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WildLookoutKnow where to go. Know when to photograph.

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WildLookout

Opportunity scores are planning aids, not sighting guarantees. How scoring works

Wildlife welfare comes before any photograph.

Sightings from eBird
Weather by Open-Meteo
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Tiles by OpenFreeMap · Terrain from AWS Terrain Tiles

Waterfowl

Surf scoter

Melanitta perspicillata

A sea duck with a colorful, oversized bill that rafts in large numbers on the bays and harbors of the Salish Sea from fall through spring.

Seasonality

Peaks across 6 months. Common from September to May; smaller numbers through summer.

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Behavior

Dives for mussels and other shellfish, often around pilings and rocky shores.
Rafts in tight flocks offshore and moves closer in to feed at higher tides.
Some non-breeding birds stay through the summer.

Photography tips

Piers and jetties put you close to feeding birds at water level.
Expose for the drake's white head patches so they keep detail.

Field ethics

Don't approach rafting flocks by boat or kayak; repeated flushing burns energy they need for winter.

Where to look

Semiahmoo SpitWhatcom County · Peaks across 6 months
Point Whitehorn Marine ReserveWhatcom County · Peaks across 6 months
Boulevard ParkWhatcom County · Peaks across 6 months