What a softy!

Female eider ducks are beautifully camouflaged when sitting on their nests. I must have passed this one several times in the last few days without ever noticing her, but today, purely by chance, I did.
The scientific name for an eider is Somateria mollisssima, where mollissima is a Latin word meaning 'softest'. The name derives from the soft down which the females pluck from their chests and use to line the nest.
Eider down is harvested in Iceland, and elsewhere, to be used as insulation in outdoor clothing and in duvets, or eiderdowns as they used to be known.
The beauty of the feathers is best appreciated through the looking glass.