Agree with Bill. What a beauty Thomas! I am Canvasback-deprived as we do not get them in my neck of the woods.
So, why is it a Canvasback? You could perhaps mention all sorts of field marks, but the "Peterson Method" invented by Roger Tory himself (the best birdwatcher ever to have lived IMO), comes to the rescue. There is usually just one feature that separates species and that was Peterson's brilliance. He would just point an arrow at the feature in his wonderful renderings. In this case, notice the look of the face and how the bill widens at the base to give the bird a "Roman Nose" appearance.
Having said this, I realise I am away from my beloved field guide so cannot check if Peterson actually pointed to this feature.
Last edited by John Chardine; 06-29-2009 at 04:51 PM.