BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
BUTTER-NOSE
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
This nickname takes me back to my childhood when my Mom would hold a buttercup up to my chin to see if it turned yellow. Of course the reflected light made it do that and she would proclaim, "See! You do like butter!"

Black Scoter

Although this week's bird is nicknamed 'butternose,' it never runs into butter. Its favorite foods are sea clams and scallops. That certainly removes it from the meadows where buttercups are found. This feathered friend is a sea duck, one of the three scoters. In my birding tenure it has been called American, Common, and now the Black Scoter, scientifically named Melanitta nigra, redundantly a blackish, black duck.

Originally it carried the name 'American' to distinguish it from its Eurasian cousins. In 1957 they were 'lumped' into one species with the name 'Common.' That was a real misnomer since it is the least common of the scoters. So the change to 'Black' in 1983 was an improvement. They certainly are that.

It's good to compare most ducks to the familiar Mallard because everyone has a mental image of that green-headed pond dweller. Black Scoters are a bit smaller and chunkier than Mallards. The males are black all over except for a yellow-orange knob on their bill, hence the 'butter-bill.' Mrs. Scoter is similarly shaped, but brown with gray cheeks. Both sexes show silvery color in the outer wings when flying.

Nantucketers most often see scoters from the ferry as it crosses the Sound. It is not unusual to see all three species of scoters, the White-winged, Surf, and this one, during a single winter crossing. Whitewings are the easiest, sporting a white patch at the back of each wing in both sexes. Surf Scoters are known as 'Skunk-heads' because of their black and white heads.

All the scoters often labor to get out of the water. Like many of us, they have a tendency to overeat when food is available. Without the wind in their faces, becoming airborne is a real chore. The clumsy image of these birds rowing awkwardly with their wings across the waves before plunging down to safety sticks in many seafarers' minds.

Black scoters arrive earlier and stay later than the White-wings or the Skunk-heads. If you see a scoter in September or May, it is most likely a Black Scoter. Not surprisingly they are the last to arrive on their nesting grounds in Northern Quebec and Alaska. There they build a grassy nest at the edge of a pond and often lay as many as ten eggs. Then the males head for the salt water and leave the females to hatch the eggs and raise the chicks to the point where they're ready for that first migration flight south. The Alaskan nesters head down the Pacific coast to winter as far as southern California. Our eastern birds hug the Atlantic coast, a few making it to Florida but most preferring the waters off Southern New England.

Much of our historical knowledge of this species comes from the journals of George H. Mackay. A sportsman and ornithologist, Mr. Mackay kept detailed shooting records from 1865 until 1922. I took sailing lessons from his son, Bunt Mackay, at Steamship Wharf in the late 40s. George's journals are filled with interesting notes including a story of how a mussel clamped down on the tongue of a Black Scoter, nearly severing it before the bird was shot on Muskeget in 1854. This was obviously a very unlucky bird! Another comment I see is that fishermen used to look for feeding flocks of Black Scoters in order to know where shellfish could be found.

Mr. Mackay felt that Black Scoters were ten percent of the scoter population in the rips off Muskeget in the late 1800s. This was many more than were being found off Cape Cod. We now have over 50 years of Christmas Bird Count data to review and when you look at the three scoters, their populations have swung widely during this period. Initially only a few Black Scoters were reported each year. But starting in 1976 they were found in the hundreds and rose to over 2,000 in 2006. These surges and crashes are just another of many mysteries waiting to be solved by the next generation of scientists.

The good news is that Nantucketers have over three months more this winter to enjoy this black duck that never gets to enjoy a buttercup. If you walk the beaches from Tom Never's to Hoick's Hollow these diving ducks will be your frequent companions. Later in the spring you'll hear the haunting whistles the males make as they start courting their brown mates. Hormones will then be driving them into zugenruhe - a wonderful German word meaning pre-migration restlessness. You may notice the same effect with your

children as school vacation approaches. 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.