Distinctive canvasbacks are an impressive winter duck

The one-two punch of recent winter storms that slammed through the region appears to have brought some unusual ducks with them. At an online meeting of the Elizabethton Bird Club, Rick Knight noted that a species of duck know as a canvasback has turned up in numerous locations throughout the region. Erwin resident Joe McGuiness, a fellow member of the Elizabethton Bird Club, called me on Feb. 10 to let me know that some of those visiting canvasbacks have made a stopover at the large pond at Erwin Fishery Park. These majestic ducks remained at the pond long enough for me to see them for myself on Feb. 11. Over the years this pond had been a magnet for waterfowl. I've seen numerous ducks, including bufflehead, ring-necked duck, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, redhead, American wigeon, Northern pintail, scaup and gadwall, as well as several species of geese, including Canada goose, cackling goose, snow goose and Ross's goose. I've also observed pied-billed grebe, horned grebe, double-crested cormorant, belted kingfisher and other birds that are associated with water. Canvasbacks can fairly be described as rare visitors.The last time I saw canvasbacks at this pond was in February of 2024. I recall a small flock of canvasbacks and redheads also spent several weeks at this pond in January and February of 2014. Some birds hold special meaning with me. Although it is a natural question for a bird lover to be asked, I have difficulty pinpointing a single bird as my favorite. One of my overall favorite birds is the Northern cardinal. Among the summer-visiting warblers, the hooded warbler has long been my favorite. With shorebirds, the marbled godwit has long been at the top of my rankings. My favorite bird of prey is the American kestrel or, as I first learned of this raptor in the little "Golden Guide to Birds," the sparrow hawk. Among owls, I have a soft spot for Eastern screech-owls. I have a favorite duck, too. It's the canvasback. I think several factors make canvasbacks special. First and foremost, they don't show up every winter. It often takes some seriously cold weather to force them into landlocked Tennessee. A male canvasback is also one of our more regal birds. The male has a distinctive profile enhanced by a sloping bill that instantly distinguishes it from other ducks. Males, or drakes, have chestnut-red heads, white bodies, black breasts and rears and bright red eyes. The distinctive bill is also black. Females, like many other ducks, are drab and brown but they share the male's distinctive sloping bill, helping to separate them from such relatives as female redheads. I saw my first canvasback in the mid 1990s during a winter visit with my parents to Wilbur Lake near Elizabethton, Tennessee. We always liked visiting this small reservoir during the colder months to view the buffleheads and any other ducks that happened to visit this small mountain lake. On this particular occasion, a flock of redheads had also arrived. While viewing these ducks, we noticed a member of the flock that looked different from the others. Specifically, it was larger and whiter than the redheads. After a brief consultation with my copy of Roger Tory Peterson's "A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America," I identified my very first canvasback. Since that time, I've observed canvasbacks at other locations in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. It's been awhile, but I have observed these ducks at Osceola Island Recreation Area below Holston Dam and at Musick's Campground at South Holston Lake. I've also observed canvasbacks on the Watauga River in Elizabethton and on the Holston River in Kingsport. I saw eight canvasbacks on Feb. 22, 2015, on the Watauga River, not very far from where I saw my very first one back in the 1990s. The flock, which consisted of all males, represented a rather high number for this duck in the region. Canvasback nest in North American prairie potholes across the United States, including Alaska, as well as Canada. I encountered canvasbacks during a visit to Utah in 2008. A rainy season in the state had produced an abundance of flooded fields and temporary ponds that attracted these ducks and other waterfowl. ••• Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment.