Towheeblog

Getting to see, watch and admire Harlequin at close range is a high point of any trip to the Olympic Peninsula.  So, enjoy:Two fancy guys chasing the less decorated female off Ediz Hook. While the Harflequin breeds on inland rivers it winters on ocean bays and inlets often.  Not quite as keen on open ocean as scoters, Long-Tailed Duck or RB Mergansers are.While many Harlequin were already paired, there was plenty of pursuit going on.This pair was feeding at Keystone Harbor on Whidbey Island, just beyond the waves kicked up by the ferryboat.  We could stand less than forty feet away as they cruised just off the rocks: