Harlequin Ducks at the Port of Indiana: Two Harlequin Ducks, a distinctively marked juvenile male and a drabber female, swim along the rocks by the public fishing area at the Port of Indiana on Sunday. These two and a third, another female, were first spotted on Saturday. Harlequin Ducks are fairly unusual in Porter County. According to Ken Brock, the dean of Northwest Indiana birding, in his book Birds of the Indiana Dunes, typically only three or so are seen per season, which extends from November through March. It’s been a couple of years at least, however, since a Harlequin was reliably seen at the Port.

(Tribune photo by Kevin Nevers)

Posted 2/19/2008