Canadian National Wildfowl Carving Championship - June 2023

     This event is one of the great highlights of my year, and I look forward to it with eager anticipation. The fact that I was again asked to be a judge only served to increase my pleasure.

     So much talent is in evidence, and a vibrant, artistic community is showcased at its best.

     You have already read of Jeff Krete's success with his rendition of an Ocellated Turkey that was judged Best in Show, but I can't resist sharing some of Miriam's pictures of this majestic tour de force. 

     Every line, every contour, every colour is precise and sublime; the finished carving a true work of art, a depiction of glorious nature in its purest form. One knows, on examining such a piece, that its creator has a sensitivity to the natural world that surpasses mere observation. An inner wellspring of connectivity is represented here.

     Here is Jeff chatting to Wayne Simkin, another world champion, friends, yet rivals in pursuit of excellence.

     As we walk around the show together, I will not even attempt to present the carvings in any logical sequence. Imagine if you will that even as we admire one work, our attention is caught by another. We move back and forth between tables, comparing and contrasting, examining the work of novices and intermediate carvers, comparing them with the maestros who they seek to displace.

    Such is the pleasure of it all.

    Consider the exquisite rendition of this Common Redpoll.

     As judges we examine minute details for accuracy, the pose struck, the proportions of the bird, the rendition of colour, the quality of the habitat, but sometimes it's good to stand back a little and just take in the majesty of the piece and and let one's astonishment take over. 

     The decorative ducks shown below are lifesize and realistic and have to float precisely in imitation of a live duck on the water.

     We took them out to a pond to test  their position on the water,  and their ability to pop up to an upright position when submerged.

     I had forgotten to take my camera with me when I left home, so I have only this distant and woefully poor phone shot of the decoys being decoys!

     Are you not entranced by this Palm Warbler?

     How about this Cerulean Warbler? 

     Snow Bunting is a common winter visitor in our area and several artists paid homage to this captivating little bird.

     A Barn Owl is a species imbued with mystery, subject to countless legends and myths. Humans have both revered and despised it, worshipped and slaughtered it, but it is a very handsome bird, no longer subjected to persecution, thank goodness.

     A Least Bittern won Best of Class in the novice category - perhaps here is a young carver ready to move up and challenge the current aristocracy.

     Ken Hussey has in recent years specialized in the category known as Contemporary Antique and has become an undisputed master of this form. He always has a "corner workshop" at the show and it is both educational and entertaining for visitors to see the process unfold before their eyes.

     Waterfowl, which is after all where it all began, are always very well represented.

     I found this Spruce Grouse very appealing.

     A Scarlet Tanager is a target species for many a local birder.

     A Blue Tit is an enchanting little bird in Europe, quite common in fact and a regular patron of backyard bird feeders.

     It's safe to assert that a Ruby-throated Hummingbird is well-loved by everyone.

     A Northern Parula is a splendid little warbler, one of my personal favourites.

     Unlike the parasitic cuckoos in many parts of the world, Black-billed Cuckoos raise their own young.

     A Saw-whet Owl is always a popular subject.

     There were some fine entries in the Decorative Wildfowl category.

     As best I can recall this female Red Crossbill was the only carving of this species.

     If it seems a little plump it is perhaps puffed up against the cold. 

     For many carvers their worst nightmare is accurately representing the feet of the bird, but a Pied-billed Grebe on the water presents no such problems.

     Here are many of the award-winning waterfowl.

     If the birds were alive the songbirds would flee in terror from this Sharp-shinned Hawk.

     Looks at this exquisitely-rendered little Cape May Warbler (probably being destroyed in their thousands as wildfires rage across the north), with the habitat details so lovingly rendered.

     One of my personal favourites at this year's show was this juvenile meadowlark (Eastern or Western, I am unable to tell). One needed no great flight of imagination to know that it had just left the security of the nest, the only world it had ever known, to face the dangers and the challenges of a life in the wild.

     There was a sense of poignancy in the air as the artists present marked the passing of one of the greatest among them, a Canadian legend, a champion among champions.

     Without doubt many of today's luminaries were guided and influenced by Bruce and his legacy lives on.

     It was a privilege to have known a giant in his field. He will occupy a place of honour in our memories and his deft touch is still present in the work of those he inspired. May his memory be a blessing.