King Eider in Cobourg Harbour

Nature Notes for March 4, 2011

The local birding hot spot continues to be Cobourg Harbour. There is a constant movement of birds into and out of the harbour depending upon ice conditions, winds, and food. If there is ice, the gulls use it as a loafing area.

The big news this week is a young male King Eider which was first reported on Saturday, February 26. King Eiders nest in the high Arctic and most of the eastern population winter off the east coast of Canada, around Newfoundland, Labrador and south to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The King Eider is a rather large duck. The young male has a pale breast, brown head, brown back and orangish bill. It takes three years to acquire full adult plumage, which includes black and white body plumage and a large yellow lump on a pinkish bill. The adult is a very striking looking bird, but I fear that a trip to the Arctic might be necessary to see him in his finery.

King Eiders eat mostly aquatic invertebrates. Several observers reported the Cobourg bird  picking at things on the base of the piers. They thought he was probably picking and eating zebra mussels.

As I write this column, the eider was still being seen. Sometimes he was in amongst the Mallards just off the Hibernia Street parking lot.

Earlier in the week, a male Ruddy Duck was also seen in the harbour, although this bird only hung around for one day. A few Ruddy Ducks breed in southern Ontario, but most breed in the western prairies. It is seen in this area primarily as a scarce migrant.

The Ruddy is a small duck. It has stiff tail feathers and often holds its tail straight up. The bill is rather flat and broadens towards the tip. In breeding plumage, the male has a bright blue bill and bright rufousy body plumage with a contrasting white cheek patch. The bird seen in Cobourg was in winter plumage, but could be identified quite easily by the pale cheek and overall shape.

The other local bird news is Common Redpolls. Since mid-February, this small finch has swooped into the area. There have been several reports of huge flocks – more than 100 birds – at feeders.

The Common Redpoll is one of the irruptive species which has been written about several times in these columns. They nest in the Arctic and are thought to come this far south in winters when there is a poor seed crop in the Boreal forest.

Common Redpolls are slightly larger than an American Goldfinch. The plumage is streaked brown, with a red spot on the forehead (the “poll”). The males have varying amounts of red on the breast.

When Common Redpolls are around, birders always search through the flocks to try to find the much rarer Hoary Redpoll. The Hoaries are much paler than the Commons with much less streaking. They also have noticeably smaller bills that look a bit pushed in to give the head a “flatter” profile.

Spring migration has begun. Horned Larks are singing over agricultural fields. The numbers and diversity of ducks are increasing on Lake Ontario. Perhaps by the time of my next column, two weeks hence, readers will have found the first Red-winged Blackbirds or Common Grackles of the year.