BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
HOW DO YOU GET DOWN FROM AN ELEPHANT?
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
This is an old riddle and I'll leave the answer for later in the column. Just keep that question in mind. This week's bird was the second most numerous on the recent Christmas Bird Count with 119,938 individuals. It's also the northern hemisphere's largest duck. I bet you're thinking, "I must have seen these," and you probably have. You will also recognize the name. And here is their picture, both Mr. and Mrs. Now where have you seen them?

Common Eider

These ducks are a common sight as you cross the Sound, riding Nantucket's steamships in the winter. Oftentimes they appear awkward and clumsy, trying to get out of the way. They lunge through the water, flapping wings beating the surface, many times ending up diving for safety instead of flying. The ironic thing is that one reason they can't get airborne is they are 'mussel' bound. Unfortunately not 'muscle' bound, but 'mussel' bound. This is their favorite food.

All right, here is the name of this interesting bird, the Common Eider, Somateria mollissima. That name goes back to ancient Greek and Latin, translating to 'softest wooly body.' The word 'eider' itself comes from Icelandic, and the word 'down,' which fills our warmest winter vests, is Norwegian.

Eiders are salt-water beasties. We see them in the harbor, many times right in the boat slips. They also like to sun themselves at the end of Old North Wharf when the rocks are exposed at low tide. With just a pair of binoculars, you can get stunning views and appreciate their striking beauty.

As you can see from the illustration, drake eiders are white above and black below, a very unusual combination in the bird world. That jet-black breast and belly are quite striking when they are out of the water, contrasting with the white throat and back. Their head has a Neanderthal slope to it, the yellowish beak continuing up the forehead where it meets a black cap. The sides and back of the head slowly turn an emerald green as we progress into springtime. The hen eider is a warm brown duck, but has the same shape as the drake.

These ducks make their living by diving, eating mostly mussels as well as other shellfish. These they ingest whole. In their stomachs these solid objects are ground to bits using pebbles that are consumed in the feeding process. The soft parts are digested and the shells are passed in their droppings. This gives new meaning to the term 'cast iron stomach.' Scientists have found as many as 43 shells inside a single eider. It's no wonder they have trouble getting into the air.

Once they do take flight, they look large and somewhat ponderous, their heads drooping down a bit. They seldom fly high and almost never over land. Many times they are in long lines, so low that they disappear in the wave troughs.

This bird is at the southern edge of its range here in the wintertime. A few straggle south along the south Atlantic coast, but eiders are hardy birds. Many winter off Labrador and Greenland, just beyond the ice flows. Their wonderful down keeps them warm just as it works for people wearing clothing stuffed with it. I've heard that under very cold conditions some eiders move around the outer ring of the flock in order to keep the water from freezing.

Common Eider nest in the Arctic all around the Northern Hemisphere. Over the years they were over-hunted both for their eggs and for their feathers. Only the fact that they could nest so far north that humans didn't bother them saved them from being wiped out. They lay their four to six eggs in a down-lined nest. Twenty-eight days later the chicks hatch and just a few days after that, the chicks are swimming in their briny home. The female eider does all of the incubation and does not eat during that entire period. Young eiders are all brown like the females. Between the ages of three weeks and three years, male Common Eiders molt

their feathers eight times. It takes that long before

they have adult feathering and 'teen-aged' drake eiders can present a confusing appearance to bird watchers.

The Common Eider is abundant around Nantucket from mid-November through the end of March. A few non-breeders hang around here through the summer. The species has been introduced and is breeding successfully as close as the Elizabeth Islands.

And now about getting down from an elephant. Of course the classic answer is - "You don't get 'down' from an elephant. You get 'down' from a

duck!" And the best down comes from an eider. I

George C. West creates illustrations for these articles. If you enjoy 'social' birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three hour birding trip. Call 228-1693 for more information. To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 1-781- 259-8805. Ask Ken a question at: kenandcindy1@ comcast.net