Canvasback

On 19 February 2021, Erika and I finally got back outside—no snow, only a threat of rain—and walked along the western shore of Capitol Lake in Olympia. We were surprised by the paucity of ducks, but we did see one interesting one. Even in poor light, this duck is obviously a female Canvasback—note the long, sloping, “ski-jump” shaped forehead and bill. Canvasback numbers fluctuate with weather (lower numbers in dry years) and hunting pressure. In 2001, numbers were 18% below those of 2000, but 3% above their 1955-2001 average. Canvasback numbers have recovered since very low numbers in the 1970s and 1980s (Mowbray 2020).