Common Eider Somateria mollissima are resident sea ducks along the coast here. the unique shape of their heads give them a distinct fun personality or appearance of an attitude. the long beak forms almost a straight line from the top of the head which makes them easy to identify even from a distance. i took these photos in February when they were in their winter plumage. the first shot is a loveable juvenile male in it's first winter, with a mottled pattern. adult males are completely black and white
this next shot is a female, i can't be sure it's an adult but i think so. while their shape and size are similar to males, their camouflage brown plumage is far different
i believe this third shot of the group includes an adult female, presumably the mother of the two juvenile males and a juvenile female but i may be wrong
