Don Balke: White-winged Scoter

Artist: Don Balke
1932 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1983
Image Size: 12 by 10 inches
Overall Size: 19.25 by 17.25 inches
Medium: Water Color on Cold Press Illustration Board

Summers in North Dakota are generally clar and pleasant. The sun shines more than fifteen hours on each clear day from mid-May through July. In May, strings of the White-winged Scoters migrate to North Dakota to enjoy this beautiful summer. This waterbird is the largest of the scoters. The male is black with a square white patch toward the rear of each spread wing. The female is dark brown with whitish eyes and two white patches on each side of her head. Both male and female are short-necked and heavy-bodied. As a result, the White-winged Scoters fly low over the water along the coast in long lines. As they fly, both males and females utter a whistling note in courtship. Although sustained by aquatic insects and pondweed, the birds' favorite food is shellfishes. In order to get shellfishes, sometimes they dive to twenty-four or even forty foot depths. The scoters nest near prairie ponds and forest lakes, or on the tundra. The males leave the nesting grounds early in July, and the females and young will follow about three months later. But, their main migration to their wintering ground -- the New England coast -- starts in October. It is amazing to see the birds as they fly, for they migrate in very high irregular formations and habitually fly with their bills pointed downard. The beating of their wings will make a bell-like whistle which can be hard from long distances.

This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood® Commemorative Cover for the Waterbirds of the 50 States North Dakota/White-winged Scoter.

Artwork Copyright © 1983 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB08102

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