Currently, herring are spawning in Yaquina Bay. Lots of seabirds are enjoying the feast provided by abundant fish and their rich eggs. The eggs are demersal, which means that they sink to the bottom where they stick to rocks or macro algae or the sediments. Some of the birds in the bay are feeding on adult herring, but the biggest numbers are ducks that dive to the bottom to feed.
The most spectacular birds were the harlequin ducks. When not feeding, they hung around the rocks near the south jetty. While it is a treat to see a handful of harlequins, I counted 34, which was quite a delight.
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| Harlequin ducks |
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| Red-breasted merganser pair. These birds eat adult herring. |
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| Hundreds of surf scoters were rafting off the jetty when not feeding. |
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| Surf scoters |
We also saw scaup, goldeneye, buffleheads, a few loons, and cormorants taking advantage of the herring buffet.
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