W3901A

Migratory Bird

Hooded Merganser - White-tailed Deer

Winter 2026 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 32 W3901f — Federal Duck Stamp — Hooded Mergansers with chipmunk vignette — 6/30/05

This stunning stamp shows two male hooded mergansers swimming side by side on the mirrored surface of still water awash in the soft warm glow of an early sunrise. My cachet shows a close-up sideview of a male hooded merganser in front of a pond. There is a small vignette of a deer added. I used one of six different animal stamps to cover the postage requirement on each cover, and the small drawing corresponds to the extra stamp used on each cover. The very large cancel is a drawing of a merganser. A three-line pictorial cancel says "DUCK STAMP STATION Washington, DC 20066 — June 30, 2005.

The hooded merganser is a species of fish-eating duck. It is striking in appearance with both males and females having crests that they can raise or lower, and the breeding plumage of the male is handsomely patterned and colored. Hooded mergansers are the second-smallest species of merganser, and it is the only merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America. They prefer to live on small bodies of water such as ponds and small estuaries where there is ample aquatic vegetation. The hooded merganser is a diving duck that largely hunts by sight while under water. This cover has not been previously offered in mail sale.