(1970) regarded this species as the least common of the three species of scoter 

 wintering in South Carolina. Recent Christmas Bird Counts (Map 26) indicate 

 that Surf Scoters may be at least locally common along the coast of South Caro- 

 lina. A few have been recorded from inland (e.g., on Lake Hartwell near Clemson 

 [Teulings 1977a]), but the great majority are found off the coast. 



Georgia Surf Scoters are uncomnon winter residents on the Georgia coast, 

 most numerous offshore. They may be expected between October and May (Denton 

 et al. 1977). 



Florida The Surf Scoter is rare to uncommon in Florida and apparently al- 

 ways has been. Howell (1932) listed only eight records for the state between 

 1888 and 1932 (at Lake Worth, Punta Rosa, Saint Augustine, Talbot Island, Ponce 

 Park, Daytona Beach, Mosquito Lagoon, and the St. Lucie River). Sprunt (1954) 

 indicated that this species is usually present in Florida from late October to 

 late May, but listed two exceptionally late occurrences: 25 June 1949 (Merritt 

 Island) and 4 June 1952 (St. Marks). A few birds remain into the summer (Ogden 

 1971, Edscorn 1977). 



Surf Scoters are presently regarded as rare to uncommon on both coasts of 

 Florida, but are much less frequent along the southern portions. They occur al- 

 most regularly on the Atlantic coast as far south as Cape Canaveral and are un- 

 common but regular in the northern Gulf (Kale 1979 ms a, 1979 ms b) . Seasonal 

 reports in American Birds usually list no more than a dozen birds but in some 

 years the number present is much greater. Some 800 Surf Scoters were seen off 

 northwest Florida during the winter of 1978-79 (Stevenson 1979). 



Alabama Imhof (1976b) considered Surf Scoters uncommon but regular winter 

 visitors in Mississippi Sound and nearby waters. He believed that Surf Scoters 

 are the most common scoter in Alabama. There are less than a half dozen inland 

 records; no more than two have been seen at once. More are seen along the coast; 

 maximum numbers recorded have been 22 birds seen at Fort Morgan, 23 January 

 1971, and 50-75 seen near Coffee Island on an unknown date (Imhof 1976b). The 

 Surf Scoter has been recorded in Alabama between 6 November (Purrington 1978) 

 and 20 April (Imhof 1976b). 



Mississippi Neither Burleigh (1944) nor Gandy and Turcotte (1970) mention- 

 ed the occurrence of the Surf Scoter in Mississippi. This scoter is apparently 

 uncommon, judging from scattered records listed in American Birds and in the 

 Mississippi Kite, a periodical devoted to local ornithology. For the period 

 from July 1976 through November 1978, Surf Scoters were reported in Mississippi 

 from as early as 24 November 1977 (inland at Noxubee NWR) to as late as 15 May 

 1977 (Horn Island). The two largest concentrations reported during this period 

 were up to 40 birds seen 11-17 February 1978 at East Ship Island and 80 seen 

 28 February 1978 at Horn Island (Weber and Jackson 1977, 1978; Jackson and 

 Cooley 1978a) . 



Louisiana Lowery (1974) indicated that Surf Scoters had been recorded 19 

 times in Lousiana through 1973; these records total 72 birds. Through the per- 

 iod covering the spring of 1979, at least seven more records appeared in Amer- 

 ican Birds; these involved at least 86 individuals. More than half of the re- 

 cords for the Surf Scoter, the second most abundant scoter in Louisiana, are 



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