Surf Scoters have Returned

While out yesterday I saw the first large flocks of surf scoters on the water this year. This is the time of year when they start to appear, lingering until spring when they return to reaches farther north. I can remember paddling with a naturalist last year and seeing more than 500 scoters just off of Squaxin Island. I've been told by some long time birders that many years ago there used to be numbers of scoters that would dwarf that account.

Surf Scoters are large ducks that breed in Canada and Alaska but over-winter on our coastlines, among other places. They'll often form large flocks and tend to take off together when spooked. Males are all black, females brownish, except forwhite patches on the their nape and forehead. They also have an oversized orange bill. They dive for food, typically crustaceans and mollusks.Adult scoters of this species dive for crustaceans and mollusks.

According to Wikipedia, "In November, 2007, an oil spill in San Francisco harbour oiled and killed thousands of birds including many Surf Scoters. About 40 per cent of the birds affected were from this species. Scientists said that while the species is not endangered it has declined 50 to 70 per cent over the past 40 years and this spill could decrease populations since most of the affected birds are healthy adults."  

For me, accidents like this are just one more of many reasons to rethink the Enbridge Gateway oil pipelines from Alberta to western British Columbia. In case you haven't heard about plans to pipe oil to either northern B.C. (and shipped through some very precarious passages) or to Vancouver, check out these links...because in the end, we're all connected: Living Seas, Pipe Up Against Enbridge, OilSandTruth