Glacier’s Harlequins | Guided Educational Program

Glacier’s Harlequins | Guided Educational Program

Hike Overview Continued

Instructor: Lisa Bate

May 16, 2026 at 8am

In Glacier Park, Harlequin ducks are rarer than grizzly bears, as secretive as goshawks, and as specialized
as mountain goats. We’ll spend the day looking into the lives of these little-known natives and observing them feeding and courting during the peak of the breeding season.

Meeting Place: Glacier Institute Field Camp  

Itinerary: We’ll begin with an in-depth slide show and discussion to introduce you to the basics of Harlequin Duck ecology and their life history. After the introduction, we’ll spend about 5-6 hours in the field
looking for, and watching, ducks along Upper McDonald Creek. We’ll return to Field Camp around 3:00 PM.
Back in the classroom, we’ll spend another hour discussing what we found and watch a special film showing Harlequins on their molting, wintering, and breeding grounds and some of the players in the beginning stages of the research focused on these specialized ducks in Glacier Park. The course will end by 4 p.m. and will not be canceled due to weather. Ducks don’t care about rain.  

Food: Please bring a trail lunch, plenty of water, hot drink, and snacks for the day.  

Park Entrance Fees: Participants are responsible for purchasing their park entry passes prior to the
course. These can be purchased online at: https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74280.  

Academic Credit: Please see our ‘2026 Academic Credit’ link on our website to learn about OPI credits for our courses.

Equipment: Please see the basic gear list. The most important equipment during May in Glacier is good rain gear! Binoculars will be essential. We will bring a few extra pairs to borrow if you don’t have your own.
If you have a tripod-mounted spotting scope, it will enhance your ability to see the harlequins without disturbing them. Feel free to bring your camera if you have a strong telephoto lens, but please do not approach Harlequins with a short photo lens.

Physical Requirements: We’ll walk about two to three miles along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The
elevation gain will be less than 100 feet.

Recommended Reading:

● The Sibley Field Guide to Birds, by David Sibley
● Peterson’s Field Guide to Western Birds, by Roger Tory Peterson
● Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, by Ben Gadd