Seabirds

It has been wet here in Oregon, but seabirds don't mind the rain.  So we stopped to look at a raft of about 1000 birds that we could see off the south jetty, from the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

Most of the birds were surf scoters, with multi-colored bills and white head patches.  But after searching through all the really dark birds, we found a pair of long-tailed ducks in winter plumage.  Males have a white crown, and females have a white face.  Quite a treat to see.  When bait fish were nearby, most of the birds dove under to grab a meal.

Male long-tailed duck

Female long-tail duck on left, male on right, amid surf scoters

We also saw a small band of western grebes, a bird that always looks graceful.

Gulls were all around, and we saw a bald eagle fly by.  Nice day, despite the rain.