The King

It must be nice to live within the kingdom of the Canvasback.  I have, at times, lived where I could go visit some.  There were a few ponds on Long Island where I could reliably find a couple of hundred Cans.  When I was first married – in the early 70s – I could see over a thousand on Lake Champlain.  When I lived in Buffalo we had flocks circling our rig on the Niagara River.  The season was closed but it was a sight to see – these really big divers cutting their figure- eights above our heads – with those long silvery wings.  They are a great bird to carve and to note the minor differences between them and their other pochard cousins – not much of a tail section and that neck can get mighty tall.  I especially savor the Roman nose bump and the stippled canvas on the back.

This pair are Herters Model 72s – the overize styrofoam birds from the late-50s.  We have always had a half-dozen in our Broadbill rig

All 6 were refurbished with epoxy + sawdust and new paint.

The strong character of the Canvasback lends itself to all sorts of decorative uses – such as my business card holder, a pair of cabinet handles carved from Black Cherry for a friend…

and , of course, a bow handle – on a canoe I’ve named Canvasback.