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Tuesday, May 04, 2010

1, 2, 3, Eider Down!



On our trip to the coast I was watching Common Eiders dive. Eiders can dive down to 60 feet to pick up mollusks and crustaceans from the sea floor. The wings are held partly open during dives. Here's a sequence of a female Common Eider diving where you can see this. She plunges downward head first, her wings held open. I love the last photo showing the water pattern of a little V-ridge, where her head and wings have broken the water. It was tricky getting this photo because you cannot always predict the moment an eider will dive. I could have spent the whole day just watching their behavior.

3 comments:

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Excellent shots,but what else would one expect from you? :)I enjoy your blog and even if I don't always leave a comment,I do visit regularily.Happy Birding.
Ruth

Murr Brewster said...

I once watched a loon dive under my kayak and had the great pleasure of watching my husband watch it from his--so ardently he tipped over. He is not nearly so aerodynamic.

Dan Huber said...

Wonderful series of photos, they can be fun to watch.

dan