John Shaw / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female defending her nest from arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus). Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen. June.

Pal Hermansen / Eider ducks (Somateria molissima) flock taking off from sea, Trondelag, Norway, January.

Sven Zacek / Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) males reflected in a small pond, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. June.

Markus Varesvuo / King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) male taking off from water, Norway, April. Magic Moments book plate.

Markus Varesvuo / Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri) ducks, males and females, in flight. Norway, March

Laurent Geslin / Eider duck {Somateria mollissima} on water flapping its wings, UK.

Wild Wonders of Europe / O. Haarberg / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) pair, Jkulsrln glacial lagoon, Iceland, June 2008

Fergus Gill / 2020VISION / Female Eider (Somateria mollissima) swimming on sea, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK, June.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Eider (Somateria mollissima) male in flight in evening light. Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK, March.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Eider (Somateria mollissima) male in flight in evening light, Aberdeenshire , Scotland, UK

Erlend Haarberg / Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) taking off from water, Norway, January

Ben Hall / Eider (Somateria mollissima) male swimming, Northumberland, UK

Markus Varesvuo / Eider (Somateria molisima) male head profile, Finland May

Bernard Castelein / Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) female with chicks walking up beach from water, Helgoland, Germany, May

Bernard Castelein / Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) chick on beach, Helgoland, Germany, May

Eric Baccega / King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) flying low over water. Floe edge, Arctic Bay, Nunavut, Canada, April.

Wild Wonders of Europe / O. Haarberg / Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) on sea, Kallskr, Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden, June 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / O. Haarberg / Four Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) flying over sea, Kallskr, Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden, June 2009

Guy Edwardes / Eider (Somateria mollissima) male taking off from water, Seahouses, Northumberland, England, February

Guy Edwardes / Eider (Somateria mollissima) male on water, Seahouses, Northumberland, England, February

Guy Edwardes / Eider (Somateria mollissima) male on water, stretching, Seahouses, Northumberland, England, February

Edwin Giesbers / Two male Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) Heligoland, Germany

Kim Taylor / Eider (Somateria mollissima) drake, captive, Sussex, England

Orsolya Haarberg / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male. Jkulsrln glacial lagoon. Iceland. June 2008

Orsolya Haarberg / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male. Jkulsrln glacial lagoon. Iceland. June 2008

Pete Cairns / Common Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) male taking off from water, Nord-Trondelag, Norway

Flip de Nooyer / Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) adult female at down nest with eggs, Europe

Espen Bergersen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) swimming in the Jokulsarlon lake. Iceland, May.

Espen Bergersen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) resting on ice. Iceland, May.

Espen Bergersen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) performing courtship postures between ice bergs in the Jokulsarlon Lake, Iceland. May.

Espen Bergersen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) between ice bergs in the Jokulsarlon lake. Iceland, May.

Mike Read / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) female swimming in Loch Fleet, Sutherland, Scotland, UK, May.

John Shaw / Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) carrying Common eider duck egg (Somateria mollissima) after raiding nesting colony. Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. June.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Orca (Orcinus orca) hunting an Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) chick , Shetland, Scotland, UK, July.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Killer whale (orca) hunting an Eider chick (Somateria mollissima), Shetland, Scotland, UK, July.

Jeff Vanuga / Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) standing with Common eider (Somateria mollissima) egg in mouth. Svalbard, Norway. June.

Jeff Vanuga / Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) standing with Common eider (Somateria mollissima) egg in mouth. Svalbard, Norway. June.

Jeff Vanuga / Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) running with Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) egg in mouth. Svalbard, Norway. June.

Jeff Vanuga / Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) flushing Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female from nest in colony. Svalbard, Norway. June.

Jeff Vanuga / Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) with Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) chick in mouth. Svalbard, Norway. June.

Jeff Vanuga / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female sitting on nest, Svalbard, Norway. June.

Jeff Vanuga / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female defending nest against Glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. June.

Konrad Wothe / Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) attacking Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) defending her ducklings, North Sea, Germany, June.

Konrad Wothe / Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) attacking Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) defending her ducklings, North Sea, Germany, June.

Konrad Wothe / Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) with ducklings, North Sea, Germany, June.

Nick Hawkins / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) nest with five eggs, Nova Scotia, Canada, May.

Nick Hawkins / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) nest with five eggs, Nova Scotia, Canada, May.

Sandra Bartocha / Flock of Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) and King eiders (Somateria spectabilis) Austvagoya, Norway

Sandra Bartocha / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) Oland, Sweden, May.

Laurie Campbell / Eider (Somateria mollissima) close-up of female preening whilst incubating eggs, Inner Farne, Farne Islands, off North Northumberland Coast, England, May.

