Death of a Scoter

By Stefan Marti

Sarah examines a dead scoter.
Credit: J. Thompson

Unaware of an oil spill, a surf scoter continues its day dipping and diving through the cold San Francisco waters in search of food.  Scoters have high metabolisms and need to feed often.

At the first hint or smell of oil, they may paddle or fly away.  But as the spill surges through the bay, inevitably some oil clings to a scoter’s feathers. Seabirds are particularly at risk because oil floats on the ocean surface.

Here lies the first tragedy.  Surf scoters (and other seabirds) have incredible adaptations to deal with the cold Northern Pacific waters.  Their water-tight feathers keep them insulated, buoyant and dry, so they can live in the ocean and stay warm. 

When oil from a spill smears onto their feathers, the feathers no longer overlap perfectly and the birds lose their waterproof insulation. As oil gets between their feathers, it displaces the natural “oil” they secrete to keep them dry.  Once cold water reaches a scoter's skin, the bird becomes chilled and can go into hypothermia.

At this point, surf scoters may head for shore to warm up and try to preen (clean) their feathers. If they try to clean themselves, they will ingest the toxic oil, making them sick.  Even if they escape the oil and stay on land for a while, they will eventually become hungry, with no other choice but to return to the water—their natural home and foraging area.

And so they return into the hazardous water, gathering more oil on their bodies and wings as they search for food.  And now, with no waterproof insulation, they quickly freeze in the 50 degree water, become hypothermic, until there is no choice but to return to land—if they can make it.

And there, sick and shivering they begin to preen themselves again, ingesting the toxic waste. It is a vicious cycle until they die.

Fortunately, rescue workers have been working nonstop, trying to save the oil-covered birds. "It's just so sad," says FMSA Beachwatch volunteer Marjorie Siegel. "A scoter in the Marin Headlands looked like someone had dumped a bucket of tar on it. It couldn't move; it's feet were glued down, stuck to the ground."

Many of the scoters found on the beach had already died from hypothermia, starvation, or toxic ingestion. Others were rescued and brought to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. Beach Watch volunteers continue to to survey shores around the Bay Area,

If you would like to help our rescue efforts, please donate to FMSA.

A dead oiled surf scoter. Credit: Jamie Hall