Shoreline Chic

The reliable spectacle of Harlequin Ducks makes Halibut Point a destination for sightseers with binoculars. We're the southernmost accessible point to admire their ornamentation and endurance. Birdwatchers come from near and far to see Harlequins.

The Harlequin's cork-like buoyancy counters the strenuous elements of the winter shoreline. They come here for refuge when frozen out of the fast-moving rivers of the boreal forests where they breed and raise their young.

The coastal life mixes tranquil and stormy days. The water is often turbulent in the shallow depths the Harlequins prefer. Somehow they withstand the tumult of the surf.

They ride dizzily over the crests of waves or dive just before the breaking force. 


Two females, one 'snorkeling', and a diving male

The Harlequins forage on the rocky bottom for shellfish. They are able to pry off limpets with a small hooked portion of their beaks. 


As specially adapted as they are to the water Harlequin Ducks still manage to fly. 


A Long-tailed Duck hen and two Harlequin drakes

Where their presence thins out away from the rocks the equally spectacular Long-tailed Ducks take up winter residence.


A female and two males in winter plumage



To the unaided eye from shore they stand out as bright-white, slightly mottled floating objects. A closer look during breeding plumage suggests a pheasant-like bird on the ocean. Males develop a white patch around the eye, a black breast and a plume-like tail.


In March, one male with white eye patch, one with grey cheeks

 Plumage sequences in Long-tailed Ducks are complex and variable. Unlike most ducks, which molt twice per year, they undergo three phases annually in a series of overlapping partial molts.



In the air the all-dark wings and white stripes evident in all sexes and plumages call to mind a skunk motif.  They seem to fly more easily than the frantic wingbeats of the Harlequins.

Many Long-tailed Ducks winter far out at sea. They are reputed to dive as deep as 200 feet in search of mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish.
 

They congregate in small flocks on the skirts of Halibut Point.
 

As spring approaches they put their adornments to advantage in courting rituals and contests.