Birds

A small flock of 8 of these ducks was spotted on the water in Falmouth Harbour today. The photo shows an adult female with three first-winter males.

Insight: Eider (Somateria mollissima) are seaducks eating coastal molluscs, especially mussels which they apparently swallow whole! They nest in colonies, sometimes of over 3,000 nests which they line with eiderdown, feathers from the female’s breast.