Velvet scoter 15 drakes
Common scoter 2000
Long-tailed duck 1 female
Eider 300
Red-breasted merganser 2
Gannet 1
Arctic tern 2
Sanderling 200
Dunlin 20
Ringed plover 10
A fantastic, exhilarating visit to Blackdog. The scoter flock were reasonably close and the surf scoter were my best ever views by a mile. They were easy to pick out but quite difficult to stay on because they kept bobbing up and down in the swell, sometimes disappearing for a few minutes before reappearing in exactly the same spot!
For years my only experience of surf scoter was a tiny black dot miles out at sea from Penmaenmawr off the North Wales coast, and because of that it's become a bit of a mythical bird for me. This year I've done really well for the species and I just can't get enough of looking through these scoter flocks..
Sanderling. Pick out the dunlin.
Sanderling
Part of the scoter flock.
A selection of photos showing the scoter flock. At least one surf scoter is in most of these photos.
Spot the velvet scoter.
Here it is a bit closer.
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