T2501

Flora and Fauna

Red-headed Woodpecker

Collins Cover Announcement 

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER

A block of six stamps of this two-cent issue makes a nice visual impact on this COLLNS First Day Cover. To bring the postage up to the required 32 cents, I've added the recently issued twenty-cent Blue Jay stamp making this a bird-watcher's delight. The seven stamps are tied to the cover with the slogan "First Day of Issue" postmark which is a perfect fit with the stamp alignment.

This ten-inch long woodpecker's entire head, neck, and upper breast are a bright red. The wings, that have a span of sixteen to eighteen inches, are a bluish-black with large areas of white on the tips. My hand-painted cachet is an "entire" extending to the edges of the envelope and wrapping around the stamps and cancel in a custom fit.

I show a large red-headed woodpecker in accurate detail and coloration perched on a white birch tree bordering a northern lake. It is autumn and in the foreground, a cluster of maple leaves provide a burnt-orange contrast to the other colors I've chosen for the bird and setting. You should know that part of the hand painting process is my often agonizing decisions as to what colors to choose for the various parts of the cachet. In this case, I experimented with various shades of greens, golds, reds, and oranges before reaching a final decision. After you receive this cover, note how the dynamic leaves and soft blue/lavendar clouds set the mood and tone for the woodpecker and its surroundings. It's not just that COLLINS Cachets are individually hand painted but rather how they're painted that really

counts.

This one is a top-notch wildlife and nature cover and of course will be widely sought by "Bird" topical collectors. A quiet still lake with distant evergreen trees reflecting on the surface. Foothills sporting their autumn coats of golds and greens. The brash fall maple leaves grabbing your attention with their fiery orange. And, the main attraction, a handsome red-headed woodpecker searching for insects while clinging to a sloping white birch. Item #T2501. $11.75.