White-winged Scoter - Melanitta fusca

A male White-winged Scoter at the San Leandro Marina recently was too tempting to pass up. Patti and I went there this morning, following Marina Blvd to Mulford Point Drive, stopping at the last parking lot. Exiting the car we looked just over the rip-rap along the shoreline and the second duck we saw was the adult male White-winged Scoter, Melanitta fusca.

Along the coast we see the White-winged Scoter only occasionally, and usually not close to shore, so seeing it less than 50' away was a treat. If foraged for mussels in the shallow water, staying largely in a small area, visible even when underwater from the turbulence of its feet as it paddled furiously to stay under as it fed on the bottom. It swallows shellfish whole and rarely brings them to the surface.

The white comma, or "rocker" under the eye is distinctive, and the big multi-colored bill is rather striking. I didn't realize that the White-winged male has a fair amount of brown of the flanks, quite visible in certain light. Apparently the asian subspecies is darker. The subspecies seen in Europe is quite different, and goes by the name Velvet Scoter, considered by some to be a separate species.

Population data is seriously lacking. Numbers surely have declined over the past century. Dawson wrote in 1923, "Abundant migrant and winter resident along the entire seacoast." (Birds of California). He included a photo of a large raft of sea ducks, chiefly White-winged Scoters. They were hunted for 'sport', although not eaten because of the fishy taste. It's ironic that the serious invasion of the exotic Zebra Snail in the Great Lakes is likely to lead to a resurgence in the numbers of White-winged Scoters, whose diet is mainly mollusks. Main predators of the chicks are gulls.

First photo shows the distinctive bill, black on top at the base, then white, orange at the tip, and pink along the sides. The bill has a bulbous swelling proximally, and extensive black feathering (down to the nostril, especially along the sides of the bill). The pearl iris sits nicely in the white "comma".

Second photo was a surprise, as the bird looked mostly black while it swam, but in certain light it was clear that the flanks were quite brown, unlike the black seen on male Surf and Black Scoters. The second and third photos show the bulbous swelling on top of the bill pretty well.

No direct light on the flanks in the last shot.

Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata

By November most of the male ducks are in "alternate" plumage, meaning they have largely completed the molt into the bright breeding costume worn most of the year. The Northern Shoveler is an exception, as Ralph Palmer writes (Handbook of NA Birds,  Vol. 2), "…in some individuals either the whole (molting) process is gradual and prolonged, or the major portion of it occurs late…". Thus, at times we see some interesting and at times puzzling male Northern Shovelers.

The first photo, 11/22/13, shows a typical female Northern Shoveler, with the cryptic feathering on back and flank common to most female dabbling ducks in the genus Anas. Her large spatulate bill always has some orange coloring, and her face has only a subtle post-ocular stripe.

The male in eclipse plumage looks a lot like the female, with cryptic coloring on the back and flank, but his yellow iris, black bill and darker head help with the ID. Some of the male shovelers that we seen in Nov-Dec. retain parts of the cryptic feathering on the back and flank, and shown in the second photo (Colusa NWF, 12/07/13). Part of the flank now shows the chestnut color and his head is well along to the black color of winter. It's fun to see one with a white crescent on the face near the bill, sort of like a Blue-winged Teal male.

The next photo shows a typical male in alternate plumage, with dark head and back, black bill, rich chestnut on the flanks, and bright white breast. 

Below we get a peek at the powder blue wing patch in this less typical back view. Note the bright orange legs.