Some little ,lords and ladies

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i XXIV ?"?NE*T

If you should chance to see a group of delicate little waterfowl with sharp— ly platterned slate~blue, white, black and rusty plumage swimming in the shelt- ered waters of some rocky cove or among scattered islands, stop and take a second look. And if you should happen to be car- rying a shotgun, hold your fire.

The birds are Harlequin Ducks, wide— ly known as "lords and ladies", and there are likely fewer than a thousand left in eastern North America.

Their small numbers in this region are something of a mystery. In Iceland, there are estimated to be more than 5,000 breeding pairs of the tiny sea—ducks. in southern Greenland, they are reported to be "fairly common", and the Pacific coast harbours a population of more than a million.

A review of writing by hunters and ornithologists over the past cen- tury suggests that Harlequins have never been very numerous in these parts. The earlier accounts refer to winter flocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off Newfoundland and south to cpae Cod which numbered in the hundreds. Mid— twentieth century observers speak of flocks of a few dozen; yet, last

'Inonth, aerial surveys of known wintering spots in Nova Scotia found only about 100 birds - in small, scattered groups.

For some reason the Harlequins of Atlantic Canada are declining, little by little, towards the point of no return. Why this should be hap- pening is a question on which wildlife biologists are currently focusing their attention.

Most Harlequins in eastern Canada nest along turbulent streams which flow into the Atlantic Ocean and Ungava Bay from the rugged Torngat Mount— ains of Labrador. Even there, in prime breeding territory, they are un— common. A survey last summer revealed a probable density of about one pair for every ten kilometers of suitable habitat. In other parts of the world ten times this density -i.e. one per kilometer - is considered to be low. Is it possible that the food supply in these cold, nutrient—poor streams is too limited to sustain a greater numer of breeding birds?

Harlequins winter in sheltered coves along rocky shorelines, where they forage for prey among the seaweeds of theintertidal zone. They tend to be close to a few traditional sites, a habit which could make them especially vulnerable to unexpected calamities. An influx of heavy pack ice could block access to their feeding areas. A spill of oil or toxic chemicals could devastate an entire wintering flock.

Last but by no means least among possible reasons for their decline is the pressure of hunting. Although in recent years significant numbers of Harlequins have been taken only in Newfoundland, they are no strangers to east coast hunting lore. Evidence of this appears in the wide variety of popular names by which they are known in various parts of the region: "rocks ducks" from their preferred feeding sites; "lords and ladies" and

'"white-eyed divers" with referece to their elegant plumage; "squeakers"