Nesting

Behold a pair of eider ducks, possibly in the process of settling into a new home.  These were encountered just outside Reykjavik back in June. The female eider lines her nest with the down from her own breast, and this is collected for use in pillows or whatever.  The farmers do not, I am told, somehow trap the ducks and tear the down from their living breasts— the down is harvested after the chicks leave the nest. If your living depends on the eider duck, you don’t want to mistreat her, be...