Where do common scoters migrate to in winter?

Common scoters migrate from their Scandinavian breeding grounds to winter along coasts, often gathering in large flocks in areas like Dundrum Bay.

What do common scoters eat and how do they eat it?

They feed on molluscs, diving from the surface to catch them and swallowing them whole to digest in their gizzards.

What happened to the breeding scoter population in County Fermanagh?

Northern Ireland's only breeding population of common scoters on Lough Erne declined due to ecosystem impacts and was gone by 1993.

Home / Environment / Lost Ducks: A Childhood Memory Fades at Sea

Lost Ducks: A Childhood Memory Fades at Sea

11 Dec, 2025

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Summary

Common scoters migrate to winter along the coast, feeding on molluscs.
Ducks swallow shellfish whole, digesting shells in powerful gizzards.
Northern Ireland's only breeding scoter population vanished by 1993.

Lost Ducks: A Childhood Memory Fades at Sea

Common scoters undertake a remarkable migration from Scandinavian boreal lakelands to winter along the coast, congregating in large flocks in areas like Dundrum Bay, County Down. These ducks possess a unique feeding strategy, diving to seize molluscs and swallowing them whole to be digested in their powerful gizzards, a behavior that often makes them difficult to spot from shore.

For the observer, spotting these elusive birds evokes childhood memories tied to Lough Erne in County Fermanagh. There, scoters were once a secret nesting success, marking Ireland's first recorded breeding population in 1905. However, this unique population faced terminal decline due to various ecosystem impacts, including mink predation, and was gone by 1993.

Today's sighting of hundreds of scoters against the sunlit sea offers a moment of connection. Yet, it is tempered by the bittersweet knowledge of a lost native breeding population. The abundance seen now stands in stark contrast to the ecological loss, creating a profound sense of nostalgia and remembrance for the vanished birds.