Subject: Tagged Harlequin
Date: Nov 11 19:20:39 1997
From: MEYER2J at aol.com - MEYER2J at aol.com


Tweets:

I had reported earlier on Tweeters that I had seen a tagged female Harlequin
duck on Oct. 18 at Alki, 63rd & Beach St. Thanks to Janet Hardin and Mike
Donahue I was able to obtain additional information about this particular
duck. About a week after I'd seen the duck, Biologist Greg Schirato of the
Fish and Wildlife Dept. went to Alki and saw the Harlequin. Oct. 30 he
called and reported the following: The duck was banded as an adult (more
than 3 years old) on July 29, 1995 on the Vermillion River, Montana (SE of
Glacier National Park), her nesting site. She successfully raised 3 young
that year. She was banded again in 1996 on the same river, but before she
had nested. (After this time the biologist who had been banding her, died
from a bee sting and no additonal sightings had been reported.) The Oct. 18
sighting was the first salt-water sighting of this Harlequin. She has a
right circle blue nasal disk and a left oval rose/red disk and a band on each
leg. The nasal disks have faded to pale blue and a pinkish color.

It's exciting to find out this personal information about one particular
duck. And thanks to Tweeters one can do that.

Joyce Meyer
Woodinville, WA
MEYER2J at aol.com