Will Kirkpatrick's Decoy Shop

Audubon Prints Decoys

Will used Audubon's famous work: "Birds of America" as an inspiration to create the birds below. This is not a new practice. Many old decoy makers, Joe Lincoln and Elmer Crowell among them, used Audubon's prints either in their carving or in their paint work. The folio was originally published 1827-38, and was available in many public libraries after the Civil War. (Clockwise from the loon:)

  1. Standing Loon - 18 inches long, carved wings, tail and feet, distressed patina. (Item #182) DISCONTINUED
    In at least 2 paintings Audubon depicted loons on dry land. Oddly, they are seldom seen out of water. Nature attached their feet way back to make them great swimmers, but awkward on terra firma. Will makes this carving hollow to minimize possibility of checking.
  2. Scarlet Tanager - 8 inches long, distressed patina. (Item #190) DISCONTINUED
    Shown above as in Audubon's print, this most colorful carving also looks great from other angles.
  3. Hummingbird - 4-1/2 inches long, attached wings, iron beak, painted eyes. (Item #187) DISCONTINUED
    A delicate carving mounted on a thin wite. During courtship flights hummingbirds often orient themselves in the air so that sunlight falls on their iridescent red feathering. 4-1/2 inches long, attached wings, iron beak, painted eyes.
  4. Bachman's Warbler -5 inches long, painted eyes, carved wings. (Item #188) DISCONTINUED
    This tiny bird was and still is one of the rarest songbirds in America. Audubon never saw a live one! He worked his painting from stuffed birds collected by his friend Rev. John Bachman who discovered the species in 1833. The last published sighting of a Bachman's Warbler was in 1975. What a bird for your "Life List"!
  5. Kingfisher - 10 inches long, distressed patina (Item #185) DISCONTINUED
    A plucky hen kingfisher with delicately carved crest and wings.
  6. Western Tanager - 7 inches long, painted eye, carved wings. (Item #189) DISCONTINUED
    Audubon called this brilliant beauty a Louisiana tanager. My friend from Louisiana, Asa Allen, calls them "rice birds".
  7. Whippoorwill - 8 inches long, carved wings, distressed patina. (Item #183) DISCONTINUED
    These fascinating birds are endowed by nature with a large mouth for catching insects. When not flying, they are well camouflaged ground dwellers who are seldom seen, but are often heard. Those of us who spend time outdoors, especially after dusk, have heard the calling for which they are named.

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