsula in the west.
During the wintertime they migrate south to spend the cooler months in warmer waters. Here in the east, they’ll winter from Greenland to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and south along the Atlantic Coast into Virginia and North Carolina. In the west, they’ll spend the in winter southern Alaska.
Although they are not a common sight in the waters off of North Carolina’s Atlantic coast, they may be spotted from early November through April.
Look for them paddling near jetty’s & piers and even under bridges hunting for a meal.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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