Eider pair

I make no apologies for yet another bird blip, yet another duck blip, yet another Eider (Somateria mollissima) blip! They are so handsome, and I don't often see them out of the water, with the black belly of the male showing so well.
The female plucks down from her own plumage to line the nest, then sits tight on the eggs until they hatch. I've stood less than a yard from a sitting eider, she didn't move.
Once the ducklings are hatched, they join a crèche, looked after by one or two females while their mothers go and feed (mostly mussels).
The nest is abandoned, so the Eider down can be collected for stuffing pillows :)