Harlequin Duck Sightings Wanted

Each year a unique aquatic creature makes a spectacular journey from the Pacific Ocean to its breeding grounds in the Rocky Mountains. This creature isn't a Chinook salmon or a steelhead - it isn't even a fish - it is the harlequin duck, a small sea duck that nests along the swift mountain streams of the Pacific and Intermountain West. The Salmon Region office of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is asking the public for help in locating these rare mountain ducks, which appear to be declining in portions of their breeding range. Harlequin ducks are the focus of conservation concern in the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, and eastern North America because of declining populations and shrinking distributions. Compared to other species of ducks, harlequins occur at much lower densities, have lower reproductive rates, and take at least two years - often longer - to reach sexual maturity. These combined traits make harlequin duck populations slow to recover from habitat degradation, such as marine pollution and oil spills. In Idaho, their breeding strongholds are the Selway River north to Canada and southeastern Idaho near the Yellowstone ecosystem. A few breeding records exist for Custer and Lemhi counties, but those records are now more than 10 years old. Fish and Game's Salmon Region Nongame Wildlife Program has been surveying historic harlequin streams for the past two years with no success finding birds to date. Fish and Game would like the public's help in locating harlequin ducks in the Salmon River, Beaverhead, Lemhi and Boulder-White Cloud mountain ranges of east-central Idaho. Please report sightings as soon as possible to the Fish and Game's Salmon Region office at 208-756-2271. Observers are asked to note the exact location of the sighting and the sex and number of harlequin ducks observed, and send photographs if possible. Historic sightings of harlequin ducks are also welcome, as these may identify streams for future surveys. Harlequin ducks get their name from the male's unmistakable splashy colors, thought to resemble the colorful costumes of medieval court jesters. The drake is mostly a rich slate-blue with the head, breast and neck marked with black-bordered bold white patches, crescents and sashes, with chestnut accents on the crown and flanks. The female is a more subdued brownish gray with light cheeks and white spots above the eye and over the ear. North America harbors two widely separated populations of harlequin ducks - a western and an eastern population. The western population breeds throughout coastal and interior Alaska, Canada, and the Cascade and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States. Some harlequins even cross the continental divide into western Montana and northwest Wyoming. Based on banding studies, the Cascade and Rocky Mountain populations winter in British Columbia and Washington. The eastern population breeds in maritime Canada and winters on the coasts of Greenland and New England. In spring, harlequin duck pairs leave Pacific coastal waters arriving on the female's natal stream by mid-May. Researchers think harlequins migrate as salmon do - by following rivers and streams. In the upper Salmon River, April is a good time to catch a glimpse of this rare duck on its inland journey. They can be spotted resting mid-river on boulders or diving in swift water to forage on stoneflies, caddis flies and other aquatic insects. Harlequin ducks nest along cold, swift-flowing streams with gravelly substrate, exposed logs and boulders, and dense vegetation. The hen builds a down-lined nest on the ground, in small cliff ledges, in tree cavities, or on stumps near water and well concealed by overhead cover. Soon after the hen begins incubating a clutch of five or six eggs, the male harlequin returns to the coast, precluding any chance for re-nesting if the clutch is destroyed. Harlequin ducklings quickly become adept at swimming and feeding in turbulent currents. In August and September, hens and broods depart for the coast, often separately, leaving the young to navigate on their own. For more information on harlequin ducks or other Idaho wildlife, contact local Fish and Game offices.