Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Sanderling" Signed lower left. Original Watercolor on Illustration Board.
Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Shorebirds of the 50 States, cancelled December 14, 1986.
Sanderlings are found dashing towards the receding waves of almost every beach in the world. Sanderlings dart to snatch tiny mollusks and shrimp in the wet sand with their short pointy bill before their prey can burrow. Then, awaiting the next wave, Sanderlings retreat and stand poised to begin feeding again. As Sanderlings slowly expand their range inland, groups of hundreds of birds can be seen on the freshwater beaches of larger lakes. Sanderlings are normally only seen wearing the gray-white brown-speckled winter plumes which blend well into the sandy background of the beach. But by winter's end, when the Sandelings begin to migrate toward their Arctic breeding grounds, they acquire a deep rust-red coat. Males begin courting with a curious snarling call. They then scrape several depressions above the receding snowline for nesting. Females select one of these hollows and line the nest with dry moss, lichen and grass. After the eggs are laid, the male Sanderling begins incubation, while the female may lay a second clutch of eggs and incubate them herself. When the eggs hatch, the parent leads the young away from the nest sometime during the first day. At the end of two weeks, the young Sanderlings fly well and are completely self-sufficient. Sanderlings flock together again in later summer and traveling hundreds of miles each night, they scatter across the beaches of the world.
Image Size: 10.5 x 12.25 in.
Overall Size: 19.25 x 20.75 in.
Unframed.
(B10631)
Condition
- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- Due to the size of our gallery not all items are out for preview at one time. If you plan on coming to preview any lot(s) we recommend letting us know prior so we can have them collected and prepared for your preview.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- All artwork is listed and sold per section (10) of our terms and conditions, please read over all definitions of authorship prior to bidding to better understand artwork listings.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.
- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.