Every piece of art has a story to tell. My son and I were out for a walk at the Cataraqui Conservation Area north of Kingston, Ontario in March 1988. We encountered a very friendly and boisterous flock of Chickadees. The birds were begging to be fed. We did not have much - just a few seeds. The mitts were knit by his Grandma and he was wearing one of my old toques. I wonder where that toque is now?
My son was holding his hand out for one particular chickadee while leaning against a very large and very old white pine. The bark and limbs of this pine had a lot of character. Many people probably leaned up against this giant of the forest in a similar pose.
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| I am the Dummy on the right in the third image. |
This encounter prompted me to build a Birdman out of four inch PVC pipe. The shoulder and elbows and arms were filled with seed that spilled out on to the carved hands of the Birdman as the seed was consumed. More seed was added by unscrewing the head. The entire Birdman was mounted on a swivel like a wind vane. This allowed the birds to land upwind into any breeze like they prefer. One of my old coats completed his attire. Another similar coat was available for anyone to wear so that they could stand out and feel the thrill of feeding the birds like Saint Francis of Assisi. The pictures tell the rest of the story. I am not making this up...the truth is always easier to remember. People may think this is strange but I would do almost anything for the natural world.
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| The Birdman fed in freezing rain... |
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| He needed new clothes... |
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| Cardinals, juncos too |
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| white winged crossbills dining on the Birdman |
For this and much more art, click on
Pixels. Thank you!
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