Harlequin Duck breeding phenology?Hi Ken,

Harlequin ducks breed starting at two or three years of age. The ducks you
saw may be young ones. But after the nests are established -- usually on the
ground by fast-moving streams -- and the eggs laid, Harlequin males return
to the coast to molt. That leaves the females to tend the eggs alone, so
they can't renest if predators drive them away.


Paul Webster

Seattle

paul.webster at comcast.net

----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Wilson
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 11:39 AM
Subject: Harlequin Duck breeding phenology?


Yesterday I kayaked from Port Townsend 2 miles out to Rat Island (a barely
vegetated gravel bar just offshore from Marrowstone and Indian Islands).
There were 120 Harlequin Ducks sitting on the cobbly beach -mostly adult
plumage males, with some females and younger males). Are these adult males
about to head to breeding rivers? And where are their mates? Or have they
already deserted their mates at those rivers? What is the story?

Ken Wilson
Port Townsend, WA
kenw at cablespeed.com