Black Scoter

Black Scoter aka. Common Scoter
Richmond Marina, Richmond, California, USA
January 2019
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Flush of Ducks§

[Etymology Corner] Common Scoter is a little bit of an archaic name, but it's also grossly inaccurate, since this is the least common of the three North American scoters. The Eastern Hemisphere version of this duck is still called that over there. I bet you thought I was going to tell you where the word 'Scoter' came from here, but nope. There doesn't seem to be any explanation of the origin out there, it's just a word that's used for this genus of sea ducks.

~True Bird Fact~ In France, Roman Catholics were allowed by their church to eat this bird on Fridays (on which you normally can't eat non-fish meats). The reasoning is that they have a 'fishy' taste to them, which raises some questions for me about what Catholics thought makes something a fish, and also makes me even less likely to eat this duck.

Another quote I saw a lot while researching this bird was a description of his call as a 'constant mellow, plaintive whistling', so to me that says that this bird has a real Jeff Bridges vibe, and I don't think any more personality speculation is needed.



How Endangered Are They? Well, not that endangered. They are considered near-threatened by the IUCN with a global population between 350,000 and half a million. However, their population is slowly declining, and they are threatened by oil and gas drilling, as well as climate change. So something to watch out for, at the very least.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Nisenan Tribute Site, Nevada City, California, USA
February 2019
Member of the Kinglet Family
§A Princedom of Kinglets§

[Etymology Corner] So, who exactly thought to name this bird (and his accompanying family) Kinglet? It's in the scientific name too, the latin name, Regulidae, literally translates to 'little king'. This is not because of a regal quality that this bird has (unlike kingbirds), but because of the physical trait of the colorful crest the adult birds of this family share. You can see the crest on this guy, just barely, here. It looks like someone drew a little line on his head with a highlighter. They do get more dramatic than this and flare up, when the bird is either courting or defending territory.

~True Bird Fact~ The Ruby-crowned Kinglet lays an enormous clutch of eggs for such a small bird- up to 12! And although they are admittedly really small eggs, taken together, they can add up to the weight of the female bird herself.

Likes fiddly little hand puzzles, like Jacob's Ladders or Rubik's Cubes
Has a nerd voice (you know what I mean)
Has petitioned, without success to get the -let removed from the end of his name. Embarrassed by this