From the Flathead National Forest Facebook
The Flathead National Forest Facebook page says … Large fire activity required us to cancel most of this year’s Harlequin Duck surveys, but this was a gratifying sight. Four youngsters and their mum paddle in a calm stretch of Sullivan Creek on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. Harlequin Ducks are the only North American waterfowl that nest along fast-moving mountain streams, diving in the clear water to feed on insects among the cobbles and gravel. While females and young are inconspicuous, the adult mule is a striking slate blue marked in black, white, and chestnut. To learn more about Montana’s Harlequin Ducks, visit Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ “Field Guide” site, http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx