MOVEMENT 



ON THE BREEDING GROUNDS 



In Montana and Idaho, several relatively long-distance movements have been 

 documented both within and between years (Table 4). Two males and several breeding females 

 were observed using different nearby drainages during different years. These observations 

 indicate that movements within a drainage, both within and between years, of up to 30 km may 

 regularly, but rarely, occur. Movements occurred even over large reservoirs (Noxon Reservoir) 

 and lakes (Lake McDonald). The 1995 movement by a female and her entire fledged brood to 

 the Vermilion River (Table 4) was likely the result of disturbance due to marking; however, the 

 movement took place at least 4 hours following the release of the birds. The female in Glacier 

 Park (Table 4) has been seen at several locations on different streams over the 4 years since her 

 banding (Ashley 1995); the locations in Table 4 are maximum total known distances moved 

 during the 4 year period. 



There is little published literature regarding movement within the breeding grounds. 

 Kuchel (1977) found that pairs used lower McDonald Creek prior to establishing home ranges 

 higher up along the stream. Once established, pairs rarely moved more than 1-2 km, although 

 movements of up to 8 km were recorded. Kuchel (1977) found unpaired males moved 

 considerably more, with movements of up to 10 km found. In a reanalysis of Kuchel's (1977) 

 data, Cassirer and Groves (1992) found that linear home ranges averaged 7.7 km (SD = 2.34) on 

 McDonald Creek, similar to the 7 km reaches used in Idaho. 



On the Bow River in Banff National Park, 5 pairs of birds were marked at what is 

 probably a staging area or local migratory corridor (Smith 1996). Two pairs remained in a 2 km 

 section of river where they were banded, and another remained in a 2 km stretch about 12 km 

 downstream; one pair remained within about 6 km until the female moved about 8 km up a 

 drainage, perhaps to breed; the final pair moved about 1 5 km downstream within 22 days (Smith 

 1996). 



For 35 Harlequins marked in Iceland, Bengtson (1972) found no movement overland 

 between breeding streams and movement of only a few km within drainages. Not only did the 

 birds return to the same drainage, but in 22 out of 33 cases, the birds were observed within 100 m 

 of their locations during the previous year (Bengtson 1972). 



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