Harlequins and More

Our latest visit to Ft. Flagler and Port Townsend proved to be less than what was hoped for, but still served as a welcome break from the constant rain.  When I saw that Monday was the only day of the week when rain was not predicted, I decided we needed to finally make our annual visit to see the Harlequin Ducks that overwinter there.

As it turned out, the predicted sunshine never manifested itself, but on the positive side, at least, it didn’t rain, either.  When we arrived at the park we discovered that we had forgotten to put the annual pass that we received at the beginning of December in the car.  We could have paid another $10 in addition to the $6o dollars we’ve already paid to use the State Parks, but I was too stubborn to do that.  So, we didn’t walk the spit; instead, we parked near the boat launch where I usually see Harlequins. Sure enough, there was a male and two females just offshore.

I usually see them fishing offshore, but with an unusually high tide they seemed content to rest on the rocks.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the dull breast and underside of a male Harlequin before,

though the speckled white underside of the female is quite common in other species.

I was totally focused on the Harlequins until a Black Oystercatcher suddenly came around the corner, and then another.

I expected to see the Harlequins; I felt extremely lucky to see the Black Oystercatcher, even though I have seen them here before but not this close.  I’ve certainly never noticed the long, brown toenails before.

I was actually so caught up in trying to get a good picture of the Oystercatcher that I only caught a glimpse of the male Harlequin as it swam away.

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