Common Eider, Napatree

There was a fairly heavy fog this morning, but, since I really needed to put some mileage on my legs, I figured that I'd be OK for a trekking and photography expedition to walk the great beach at Napatree Point. I made the right call, and no sooner had I gotten to the shoreline than I noticed a flock of handsome sea ducks swimming around a stone jetty. I'd brought the "cannon"—the 150-500mm supertelephoto—and the Common Eiders were entirely cooperative about letting me get close enough to fill the frame with their exquisite bodies. Eiders, in fact, live completely up to their "common" designation further north, and I've seen them in large flocks along the coasts of Maine and the Maritimes in the warmer weather. Here, they're winter residents and hardly rare, and when they show up in full breeding splendor, it's an event worth documenting. With some patience, I was able to capture a quartet of Eiders showing off various plumage types: a female (top, left); two adult males (center), and a young male in—thank you Sebastien Reeber for your tutelage in Waterfowl of North America, Europe, and Asia: An Identification Guide—"first winter formative" feathering.