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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Take a trip to Glacier, watch the ducks

Brightly colored male harlequin ducks, like the one at right, can be found flying, diving and feeding along the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park. Still hunted in Canada, these ducks are endangered in the United States. At left is a female. (The Spokesman-Review)
Mike Brodwater Correspondent
Brightly colored male harlequin ducks, like the one at right, can be found flying, diving and feeding along the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park. Still hunted in Canada, these ducks are endangered in the United States. At left is a female. (The Spokesman-Review)

Here is a three-day trip to take next weekend that offers stunning scenery, exercise, maybe some snow and the most beautiful ducks that you may have ever seen. That’s right, harlequin ducks in Glacier National Park.

You don’t have to be a card-carrying Audubon Society member to appreciate these birds. The male’s coloration could be called gaudy, with patches of colored feathers atop a mahogany base. Named for the theatrical clowns of Europe, harlequins also have been called painted ducks, circus ducks and totem pole ducks.

About half the size of a mallard, these little guys are beautiful. The female is as dull as the male is bright and for a good reason – she minds the nest hidden along the stream banks. The male would attract predators to the nest so he isn’t invited to help raise the young. He heads for the West Coast. But the ducks are mated for life, so after the ducklings are raised, the adults reunite for the rest of the year.

Harlequins are in the sea duck family, which means they spend the fall and winter on the West Coast, mostly off the coast of Washington and British Columbia. They are the only birds that fly inland to feed and nest – and they are in trouble. There are only about 40 pair in Glacier Park. Up to 20 pair can be found along McDonald Creek. The female takes five years to mature and returns to the same nest site each year. If the nest is disturbed or she dies, another pair disappear from Glacier.

The National Park Service is trying to protect the ducks along McDonald Creek by keeping the public from disturbing them and has banned white-water recreation on the lower part of stream. But the ducks can be spotted on the portion of the creek above Lake McDonald, beyond the gate blocking Going-to-the-Sun Road. Park your car at the gate and walk or bicycle up the road along McDonald Creek.

If you need help finding the ducks, help is close at hand at the Glacier Institute, which offers more than 60 outdoor classes for people interested in learning more about the park.

The class on harlegquin ducks is taught by John Ashley, who has studied the birds for several years and is an expert on the ducks in Glacier.

The one-day course begins with a slide presentation of the ducks’ life history and other details. Then it’s to McDonald Creek to search out the ducks. With Ashley’s help, the birds are fairly easy to spot. The ducks like to float down a section of the stream feeding and then fly back upstream, follwing the stream course exactly, never flying over land. So sit down on the bank and stay put. The ducks will either float past or fly by. But look fast for the fliers; they really jet quietly past about 10 feet above the water.

These birds have a fascinating life story, and there is so much learn about them. Learn why they are endangered, learn about bachelor male ducks and how the Park Service is trying to protect them all. Occasionally stop searching for the ducks and look up at the close-by gorgeous, snow covered cliffs and mountains. You can forget, just for a little while, the problems you have left at home. Here is a centering experience you might not want to miss and you can blame the trip on of all things – harlequin ducks.