Eider Ducklings, West Fjords, Iceland
Every spring many thousand Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) build nests. Icelandic farmers replace their valuable down feathers for hay. Through years of experience these farmers carefully remove the feathers, which then go through many stages of cleaning and processing. Many of these areas are protected by the farmer keeping the nest safe from prey, sea gulls fox, etc. The down is used in blankets which retail for extremely high prices.
Size: 4709px × 3712px
Location: Vigur island, West fjords
Photo credit: © Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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