A Duck Out of Water

Surf Scoter -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm IS II, 1/1600s, f/5.6, ISO: 1250

I'll grant you, it's not the prettiest picture.  The light was bad, the water was murky and the colors are brown and gray and gross.  I post this simply because it's something I've never photographed before: a surf scoter out of the water.  This is the farthest I've ever seen a surf scoter from water when not in flight.  Four inches, at best.  Even when they're flying they usually seem to fly over water.

I took this shot this morning after picking up coffee a block or so away from my house.  There are often scoters in the estuary in winter, this morning there about thirty or so, including this guy.

Surf Scoter

Surf Scoter -- Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T51, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO: 200

Surf Scoters are common near my house in winter.  They spend their time in the estuary about a block from my house.  I took this picture a few days ago at Arrowhead Marsh, which is near the Oakland Airport.  There are often a lot of birds there.  It's not too often I get a shot of a scoter swimming toward me.  Usually they swim away, but this time I sat down in an area where I wouldn't be conspicuous against the skyline and eventually a number of scoters and scaups returned to the area they'd been feeding directly in front of me.  I like the look on this guy's face, he seems quite determined about something.  I'm not sure what, exactly.