Date: 3/26/21 5:22 pm From: Roy Lowe <roy.loweiii...> Subject: [obol] Re: Harlequin High
Tim:
Thanks for the info on Cape Arago. I knew they were present there in some numbers but not as many as 66! I’ve seen them around the cape and roosting on Shell Island at high tide. My count today at Yaquina Bay appears to be a high count for Lincoln County. We’ve had three color banded birds in Lincoln County all seen back in the mid-90’s at Yaquina Bay and Seal Rock. Two were from McDonald Creek in Glacier NP, MT and one was from Lookout Creek off of the McKenzie River in the Cascades. I observed a metal only banded bird at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach in May 2012, but I was not able to read the numbers. Actually, I was working and couldn’t spend the time it would take to try and capture all the band numbers via photography. In 1994, Dave Pitkin counted 43 harlequins at the Stonefield Beach roost site in Lane County, which may be a high count for that County. We have birds here nearly year round but it’s difficult to know if they are summering birds or not. Males often depart the females once egg laying is complete and so birds we see in mid-June on could be birds that have returned and molt here. Fascinating ducks for sure.
