Mallard Family - Misty Marsh

The mallard is perhaps the best known duck in the world. It would seem that its population should prosper throughout its range, however, due to various factors, some of these populations are seriously declining. Overhunting and habitat reduction may be involved.

This painting was originally done as the design for a Canadian wildlife habitat stamp. I wanted to feature a wetland. Marshes are extremely important for wildlife as well as for soil and water conservation. They are too often thought of as waste lands and in some cases are even drained as government policy. Marshes are, of course, important waterfowl breeding areas. This is why I featured the female with young but only as part of the whole environment.

Although the original plans were to use this picture as the stamp design, I decided to replace it with the "Mallard Pair - Early Winter" painting. I like both paintings equally, but the pair of mallards, which is a less subtle composition, was done so that the Wildlife Habitat Canada print program would have more fund-raising potential to help with conservation.