| Common Name | King Eider |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Somateria spectabilis |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 02/12/2022 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Allan Strong |
| Mailing Address | 9 Sebring Road South Burlington, Vermont 05403 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 02/12/2022 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Seem by many observers, but not sure who else might be submitting RSDs. |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44°20'2.41"N |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 73°16'54.54"W |
| Place Name | Charlotte Town Beach |
| Township | Charlotte |
| County | Chittenden |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 12:20 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 25 min |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 5280 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 4224 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Southerly wind, mix of overcast and sun |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Kowan TSN 820 |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I've seen about 15 King Eiders in my life. Probably 11 males and 4 females. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Open water. Loosely associating with a large flock of Common Goldeneyes with a few Common Mergansers mixed in. |
| Behaviors Observed | Mostly swimming with occasional dives, wing flaps, and preening. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | None |
| Relative Size & Shape | Duck-shaped. Larger than nearby COGOs. |
| Head | See below under eliminating similar species. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Female, first spotted and IDed by Ted Murin. When I arrived, she was fairly far out in the lake and the water was choppy, so far from ideal viewing conditions. I watched her off and on for about 25 minutes. She was mostly swimming but occasionally preened, dove and flapped her wings. She was an overall light brown to tan coloration with the head appearing to be slightly lighter than the rest of the body. She was noticeably larger than the adjacent Common Goldeneyes. ID features consistent with KIEI were thin, white upper and lower borders to the secondaries and no iridescence or white in the speculum, ruling out female MALL (species with most similar body plumage) and all other ducks except eiders. Compared to COEI, this individual had a lighter brown (tannish) plumage and a noticeable angle between the bill and forehead as opposed to the more triangular head and bill of COEI. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Female. To be honest, if I were IDing this species without knowing that Ted had identified it with his superior scope, I would only rate my confidence level at about 90%. But not knowing how many others might submit an RSD, I thought I would send one in. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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