surf scoters?

[angelicque]

please forgive the crap quality of the photos:





are these surf scoters? are they rare or common to this area?
i grew up in new england, and somehow never managed to see these sea birds before...

[thouc]

I would say that they are White-winged Scoters as the feathering reaches down almost to the nostrils and the face (except for the spots) is as dark as the crown. The top pictures with the clear white spots is probably a 1st winter bird, while the one below could be a female.
White-winged Scoters are much more common than Surf Scoter.

/Thomas

[Brian Bailey]

I agree that they are both White-winged Scoters.  You can often find a few hanging around Humber Bay from late winter to early spring.  They sometimes get huge flocks out in the Oakville - Burlington area.  We get ones & twos, sometimes small flocks.  The other two Scoters are much less common here.

BB