The eiders next door

Not only gulls and geese, but also lots of Ærfugl (or Common Eider) have returned to Svalbard lately, after having spent the winter on the mainland and Iceland. It´s reckoned that as many as 20000 birds return to Svalbard in April, and leave in October.


Now that there are large patches of land without snow, they´ve started breeding. These pictures are from our neighbourhood, where an eider-colony has settled close to a dogyard. On this patch, they know that they´re safe from foxes and bears, who are their greatest enemies. The foxes and bears keep their distance from the noisy (and smelly) dog enclosure.


A sign next to the colony defines the area.


Somehow the birds know that the dogs can only look wistfully from their cages. Of course, if a dog was turned loose, there would be a massacre.


The white ones are the drakes - a lot more visible than the brown females. How many birds on the the photo underneath?