Rosy-billed Pochard

[reidheilig]

Can anyone supply me the dimensions and other particulars for me to carve this Duck. If so please email me. Thank you. Reid

[Paul_Guraedy]

I have been a bird watcher, duck hunter, and decoy carver; but, this is something new. Must be some kind of local name. For instance in LA, where I was raised we have: limb rats, mud bugs, sac a lait, yellow hammer (squirrels, crayfish, white perch, yellow bellied sapsucker). The mountain men often referred to grizzlies as old ephraim. Do you know the scientific or at least some of the other names it goes by?

[AlArchie]

You might start lookin' here!

http://212.187.155.84/pass_06june/Su..._peposaca.html

Looks like you should find all you need here.


Al

[Hugh]

HI, I typed in rosy-billed pochard in the google search bar, and got lots of info . Try it you'll like it. I've never seen any information on patterns for this duck, but you should be able to get enough information from these sites to come up with a pattern. If you don't make out let us know. Hugh

[Paul_Guraedy]

Should have thought of google. That is usually my first step for information. That is a beautiful duck and should make a wonderful carving. If you can't find (other than photos) the information you want to carve one. There is a large amount of information on decoys from templates to painting schemes. You might look for the nearest to the rosy-billed pochard that you can find and make the changes necessary.

[reidheilig]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I was not detailed enough in my orginal post. I have thouroughly researched this duck on the internet and found only a weight and a total body lenght. I have been carving for 25 years and there is no way I can do this right from these two dimensions. This duck supposedly is an oft kept duck in duck collections and very often hunters go to South America to shoot this duck I have a commission to carve this duck but no study skins or mounted or live ducks to use for models. I have tried to scale this from pictures and the lenght dimension I found but that is not good enough. I was hopeing some carver may have a study skin, mount or in his/her aviary a live Rosy Billed Pochard from which dimensions that duck decoy carvers need could be taken. I appreciate all the answers but it might help if I had been more precise. Thank you again! Reid Heilig

[LCorbett]

Reid...do you live near a university or natural history museum? If so, contact the head of the ornithology department. Most will be willing to allow you to view their collections after you explain what you are doing...it also helps to offer to show them your work or photos of it to lend credibility. You would be surprised at how helpful (most) of these people are. Usually, there's some pretty decent stuff in the student collections, but if you hit it off well, you may want to ask to view the "good" stuff. There's usually a room chock full of skins and mounts in great condition that is reserved for the "serious" student/researcher/artist. I travel 90 minutes each way to spend a day in Idaho Sate University's "special" collection area. I was totally blown away at the number of species (a good deal of them non-indigenous). You may get lucky and find a rosy billed pochard...or the curator/head may be able to steer you in the direction of one.

Another place you may try are some of the better known taxidermists that mount for many carvers. Pelc and Savides come to mind...I think they both have web sites (I don't have their addys or phone numbers near at hand). They may be able to get access to one to mount for you.

[jax]

Reid,
Recently I received a pattern catalog from Gordon Stiller, in it he has listed a pattern for :

Pochard, Common, (Europe)-- M, ROW, Full size (pattern size 17"x22") cost $4.00.

Stiller's web page : <http://stillerpatterns.com>

It's not the "Rosy" but maybe you can use it as a starting point coupled with photos of the "Rosy" as was stated before......Google is a good photo source----also try your local library or the "Audabon" site.

Jax