[mou] Harlequin Duck re-found: Prescott & Minnesota

[Jim Ryan]

Merry Christmas all!
I got a great Christmas gift yesterday afternoon - a lifer *Harlequin duck!*

I got off work early and headed over to Point Douglas to try my luck. When I
arrived at about 2:30 present were:

Trumpeter Swan ~ 6
*Lesser Scaup* - 1
Canvasback - 1 pair
Redhead ~ 2 pair
Coot ~ 3
Common Merganser ~ about a dozen pairs
Common Goldeneye ~ over a dozen pairs
Canada Geese ~ 8
Mallard ~ couple pair

After I had been hanging around for a while, Jim Mattson and his son Brady
arrived.  At Jim's suggestion, we proceeded to the Prescott boat launch,
where we immediately found the *Harlequin*, upriver out from the boat slips
on the Wisconsin side. It was about 3:30  We moved up to overlook just south
of the bridge near the Little Marina area nearer to the duck (sorry if I am
not identifying these areas precisely, it was my first time there, I was
following Jim M, and my focus was on the *Harlequin!*)  where we all got a
much closer look at the lone male as it moved towards the middle of the
river, catching fish as it went amongst Common Goldeneye and a Mallard.
Even though it was slightly backlit from the Wisconsin side, the distinctive
white head and body markings were crisp and clear against the dusky blue,
although I did not get a good sense of the chestnut patch on the flank.

We moved downriver on foot to another vantage point nearer the docks and the
duck lifted off and landed in Minnesota waters! (*Dakota County)*.  It
proceeded to swim upriver to* Washington county* waters as well.

As we celebrated, a non-birder arrived hoping he could get a look through
our scopes at an old ship that had apparently recently sunk just north of
the bridge.  He assumed that was our target of interest and when we told him
we were looking at a duck, he looked bewildered and briefly told us the
story of the boat and disappeared.  I guess birders are a breed apart.

After looking downriver a bit and noticing 3 *bald eagles* (2 adults, one
1st year) we returned to Point Douglas park.  By 4pm, many more birds were
settling into the modest, crescent shaped piece of open water on Point
Douglas. There were now easily many hundreds of birds concentrated in this
small spot!

Dozens more Goldeneyes continued to stream in, announcing their arrival with
their characteristic whistling wings. More Mergansers were also showing up
and upon re-scanning the throngs of birds we found a pair of *Black ducks*.
Jim M and Brady saw the *Hybrid Merganser/Goldeneye*, but I was unable to
pick it out of the ever increasing numbers of birds before I had to leave.

All in all, it was great Christmas present.  I hope yours are equally swell!

-- 
Sincerely,

Jim Ryan on St. Paul's Westside
651-308-0234 business cell

"A man who dares to waste an hour of time has not discovered the value of
life." - Charles Darwin
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