Penguin Decoy Frequently Asked Questions

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Some of the more common questions about the penguin decoys:

Why penguins?
What kind of penguins do you carve?
Why do you call them "decoys?"
What are you trying to attract?
Who hunts penguins?
Do they work?
Penguins live in the south, or is that the north?
Are you bi-polar?
Will you sell decoys to polar bears?
How do you know that it's a male or a female?
What are you going to do when the market is saturated?
What are you going to do if they work?
Do you carve other things?
How big are they and how much do they weigh?
Where can I buy your carvings?
Can these statues be placed outdoors? What about indoors?
What equipment are you using?
What if I have other questions?

Why penguins?: 1. Why not?; 2. They have a great shape that fits in a log.; 3. Plenty of people are carving bears already.; 4. Sometimes the log speaks to me, and sometimes I speak to the log. The very first log wanted to be a penguin. Once he was done, several more logs said the same thing. Other logs have asked to be a swan, an eagle, and St. Fiacre (patron saint of gardens and gardeners). Recently, a planned sculpture of a king mating dance turned into a koala when I turned the log the other way around and the koala asked to be let out.; back to top
What kind of penguins do you carve?: I carve the species I've seen--Emperors, kings, Adelies, gentoos, royals.
Why do you call them "decoys?": Waterfowl carvings have been traditionally called "decoys" when they could, in theory, be used to attract waterfowl. Truth is, most of the better decoys have never seen either water or bird dog; they're too fancy (and expensive) for daily use in a marsh. This is a goal to which I aspire. My carvings have not yet reached the level of being indistinguishable from the real thing, especially to the birds, who get the final decision on verisimilitude.
What are you trying to attract?: Well, penguins, obviously. Specifically, emperors, kings, Adelies, gentoos, and royals. My own question to the reader: why is the concept of a "penguin decoy" so hard to grasp? Mallard decoys attract mallards, Canada goose decoys attract Canada geese (although why would you want to attract Canadas?); wood ducks won't come to a decoy so don't bother. Research indicates penguins will investigate a decoy (see proof).; back to top
Who hunts penguins?: Today, with cameras, plenty of people. See the References page for a list of books about penguins. Consider that it costs AT LEAST US $8000 (in 2002 dollars) to get to where king penguins live (volcanic atolls in the southern ocean with no room for airports, too far from the mainland for helicopter transport), don't you think there could be some value in attracting the birds to any where within DRIVING distance of a major US city?; Today, with weaponry, for food or oil, no-one. Two reasons:; One, since dogs were kicked off the continent, there is no need to hunt penguins for dogfood. Wild penguins are very low on the well-fed scientist's list of preferred meals. (Some people, however, are not content to let well enough alone. Dedicated researchers working in Cambridge, MA, (must be MIT) have produced a penguin that tastes good (see Phygoscelis burdicki). Fortunately for the purity of the DNA of the wild birds, it is difficult to imagine how tasting good would convey a breeding advantage to any particular bird. It is, therefore, unlikely that this trait could spread in the wild.); Years ago, however, penguins were once harvested for the oil that could be rendered from their carcass. Although whales gave a better yield, penguins were easier to hunt and a full-grown king produced about one pint of oil. Penguin cookers are now slowly rusting out on the sub-antarctic islands. It was lonely, malodorous work (don't even think about what the lamps smelled like when they burned that oil!!) (have you ever smelled whale cooking? how could we have put up with that for so long?!?), and one reason to be grateful for fossil fuels. Penguins have rebounded from overhunting more quickly than the whales of the Southern Ocean; there is some speculation that the penguins' success may be one factor depressing the baleen whales' recovery because the two animals eat basically the same food.; Two, because penguin decoys have been here-to-fore unavailable, it simply hasn't been possible to attract penguins to the traditional hunting grounds in North America. It may be necessary to develop a line of "confidence" animals, perhaps elephant seals, skuas, giant petrels, and/or Weddell seals, to improve the chances that penguins will feel comfortable approaching a decoy.; back to top
Do they work?: Not yet. Various explanations for why penguins live in the southern hemisphere and not in the north have been offered. The currents at the equator do not allow a swimming bird to cross; the currents in the southern ocean provide better food, most of the islands in the northern hemisphere have steep cliffs rather than shallow beaches so the birds would have trouble making a landing. Flightless birds are at risk during nesting season from land-based predators; a polar bear would make short work of a penguin colony. And so forth.; We don't have polar bears in North Carolina, and any bird that can hold off a skua ought to be able to manage a raccoon. One potential reason for the decoys' current inability to attract penguins to this state has yet to be tested. The species listed above, which are the ones of most interest to the artists in residence at this studio, live in enormous colonies of 10,000-100,000 birds. Clearly, a bird accustomed to nesting with 10,000 of his nearest and dearest is going to think twice before settling in next to a lone decoy. To date, I have not installed a sufficiently large number of decoys to allow an effective test of this hypothesis. Feel free to inquire about volume discounts.; back to top
