D4501

Migratory Bird

Fred's Anecdotal Note

The 2008 Federal Duck

The Northern Pintail Duck spends spring, sufilmer, and early autumn in the upper reaches of North America. It flies south, sometimes as far as the Equator, to winter. This species is a large duck with a long tail from which its name is derived. The male has markings of brown, gray, white, and sometimes a tinge of red or burgundy in the head area. The female is a soft brown in color. She quacks like a regular duck while the male's call is a mellow whistle. It is a migratory bird of open wetlands and friendly in nature often forming large mixed flocks with other tlpes of ducks. 

My individually hand painted Collins cachet captures a portrait profile of this handsome duck. It is on the open water and in the background the famous Canadian schooner "Bluenose" out ofNova Scotia sails across the surface. This legendary racing ship (and hard working fishing vessel) was launched on March 26,1921. During the next 17 years, the Bluenose (a nickname for Nova Scotians) was undefeated against American and Canadian challengers for the "Intemational Fishermen's Trophy." The beautiful Canadian stamp honoring her was issued in 1929.

The lovely fifteen dollar stamp is tied to the envelope with a great flying pair pictorial First Day of Issue postmark. Dragonflies share the pintail's habitat, and, since the color is pleasing to the overall composition, I used the new stamp to meet postal requirements.