Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Clark's Nutcracker" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This artwork was originally published on the Fleetwood Commemorative Cover for the limited edition collection of The Songbirds of the Fifty States. Each cover was postmarked on the anniversary of statehood in the appropriate state capital. Named for one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark expedition which crossed the continent in the early nineteenth century, the Clark's Nutcracker is a distinctively attired bird which shares many of the characteristics of the Crow. The gray bird walks sedately through his forest domain like a Crow and he has the build of a small Crow. Yet, the Nutcracker also clings to tree trunks, pecking for insects much like the Woodpecker does. A resident of the Rocky Mountains and the Sierras, the Clark's Nutcracker soars along the timberline, sometimes plunging headlong into deep canyons. Wings folded for a daring display, he plummets toward the canyon floor. Then, opening his wings at the last possible moment, he breaks his dive and again shoots skyward. Although his aerial performance is daring, the Nutcracker is perhaps best known for his powerful bill and unique song. This bill operates much like a crowbar to pry seeds from their shells. Often the Nutcracker will venture into a Colorado campsite to be handfed Sunflower seeds. High amid Colorado Pines, the Nutcracker's harsh call may grate on some ears, to others it has a musical quality like a child's tin trumpet. In any case, these lovely gray birds of the Colorado Rockies are well known wherever their guttural cries break the mountain stillness. Image Size: 8.5 x 8.75 in. Overall Size: 18 x 18 in. Unframed. (B07247) See More