Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Mallard Duck" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 13c Mallard stamp issued June 10, 1978. Best known of all ducks, the Mallard is the most abundant and heavily hunted waterfowl in North America and has provided an important source of food for thousands of years. The Mallard remains on Canada's northern lakes until the stiff, freezing winds of November arrive. Mallards can live with cold, but they must have open water. Hunters await these colorful birds on the marshes of Manitoba and along the lakeshores of Minnesota. Wintering Mallards concentrate most heavily along the Gulf Coast and in the Mississippi Valley. By then the males have shed their drab summer garb, and their stunning new dress of rich chestnut and green contrasts sharply with the mottled brown dress of females. At the thaw, the Mallards push north with steady wingbeats that rarely reach below the level of their bodies. Soon, groups of drakes pursue single ducks in courtship. The female usually stops the chase by turning to touch the favored suitor with her bill. Then the couple flies off. She selects the nesting territory; he guards it against intruding pairs. The duck usually builds her nest of grass and down among concealing reeds, but she may choose a brush pile or an old hawk's nest in a tree. In earlier times, nesting Mallards were uncommon in eastern North America where their close relatives, the black ducks, held sway. But Mallards breed well in captivity, and are now enjoyed by people of all ages in almost every city park. Image Size: 13.5 x 14.5 in. Overall Size: 14 x 17 in. Unframed. (B05050)