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 Log 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.
The Canvasback is my favorite duck/decoy. I have a small collection of canvsasback decoys, and I am very particular about the Cans that I collect. The first birds in my collection were a pair of highhead Cans by Ken Harris. I am very happy to say that the beautiful drake Can pictured at the top of this piece also resides in my collection. Thanks Steve for the true beauty that you create. Bill Tribou, Schroon Lake, NY.