streams (Bengston and Ulfstrand 1971, Palmer 1976, Wallen 1987) . 

 Dzinbal found harlequin ducks in Alaska feed extensively on 

 salmon roe (Dzinbal 1982) . The harlequin duck is a designated 

 sensitive species by the U.S. Forest Service in Region 1. It is 

 a species of special concern in Montana and Idaho as designated 

 by the Montana and Idaho Natural Heritage Programs. Wallen and 

 Groves (1988 and 1989) and Cassirer (1989) conducted 

 distributional and habitat surveys in Idaho and have 

 significantly increased the knowledge of harlequin duck 

 distribution in Idaho. Distribution and habitat data has been 

 collected on the Kootenai National Forest in Montana for the last 

 2 years (Miller 1988 and 1989) . 



SURVEY AREA 

 The Flathead National Forest is located on the western slope 

 of the continental divide in northwestern Montana. Most of the 

 major vegetative habitat types of western Montana can be found 

 within it's 2,347,299 acres, ranging from the warm dry ponderosa 

 pine/bunchgrass type to the cool moist whitebark pine types. The 

 elevation of the forest ranges from 3500 feet to over 10,000 

 feet. Precipitation ranges from 15 inches in the lower valleys to 

 120 inches on the mountain tops. Most of the forest is drained by 

 the three forks of the Flathead River and the Swan and Stillwater 

 Rivers. Surveys for harlequin ducks were conducted on streams in 

 non-wilderness areas of the forest (figure 2). 



