Field notes
Counting Eiders: An Interview from the North Sea Coast
We spend a blustery morning with a sea-duck counter on the Firth of Forth.
T
Toby Ashbridge
Field correspondent · 1 min read · 23 Jun 2026
On a bracing morning beside the Firth of Forth, lines of eider ducks ride the swell. The males gleam black and white against the grey sea.
Counting them is serious work: eiders are Amber-listed, and careful monitoring helps protect the shellfish beds they depend on.
