Scoters, winter ducks in Powell River, come in 3 varieties. The top photo is a male and female pair of Surf Scoters,
middle is a male White-winged Scoter, and bottom, a male Black Scoter.
The Surf Scoters are by far the most common, I only see a handful of White-wings each year, and haven't
seen a single Black off the Seawalk in several years.
They eat crayfish and mollusks, as in the above photo, which does say something for their digestive system!
Unfortunately these birds are in decline - the size of the flocks of Surf Scoters we see from the Seawalk
the last few years pales compared to what was here 20 years ago.
That must be a hard thing to crack in their bills. - Margy
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