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.
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