Pt Huron, MI Harlequin Duck! - 05 Feb 2011

Saturday morning started w/ a trip to Red Cross to give blood, and then a road trip to Port Huron, MI to look for Long-tailed Ducks and the previously-reported Harlequin Duck.  Skies were relatively clear this morning, but clouds and snow were forecast for the afternoon.  Hopefully I'd get there early enough to get some decent light.

I arrived at the Chase Bank shortly before 11 am and searched the shoreline for the Harlequin Duck.  A small raft of Long-tailed Ducks were swimming relatively close to shore, along with dozens of Mallard, and a handfull of Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye.  Though I was up on a hill next to shore the Long-tails swam away the moment I left the car to grab the scope.  No sign of the Harlequin Duck.

I drove slowly along the US side of the St. Clair River toward the bridge and scanned the waters, but could not locate the Harlequin Duck.  Long-tailed Ducks and Common Goldeneye were relatively common, but the LT's tended to stay in the middle of the channel. 

I spent an hour or so under the bridge scanning the water and hoping to digiscope some of the Long-tailed Ducks that drifted close to shore. I failed miserably.  They kicked my digiscoping ass!  My problem?  The birds have a tendency to dive 20-30 seconds after resurfacing from a 1 minute dive.  Add a 45X eyepiece on the spotting scope, and a constant drift it was impossible to focus on them fast enough, add the adaptor and camera, and focus.  It was cold, and I was too slow, and skies were deteriorating.

Still, I managed a few photos of the ducks using the Nikon D300 and Sigma 400mm f/5.6, but was still disappointed that I couldn't do better w/ the scope.

The Long-tailed Duck is a wonderful study in variable plumage identification, having three plumage changes in a year, rather than the two normally found in other waterfowl species.  I was hoping to get some images for further study, since these birds seem to be constantly molting and showing different variations in appearance.  Please don't hesitate to correct my mis-identifications.  After all, its almost mid-February and I've yet to have been schooled about my ID skills (lack-thereof).

Adult Winter males are easiest to recognize: white heads, gray face patch, black cheeks, black body and white scapular feathers (see left).  Most of the time their long, two-streamer tail feathers are curled and pointed upward, unlike in this case where it is partially submerged.  Note the pink-banded bill, found only in the male birds. Long-tails are also unusual in that they spread their wings prior to diving.

This one's a bit trickier. Presumably a male (pink-banded bill), suspected to be a juvenile based on its dark eye(?).  It appears to lack the tail streamers, and the scapulars, showing red-brown coloration, suggests that its molting into its spring adult plumage. Note the dark head feathering.

I did manage to digiscope these two (presumed) females: juvenile (foreground?) and adult (background).  Bills are dark and w/o pink banding.  White heads with dark caps, with the adult having a dark cheek while the juvie has a pale, almost non-existent cheek patch.  No white scapulars or tail streamers.

Adult  winter female (?) showing bluish cast to bill, and reddish-brown wing feathers. 

This female appears to be transitioning into spring breeding plumage: note the dark head and white face patch, dark bill and lack of tail streamers.

Lake St. Clair was almost entirely frozen except for some open water at the mouth of the river.  Though I scanned the water I found no scoters.  Gulls were largely absent, as well.  Overhead a Peregrine Falcon was chattering from its nesting platform, and flew off to the side of the bridge where I scoped it for a while. 

Bob Arthurs wandered by (thankfully) and reported that he had seen the Harlequin Duck, so packed my stuff and headed back down toward the bank.  Just below the Coast Guard Hollyhock I found the immature male swimming alongside a Common Goldeneye.  The two stayed together closely the entire time I was there, with the Harlequin diving immediately after the Goldeneye dove.  After about 15 minutes the goldeneye flew off, leaving the Harlequin Duck to drift off past the ship.

With snow flakes starting to fall, I decided it was time to head back home.  The 1/2" to 2" of snow forecasted turned into 4-6" and the mini-blizzard produced a nice 2.5 hr. drive home.  After giving blood this morning I was lucky I didn't run out steam before getting home...

Edison Park, St. Clair, Michigan, US
Feb 5, 2011 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Saturday morning started w/ a trip to Red Cross to give blood, and then a road trip to Port Huron, MI to look for Long-tailed Ducks and the previously-reported Harlequin Duck near Chase Bank south of bridge.
5 species

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)  1     juv male next to Coast Guard ship.
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)  24     numerous birds along river
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  1
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  2
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42429721

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