A large flock of scoters and eiders congregated off Gurnet Point between October 11-25, 2017 on their way south. It is not particularly unusual in the fall to see large flocks of scoters passing by Duxbury Beach flying low and fast off the ocean side at a distance of 1/4 mile or more. Occasionally groups of 200-400 may be seen resting & feeding well offshore for a day or two. This occurrence has been very different due to the number of birds, the proximity to shore, and the length of the stayover. Local fishermen tell of an unusually large amount of bait fish in the area of late, and perhaps the ducks have been drawn in to this food supply. Whenever they eventually move on south, perhaps one or more of these King Eiders will spend the winter in the Cape Cod Canal!

Gurnet residents say they cannot recall a sustained visit with numbers like this in recent years. There are well over 1,500 birds, and there could be as many as twice that because the birds are very active both flying and actively swimming and diving about in choppy water - and almost always 10-20% are underwater. Estimating the mix, I would say 40% Surf Scoters, 30% White-winged Scoters, 15% Black Scoters and 15% Common Eiders PLUS at least 3 King Eiders and a probable 4th! There are a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers interspersed as was a flock of 4 Green-winged Teal on the first day. Gurnet Point is entirely private property and access is restricted to its residents and those of Saquish.

On the 4 occasions that I've been able to briefly scope the flock(s)[Oct. 11, 15, 16 & 25], the birds were off the southernmost tip of Gurnet Point - SSW of the Lighthouse and east of the "Boathole". The currents carry the birds rather quickly in different directions depending how far offshore they are. In any given cluster one species will predominate, but always there are others interleaved. Clusters form and dissipate quickly. When one cluster dissipates, a new cluster forms and swims off in a different direction.

I concentrated on looking for a King Eider among the Commons - not unlike the the needle in the haystack - and was rewarded with documentable looks each time finding 2 (probably 3) males and a female on the 11th, a male on the 15th, a female and a male on the 16th, & a distant male on the 25th. (photos here). Conservatively these can be considered to be continuing birds; however, given the challenges of discerning differences in individual females, it is entirely possible that there is more than one female in that large collection. Whatever the actual number, there should be a King/or Queen Eider or two around southeastern Massachusetts this winter once this group disperses.