One King Eider down

I wonder, is that the same eiderdown from which pillows come?

I'm not sure about that, but it really is one nice duck to look at.  I took the drive out to Port Weller, and thanks to yet another kind birder, Jean Iron, and her magnificent Swarovski scope, I was able to view the King Eider, and afterward a Black-backed Gull, as it tried to swallow a fish.  Cool!

I got the report of the Eider from Ontbirds, a great website where birders post their rare sightings so others can drive endless miles at great expense to have a 5 second look at a bird they may not otherwise see again. I was able to get directions to the spot from one of the guys who had seen the King Eider, and when I arrived there were half a dozen birders all lined up on the duck. A marvelous sight, as I may have wandered too far down the path and missed it had they not been there. So, once again I got lucky.

And now, not even halfway through January, I am up to 103 on my year long quest. Of course, the first 100 are probably the easiest. So it will be slow counting, I am sure, until my next trip down to Florida in early February. Not to mention that real life is going to take over for the next two weeks and I will have to go to work, rather than Big Year Birding.

Again, thanks to all who helped me out today.  I am slowly learning.  Very slowly.  But i get a little better each day.