Nature Note #174: Wood Carver

For thousands of years, human beings have been inspired and encouraged to create artwork that celebrates the diversity of the natural world. From early cave paintings of big game animals like mammoths and bison to the works of famous painters like John James Audubon and Louis Agassiz Fuertes, people have found countless ways to appreciate wildlife.

My inspiration comes from the rustic wood carvings of ducks, geese, and other birds made by market hunters in the 1800s. The simplicity of their design combined with their rustic paint jobs and regional differences make them an interesting medium to look at. I've worked on woodcarvings of birds on and off for several years now and wanted to share some of my creations as well as the creative process behind them as well.

Drawing from the decoys of yore, some of my first creations mirror the patterns of waterfowl and shorebird decoys represented along the Eastern shores of the United States. Carving decoys for hunting and shooting, eventually gave way for display on mantelpieces and museum shelves, and anytime I get to appreciate the ingenuity of those oldtime carvers, I relish the opportunity.

Below are some of my creations with a brief blurb about what they are, when they were made, and why I made them.

Spoon-billed sandpiper, 2012

The spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is a critically endangered shorebird that only breeds in parts of the Siberian tundra and winters in coastal India and China. There are thought to be only 100 breeding pairs left in the world and efforts to breed these birds in captivity have been started and promoted by the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, Moscow Zoo, and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

One of my most read posts at the time this was being announced was written about these birds in particular and thought I would be able to auction off this carving to send some money to the cause. I ended up keeping this carving in the end as I knew that the likelihood of raising a substantial amount of money based on the whims of an unknown blogger would be silly. I'm happy to report though that spoon-billed sandpipers have been successfully hatched in captivity (at WWT) and, for the first time, eggs have been laid by a pair at the headquarters for the WWT at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, England. You can find out more about this historic event here and learn more about how to help with saving these birds at the WWT's website.

King eider, 2012-13

Eiders are some of my favorite birds with their chunky exteriors, unusual bills, and crooning voices. To me, they sound like a gaggle of Irish women gossiping about the latest news at a pub or cafe. By far the most colorful of the four species is the king eider (Someteria spectabilis) with their blue swim caps, cherry red bills, and rosy breasts complimented by black wings and tails. Sea ducks are some of my favorite birds with their bold, recognizable patterns and I have written before about how I felt discovering my first long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) or photographing eiders off the New England coast.

This project really started my sparked interest in getting better at woodcarving. I had tried to work a divot into the back that made it look like it had its wings folded down and tried to maintain its chunky appearance. While the paint job would certainly need some work, I certainly think I was on the right track creatively speaking.

Northern hawk-owl, 2014

Long-eared owl, 2014

Owls are another favorite of mine probably because they remind me of cats. Both are predators with judgmental stares, glowering on high while contemplating whether to move from their chosen perch before eventually settling down for a nap. They are quite charismatic as well with many on the internet seeming to worship them. It's like neo-Egyptian mythology with memes replacing hieroglyphics.

Anyway.

While long-eared owls (Asio otus) are my favorite owl of all time, the first owl was a northern hawk-owl (Surnia ulula). I carved the owl from a solid block of basswood and gave it to Alison for her birthday in 2014. It was sort of a compensatory gift as we had tried for a few weeks to find the time to go up to Vermont to see a hawk-owl that had appeared in Waterbury, a town a few miles northwest of the state capital Montpelier.

While we weren't successful, having the carved hawk-owl more than made up for missed opportunity.

Bluegill, 2014

In 2014, I spent some time in Pennsylvania improving my job prospects and learning many new things. One of those things was a game called Gaga, a ball game which can be compared to playing dodgeball in a well. The point of the game is to get your fellow players out by hitting a ball onto their legs. If hit, you were eliminated. When I wasn't losing terribly due to my enormously long legs, I had some carving scraps left over from my other projects that I was going through.

Looking at an unusually shaped one, I decided to create a bluegill sunfish carving. Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) are a common gamefish that have been introduced throughout most of North America (they were originally native to the Midwest) and are found in slow moving streams and rivers, weedy ponds, and the shallows of lakes. They readily take bait like worms, grubs, and corn kernels, but can also be caught on lures like dry flies, poppers, and small jigs. While pumpkinseeds (L. gibbosus) are my favorite fish of all time, both fish have a special place in my heart as the first ones I ever caught when my dad took my brother and I fishing when we were little. Their broad sides and tenacity make them wonderful little fish and their sweet, flaky flesh make them excellent table fare too.

My favorite thing about creating this carving was the addition of the fins. The pectoral fins (the fins near the head of the fish) are made out of pine cone scales scavenged from the Outdoor School's many Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii). While fragile, they provide the perfect size and shape for these fins. Hopefully I can find some more when I carve a bass or perch in the future.

Luzon bleeding-heart dove, 2015

After arriving in Syracuse last spring and having started working at the zoo, I found out that we had Luzon bleeding-hearts (Gallicolumba luzonica) in our collection. A unique bird, the bleeding heart is so named due to the red feathers on the bird's chest that look like it has received a mortal wound. These feathers are normal and can be seen in the photo below.

Luzon bleeding-heart at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 2016

After having gone on a carving spree in 2014, I had several chunky songbird patterns to use up and so decided to create a chunky Luzon. I think it came out pretty well, but haven't engaged any bleeding-hearts themselves on what they think.

Snowy owl, 2016

Lastly, my most recent effort was painting an abandoned section of wood that had laid in my carvings box for two years until I finally picked it up and made in into an owl prototype. I didn't anticipate on making another owl, but after making a few more in recent months (pics to come later), I decided to include this one too. 

Owls are very easy to carve as long as you follow a few basic principles.

1. They are basically logs with feathers and grumpy personalities.

2. If you think they are mottled enough, you need to make them look more mottled.

3. It's okay if they look goofy. After all they're the internet's favorite nature related thing to click on besides cats, dogs, and whatever fisherman have dragged up in their nets this week and remains unrecognizable. 

And 4. If you think you've made enough owl carvings, you're wrong.

Next week, I'm starting another attempt at the Babe Ruth of Ornithology where I am going to try to determine who is the greatest ornithologist that ever lived. I will be posting it on my separate blog called The Babe Ruth of Ornithology and am determined to find out who will be the greatest of the great and who will be left in the dust.