Roger Powell / Pair of Common eiders (Somateria mollissima). Male preening with female circling and posturing for copulation. Amble Harbour, Northumberland, England, UK, March

Roger Powell / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) drake courtship display. Amble Harbour, Northumberland, England, UK, March

Roger Powell / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) drake in courtship display. Amble Harbour, Northumberland, England, UK, March

Roger Powell / Pair of Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) mating. Amble Harbour, Northumberland, England, UK, March

Roger Powell / Pair of Common eiders (Somateria mollissima). Female circling male as part of courtship display. Amble Harbour, Northumberland, England, UK, March

Pal Hermansen / Common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) flock on water with some diving, seen from a bridge, Straumne, Trondelag, Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Aw...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female resting on rock with waves, Oslo Fjord. Southern Norway, June. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Boy with bag of Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) down collected from breeding birds, Flatey, Iceland. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards 2017...

Pal Hermansen / Eider down collector replacing Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) down feathers with grass, collected from wild breeding birds, Flatey, Iceland. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre...

Pal Hermansen / Family on small island, to search for eider nests. Lanan, Vega UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway, July 2014. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage Nature Images Aw...

Pal Hermansen / Woman cleaning of eider down, from Common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) all small particles must be removed to ensure long duration of the down product. Lanan Island, Vegoyan UNESCO World Heritag...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) females at night outside eider house. They leave the houses for a few minutes to go to sea. Lanan Island, Vega UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway. Ju...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) down feathers during cleaning, weighed down with a shoe, Lanan Island, Vega islands UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway, July.

Pal Hermansen / Guard patrolling around Holmholmen Nature Reserve to protect the birds, Helgeland, Northern Norway. May 2016. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards 2017...

Pal Hermansen / Eider houses, Lanan Island, Vega Islands UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway. July. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Storage house for Eider duck down before cleaning , with midnight sun. Lanan, Vega islands UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway, Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage...

Pal Hermansen / Woman cleaning Common eider (Somateria mollissima) down on down harp, Lanan Island, Vega UNESCO World Heritage Site, Norway, July. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage Natu...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male surfacing after a dive, Trondelag, Norway, February.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) ducklings, Flatey, Iceland. June 2016. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) males ducks on beach at night, Patreksfjordur, Iceland, June. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Eider ducks sculpture, with Common eider (Somateria mollissima) ducks on water in the background, Straumen, Trondelag, Norway. February 2016.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male diving in current, seen from a bridge, Straumen, Trondelag, Norway, February.

Pal Hermansen / Depiction of everyday life for the islanders. including eider down collection. Flatey, Iceland, June. Painted by Icelandic - Spanish painter Baltazar Samper in the 1990s

Pal Hermansen / View from above of Common eider (Somateria mollissima) flock taking off, scared by an otter. Trondelag, Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competi...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male landing, seen from above, Trondelag Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) females with snow on back, Trondelag, Norway, January.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male stretching wings, Trondelag,Norway, January.

Pal Hermansen / Man collecting Common eider (Somateria mollissima) down from nest, Norway, June 2014.

Pal Hermansen / Eider duck houses, kept by Eider down farmers, Lanan, Vega UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway, July 2014.

Pal Hermansen / Woman cleaning Common eider (Somateria mollissima) down on down harp, Lanan Island, Vega UNESCO World Heritage Site, Norway, July.

Pal Hermansen / Eider duck houses, kept by Eider down farmers, Lanan, Vega UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Norway, July 2014.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male in fishing harbour, Straumen, Trondelag, Norway, January.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male taking off, Trondelag, Norway, March.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male and female, Trondelag Norway, February.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male waiting for food outside hamburger restaurant where it is often fed scraps of food by people. Norway. February.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) in snowfall, Trondelag, Norway, January. Overall winner of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards 2017. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Natu...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female on nest in farm garage,Trondelag, Norway, January. Highly commended in the Man and Nature Category of Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) male in fishing harbour, Trondelag, Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) males diving, viewed from underwater, Trondelag, Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017. Win...

Pal Hermansen / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) male diving, viewed from underwater, Trondelag, Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Pal Hermansen / Common eider ducklings (Somateria mollissima) sleeping at nest with mother sleeping nearby, Husavik, Iceland Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

Jussi Murtosaari / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) group on the coast, Finland, April.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Male Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) displaying to each other, competing over a female, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK, February.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Raft of Common eiders (Somateria mollissima), with males displaying, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK, February.

Roger Powell / Common eider (Somateria mollissima) dabbling, Lindisfarne, Holy Island, Northumberland, UK, March.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) pair on calm water in estuary, Scotland, UK, March.