Casual Duck Day

Stratton Island Supervisors Emily and John observe Casual Duck Day with a pair of bemused eiders.

Once a year on Stratton, a group of volunteers conducts an eider census of the island. Walking in a spread out line, the group cuts across the island, marking the edge of their survey with flags. Wading through the old apple orchard, over the crumbling remains of stone farm walls, the group braves thickets of thistle, jewel weed, and raspberry bushes as they search for the carefully hidden eider nests.

They track the distribution of the nests, the density, and the number of eggs laid.