Penguins live in the south, or is that the north: South. To date, wild penguins can be found only in the southern hemisphere.
Are you bi-polar?: Getting a little personal here, aren't we? I'm an artist--isn't that enough?!? Oh--you meant, would I carve species from the Arctic as well as those from the Antarctic? Why didn't you say so? Sorry 'bout that. I would like to carve polar bears, and seals (which are decidedly bi-polar, BTW). I haven't found the right tree yet.; August 2003: Carved a polar bear for ZooToDo, the NC Zoo's benefit auction, which highlighted the zoo's new polar bear exhibit. Carefully photographed the bear before delivery, and then sent the undeveloped roll of film through the new x-ray machines at the Philadelphia Airport. Oops. Fun to carve, easy finish. About half size, which is still a 200# carving.
Will you sell decoys to polar bears?: Only for cold cash.
How do you know that it's a male or a female?: As far as the decoys go, I make it up. Unless you see them in the act, only a penguin can determine the sex of another penguin.; (This is not strictly true. Some experts can determine the sex of rockhoppers by the relative size of the beak; any emperor sitting on an eggs is male; emperors with chicks of a slightly-larger-than-just-hatched chicks are almost certainly female. In general, the larger birds are male and the smaller female, but there's a lot of overlap.); back to top
What are you going to do when the market is saturated?: Preliminary research indicates an enormous market for penguin stuff. I'm more likely to run out of trees than I am to run out of people who want a penguin decoy.
What are you going to do if they work?: This could be a problem. I have a fishpond that could entertain several Adelies. It is also possible that the NC Zoological Park could be persuaded to move the planned date for its Antarctica exhibit up by a decade or two.
How big are they and how much do they weigh?: The height of the various decoys is shown next to the picture. They range from 30 to 60 inches (75-150 cm) (which is, more accurately, a prehistoric, now-extinct, penguin; we will assume at least one of the prehistoric birds looked much like today's kings). The first decoys weighed between 250 and 450 pounds (110 and 200 kg). Several trips to the chiropractor later, I learned to hollow out the larger birds, filling the cavity with urethane foam to keep the bugs out. This has reduced the weight considerably, and it may also reduce the amount of checking as the log dries (by creating room for the log to shrink into as it dries).; The newly-fledged kings are weighing in at approximately 60# (27 kg).; back to top
Do you carve other things?: I will consider commissions for anything that could be displayed on the Mt Olive Missionary Baptist Church lawn.; See Jewelry for the Garden for some of the other work that has sprouted from the studio's woodpile in the past several seasons. I am carving smaller work for the 2003 Christmas Carousel show in Raleigh; working on several very large projects under the tent but they do not travel gracefully to craft shows and probably won't sell until I find a studio.
Where can I buy your carvings?: My business permit does not allow me to sell from my home. My work can be found at any of the craft shows listed on the Schedule page.
Can these statues be placed outdoors? What about indoors?: The statues are designed and finished with the intent that they are going to live outside, in a climate similar to Central NC (USDA Zone 7A). We suggest they stay out of direct sunlight, and in a perfect world, they will be sheltered from precipitation, particularly ice. They MUST be kept off direct contact with the ground, but this can be accomplished by placing them on a few bricks.; In general, the statues are carved from intact logs. Wood moves with humidity. Logs WILL split and crack as they dry; they will split faster, deeper, bigger if kept in a centrally heated and cooled house. One bird came home for repair after a winter indoors; after a month in the shade in my garden, the split had closed by itself. Most work now has a "relief crack" down the back; this cut allows a little more freedom of movement but will not necessarily prevent cracks from opening on the front of the statue.; An additional concern for statues kept indoors is carpet staining. Most work is treated with a fence preservative to dissuade bugs and fungi; this preservative WILL stain. Indoor work should be kept off carpet and good flooring.; back to top
What equipment are you using?: I use several different chainsaws, from an Echo 670 with a 24" bar to Echo 345s running stock and carving bars with 1/4" chain. I also use a Craftsman 4" angle grinder fitted with a) a King Arthur chain saw blade and b) a sanding attachment running 20 grit sandpaper. Some detailing is done with a rotary tool (both Dreml and Mastercarver), using various bits. I wear a hardhat with hearing and face protection, goggles, and Kevlar chaps, for any work involving either form of saw chain. I wear a respirator and goggles when I'm sanding.
What if I have other questions?: Call, write / email, or stop by the booth at a show.; back to top