The Harlequin Ducks are here! We’ve been enjoying the Cormorants taking up residence on
our pilings for the past month, the visiting loons for two weeks, and now we
are lucky to have the court jesters join them. These vibrant birds are a delight to non-birders like me. Who
could mistake a Harlequin?
Here is a drawing from James Audubon I borrowed from
Wikipedia.
There are apparently two populations or sub-species of Harlequin
ducks – those that breed in Eastern Canada and those that breed in Alaska and
Western Canada. They are an
example of speciation in progress – should the two populations remain isolated
long enough, they will be unable to fruitfully interbreed in the future.
The Harlequin ducks are usually with us all winter before
migrating north again next summer to breed.
