King Eiders at Weymouth Furnace

[lakesgirl]

I stopped at the furnace on my way home from work on Friday and was suprised to find a pair of what appears to be King Eiders. Unfortunately I did not have my telephoto lens with me, so the pics aren't that clear when enlarged. You never know what you might see in the pines....

 

[GermanG]

Looks more like the mighty muscovy duck to me. Eiders would be a rare sight that far inland. You don't even see them in most parts of the bay. They prefer the ocean. Can't say what the smaller one is. A hen something-or-other.

 

[46er]

I stopped at the furnace on my way home from work on Friday and was suprised to find a pair of what appears to be King Eiders. Unfortunately I did not have my telephoto lens with me, so the pics aren't that clear when enlarged. You never know what you might see in the pines....

That would be an extremely rare find, especially for this time of year and both male and female. Only one immature male was seen in NJ all winter, that was in Cape May. If you can, try to get better pictures.

A male King Eider picture for comparison (not my picture).

 

[Jode Hillman]

Yep German is right looks like a male Muscovy hanging out with a hen mallard. Kings are rare even for Coastal NJ................

 

[lakesgirl]

thanks for the help....never thought about the muscovy, everyone we've ever seen has come running up to us and not swimming away...I pulled out the field guide and besides the coloration something about the head shape lead me to the Eiders. like I said, wish I had the telephote lens with me.

the female though, is definately not a mallard. She has a "skull cap" and no wing bar.

And now I'm travelling with both lenses.

 

[GermanG]

Since Mallards adapt to captivity readily, most of the world’s domestic ducks are descended from them. When left to their own breeding choices, offspring of these ducks eventually start showing their mallard heritage. The fact that the smaller duck in your photo is slumming with a Muscovy leads me to think it is likely one of these critters, if not a true Mallard, which has only slightly higher standards.