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more redhead ducks - these ones look like they're gossiping. What do you think they're talking about?

A Diving Duck Feathursday

Last week we brought you geese from our green rooftop. This week we bring you ducks from Rex Brasher’s massive, limited-edition, 12-volume set Birds and Trees of North America, self-published in Kent, Connecticut, between 1929 and 1932, containing thousands of hand-colored reproductions of Brasher’s paintings!

Ducks essentially can be divided into two groups: the divers that dive beneath the surface of the water to feed, and the dabblers that feed mainly by ducking their heads under the water to gain access to food near the surface. Today we focus on diving ducks that are common to our Wisconsin waters. They are, from top to bottom:

1.) Redhead (Aythya americana), detail and full print. Redheads are fairly common summer residents in eastern Wisconsin but we are unusually just a migratory way station, as they prefer to breed further north. We sometimes see them along lake Michigan, but a great place to see them is a bit further northwest in Horicon Marsh. 2.) Canvasback (Aythya valisineria), full print only. Like the Redhead, Wisconsin does not sustain a regular breeding population of Canvasbacks, but the state is an important location for Canvasback migration, especially along the Mississippi and the Horicon Marsh. 3.) Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), full print only. The Greater Scaup, along with their smaller cousins the Lesser Scaup, prefer cold temperatures and breed in the tundra of northern Canada and Alaska. During migration, however, scaup can gather into massive groups on Wisconsin waters, including the Mississippi River, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Winnebago, Lake Poygan, and Lake Mendota. 4.) Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis), full print only. Aside from their relative size, it's sometime difficult to distinguish the Lesser from the Greater, especially as they congregate together. But side by side, the Greater is about one-fifth larger than Lesser Scaup, and their heads are more round with an iridescent green sheen as opposed to purple of the Lesser. Also, a black nail on the tip of their bluish bill is more prominent in Greater Scaup. 5.) Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris), detail and full print. Ringnecks are more easily distinguished by the white rings on the bills and the feathers at the base of the bill, than by the cinnamon ring on its neck, after which it is named. We've never seen them here in southern Wisconsin, but they do breed around the waters of the Green Bay and Lake Superior. 6.) Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangul), full print only. While Wisconsin generally does not sustain a breeding population, Goldeneyes are yearlong residents of Wisconsin and we'll find them in Lake Michigan even during the coldest months of winter. 7.) Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), full print and detail. Related to the Goldeneye, Buffleheads also tend not to breed in Wisconsin, but are also yearlong residents of our state, and we have seen them on Lake Michigan and the Horicon Marsh.

#Feathursday #ducks #diving ducks #Rex Brasher #Birds and Trees of North America #Redhead ducks #Canvasbacks #scaups #Ring-necked Ducks #Goldeneyes #Buffleheads #hand colored plates #hand-colored prints #birds

Another Gamebird Feathursday

Last week we discussed Wisconsin’s fall hunting season and the deeply ingrained tradition of the hunt in our state. Some might feel a bit squeamish or perhaps even repulsed by the idea of hunting our dear feathered neighbors. Here at UWM Special Collections, we love and respect our avian residents and visitors, but we also recognize and respect that hunting is a distinctive part of the Wisconsin character, even if we may not engage in it ourselves. So, in keeping with our fall hunting theme, we present a few four-color reproductions of gamebird paintings by the noted American wildlife artist Lynn Bogue Hunt from conservationist, avid bird-hunter, and former editor of Field & Stream magazine Ray P. Holland’s 1945 publication Shotgunning in the Lowlands, published in New York by A. S. Barnes and Company. Our copy is a 1946 second printing, produced in an edition of 2500 copies.

Ray Holland was a friend of Milwaukee-area celebrity, General Billy Mitchell, who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. We were taken by Holland’s remarks about Mitchell and his highly-controversial advocacy for American investment in air power, which opens the chapter on Sora hunting:

General Billy Mitchell told me that the sora rail was his favorite game bird. As far as I’m concerned, that alone put the sora in the upper brackets. General Mitchell has been more than vindicated in every statement he ever made. He was right about battleships, airplanes and many other things. Because the brass hats wouldn’t listen to him, this country has paid with the lives of men and millions of dollars. When he says the sora rail is a grand game bird, that is exactly what it is. No one knows much more about rail-birds and rail-bird shooting than did the former head of our air forces.

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