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King Eider #2



Hello, All

Having the day off from work, I went to the Fort Fisher
area (extreme southern New Hanover county, NC) to see
what the cold rainy weather might bring in.  Passing
the State Historic Site, I saw a birder in the gazebo,
stopped and joined Rob Van Epps who was looking for the
previously reported King Eider.  Rob had a female Black
Scoter just offshore in his scope, but hadn't seen the
Eider.  I left Rob and went on to the "Spit".  I always
check out the large estuary area on the right maybe 500
yards after you enter the soft sand area past x-over
#1.  As I approached the water area I spooked a duck
from the needle-rush area out into the center of the
puddle/pond.  I checked it out and it was a King Eider
very similar to the one I had seen twice last week but
in the location where I had left Rob.  I did a U-turn
to go get Rob as he needed the bird for a lifer.  We
returned to find the bird still there and had good
looks and were able to study the bird in the rain.  

I am convinced it is a different bird than the one seen
earlier.  (1) The 1st bird had a completely dark bill,
but this bird had a white band going across the top of
the bill slightly forward of halfway up the bill.  The
band did not go straight across, but arced across with
the peak of the arc towards the bird's head.  If you
think of a Ring-necked or Redhead you'll have some idea
of the marking.  (2) The 1st bird had 2 bright white
areas on the head. One was around and above the eye and
the second was forward from the eye and lower down in
the area above the gape in the angle between the gape
and the bill.  This 2nd bird did not show any light or
brightness in the gape area.  (3)  1st bird's gape was
finely drawn as if with an eyebrow pencil creating the
"grinning " expression.  This bird's gape was dark and
diffuse making it difficult to discern a discrete slit.

John Fussell e-mailed me last week that he thought he
had seen two King Eiders flying by in the Morehead area
prior to the Ft. Fisher sighting.  Methinks John has
good eyes.  

     

Bruce Smithson
318 W. Blackbeard Rd.
Wilmington, NC  28409
(910) 799-5083
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