Whimbrel

Whimbrel sculpture – Yorkstone – 16″ x 8″ x 8″

I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of carving the Whimbrel – these elegant waders have longish legs and a long, thin down-curved bill.  In so many ways they are like the Curlew, but smaller, with a shorter beak.

The pose had to be selected carefully for carving, so I chose to have a resting bird with its beak tucked into the front of its breast.  It is normally a gregarious bird seen in flocks alongside other shore birds dipping its beak into the wet sand for crabs, striding out on the mudflats, or in strong flight on migration or journeying to favourite wetland or upland feeding places.