King Eider
King Eiders are true Arctic birds, breeding on northernmost tundra around the globe. But there is a gap in their distribution around Iceland and Norway where the Gulf Stream makes the waters too warm for them. They also winter around the edge of the pack ice, though occasionally lost birds wander to Britain where they often remain for years. Because they breed so far north they have to fit their breeding cycle into a couple of months between the spring thaw and the onset of winter. The males are present in good numbers on Svalbard in May but by the end of June most have disappeared as they play no part in incubation and chick-rearing. They gather in huge, all-male flocks to moult in remote areas, though very few have been discovered. The few males that do remain are incredibly skittish and it has taken me many years to manage a close photo of a full breeding plumaged male. The vagrants in Britain usually associate with Common Eider which are more confiding, which seems to make these King Eiders more approachable than usual. Most of the really close photos in Europe come from submerged photographic hides in northern Norway. This was taken near the Lilliehöökbreen glacier in northern Svalbard where we found about eight King Eiders.
King Eider
King Eiders are true Arctic birds, breeding on northernmost tundra around the globe. But there is a gap in their distribution around Iceland and Norway where the Gulf Stream makes the waters too warm for them. They also winter around the edge of the pack ice, though occasionally lost birds wander to Britain where they often remain for years. Because they breed so far north they have to fit their breeding cycle into a couple of months between the spring thaw and the onset of winter. The males are present in good numbers on Svalbard in May but by the end of June most have disappeared as they play no part in incubation and chick-rearing. They gather in huge, all-male flocks to moult in remote areas, though very few have been discovered. The few males that do remain are incredibly skittish and it has taken me many years to manage a close photo of a full breeding plumaged male. The vagrants in Britain usually associate with Common Eider which are more confiding, which seems to make these King Eiders more approachable than usual. Most of the really close photos in Europe come from submerged photographic hides in northern Norway. This was taken near the Lilliehöökbreen glacier in northern Svalbard where we found about eight King Eiders.