The Harlequin Duck found below the dam at Alma and viewed from the Minnesota side of the dam on 1/5, had been seen the day before (1/4), but not the day after (1/6). The duck appeared to me to be in non-breeding plumage as it was dark and appeared to lack the reddish coloration and longer tail of the breeding plumage. The white markings were less extensive than in the breeding plumage. The white stripe across the back at the base of the wing and the stripe at the base of the neck were both missing. The vertical stripe that extends from the front of the wing down to the water on the swimming duck was thin, as shown in pictures in the Sibley and Nat. Geo field guides. The spots on the head were as pictured on the nonbreeding male. The stripe up the front of the head was more extensive than in the field guide. The vertical stripe towards the back of the neck was thin, but visible, unlike the pictures in the field guide. I was wondering if these minor differences in the plumage might be characteristic of the smaller population of Harlequins in eastern Canada that would be expected to winter in the the great lakes area. -- Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN [log in to unmask] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html