Jan. 2021 – Surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata, Order Anseriformes, Family Anatidae - Ducks  >) congregate in large flotillas, sometimes stretching over what looks like the length of a football field, where the surf is coming in and further out in the ocean.  They generally tend to be more toward the Santa Monica Pier.  The energy balance for these birds is a bit of a mystery to me.  Unlike some of the shore birds, they do not seem to spend much time looking for food; instead they spend a lot of time diving to avoid incoming waves or bobbing over them.