39. Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)

Usually seen (by me at least) in flocks around the coast of the UK outside of the breeding season, it would be great to see Common Scoter in their northern Scandinavian breeding grounds. It's a bird I don't get a chance to see frequently, so this is a good chance for me to brush up on Scoter ID. More tomorrow....

Common Scoter, ©jvverde, via Flickr Creative Commons.

Common Scoter painting.

Another more portrait style picture today, and I've done it in acrylic paints (didn't fancy my pencil's chances with all that black - it's starting to get rather short). Reflections from the shiny paint surface during scanning has marred it slightly, and as always with paint it took longer than I was expecting, but I'm fairly pleased with the result despite my Scoter looking a bit on the angry side.