11 



large and small pools, waterfalls, and a lot of moss. Pin Cr. 

 contained an irrigation dam with headgate diverting water to a 

 side channel. The pools formed by tree limb build-up and from 

 large boulders had very fine grained, sandy bottoms. 



Two extra observations were made by Forest Service 

 personnel . One was in the Hebgen Lake Ranger District on the 

 Madison River, and one observation on the Yellowstone River by 

 Gardiner . 

 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS 



Some of the areas that I surveyed were burned recently by 

 fires. The lack of shade and extensive recreation in the 

 Stillwater drainages, and the influx of people in the Boulder 

 area have possibly contributed to the low number of harlequin 

 duck sightings. The majority of the creeks surveyed were good 

 sized, but the water levels are too low in the later part of 

 August for harlequin duck habitat. I could see harlequins 

 utilizing some of the smaller creeks during early spring runoff, 

 but not for brood rearing. It is also possible that harlequins 

 have not utilized or migrated into that stream area. 



I would recommend that starting earlier in the spring, 

 towards the latter part of April, is more beneficial for 

 obtaining total population counts. Observing the males and 

 females earlier also gives you a better idea where females might 

 possibly be nesting. Since I concentrated on hens with broods in 

 this survey, the later start worked out fine, although, I did not 

 see any broods. 



