English and Scientific names:	White-winged Scoter
Number of individuals:	2
Locality: LOUISIANA:	Cameron
Specific Locality:	about 4 mi SW of Johnsons Bayou.
Date(s) when observed:	01/29/2011
Time(s) of day when observed:	About 12:45 p.m.
Reporting observer and address:	Paul Conover
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	Mac Myers
Other observers who independently identified the bird(s)
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Overcast, lighting was fine, and there was contrast between sea and sky on the horizon which allowed for a good backdrop.
Optical equipment:	Zeiss 10s, Nikon Fieldscope III ED
Distance to bird(s):	Initially at 75 yards, out to maybe 300.
Duration of observation:	Ca. 10 minutes.
Habitat:	Nearshore Gulf, seen from beach.
Behavior of bird:	Birds were on Gulf, took off, flew around a while, then landed.
Description:	Two dark birds took off directly away from us about 75 yards offshore. They were dark brown and somewhat massive, and ran on the water to take off. They were reminiscent of cormorants, but they seemed scoter-like, and when I got the binos on one, it was indeed a scoter (big head, large duck bill) with long wings and bright white secondary panels. This bird flew out a few hundred yards, then a few hundred yards to the E and toward shore, then back to the W and out, and back again, a few times approaching the water as if to land. It banked below the water surface several times, allowing a good backdrop to see the wing pattern. It finally came to a landing about 300 yards offshore. Due to its large size, it was visible even with the naked eye at this distance, albeit as a speck. A few minutes later, we again saw a large scoter in flight (presumably the second bird which had taken off), and watched as it flew and landed next to the first bird. This bird also had bright white secondaries. Against the sky, the white off the secondaries blended at times with clouds and made the wings look as if the secondaries had all been plucked. We looked at the birds on the water, and I tried to get images, but I wasn’t successful. On the water, the head shape was clearly that of scoters, and even at a great distance, the sloped heads of WWSC were discernible.
Voice:
Similar species:	Gadwall—too small, nowhere near as bulky as Scoter, secondary patch more restricted. Red-breasted and Common Merganser—bill narrow, birds more patterned.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	No, I concentrated on watching the birds in flight, and when they landed, it was too hard to get an image.
Previous experience with this species:	Not much, really. These 2 birds didn’t require much previous knowledge.
Identification aids:	Not yet.
This description is written from:	Memory.
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	Yes.
Date and time:	01/30/2011