Surf Scoter in Corolla

Once again I have been negligent in my blogging duties, but I have a slew of updates and can't wait to share them. Number one: We have had a Surf Scoter in Corolla for almost the past week. I first discovered it on December 4th and have called up a few friends to snap some quality photographs of it since I am lacking in the picture taking department. As you can see, the male is a beautiful, yet silent, duck with a a very Aquiline bill that is a multitude of colors paired with a blank black canvas of its back. A showstopper, no doubt.

It's not strange that the bird is here in Corolla, its just where it is in Corolla. The bird has taken up residence in a small freshwater pond across the street from the TimBukII shopping plaza. Strange since Sibley tells us that the bird is "common on open salt water, usually near rocks; uncommon to rare inland" . So the Scoter, aptly named for its tendency to forage in ocean surf and breaking waves, is definitely lost in the very small retaining pond in front of an ocean housing complex. Below is a picture of the pond where the Scoter is currently residing.