Eider

Eider (Somateria mollissima)

A beautiful marine diving bird most commonly seen in the northern part of Europe. These were taken on the Island of Hoy in the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland. They are usually a long way away in the middle of the sea. We were able to watch these from a house that we had rented near the sea, this effectively worked as a hide. When the birds were close at low tide we were able to slowly creep forward and take these photographs. We used a monopod with the Nikon D3s  the 500mm prime lens and a 1,7 tc.

For feed it tears mussels from from rocks using it’s distinctive broad bill. It nests in the open or by sheltered rocks and builds the nest from it’s warm down. The 4 - 6 eggs hatch after 25 days.