Flagler’s Harlequin Ducks

Regular visitors would probably know after yesterday’s post that photos of Harlequin ducks are bound to follow, and here they are. The main reason I go to Ft. Flagler is to see the Harlequins. Though I can sometimes find them near Port Orchard, I’m almost guaranteed to see them at Flagler.

On this trip, though, I was at the very tip of the spit before I spotted a single male Harlequin, and it was a long ways offshore.

Of course, the waves were so high that there might have been a small flock out there and I wouldn’t have seen them.

When Harlequins are feeding they spend much of their time trolling, looking for a meal,

and they’re barely visible even in calm water.

The best shots come when they’re in the calm side of the spit apparently just hanging out, like this pair that was staying out of the bone-chilling North winds.

Sunshine and calm waters make for elegant profiles of these colorful ducks.

One thought on “Flagler’s Harlequin Ducks”

  1. They hardly look real! Like some painted sculpture sent out to carry color to the cold blue sea.

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