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September 19, 2004
Decoy Ducks make a splash
British Decoy & Wildfowl Carving Championships 2004
The 15th Annual Competition of the British Decoy Wildfowl Carving Association will be launched with a splash this weekend (Sat 25 and Sun 26 Sept) as entrant's decoys are dropped into water to test how they float and resemble wild birds.
The national event is being held at the London Wetland Centre, Barnes SW13, for the second time in recent years and will feature more than one hundred entries from all over Britain, several of which will be tested to see if they 'sit' realistically on water.
Competition Organiser Alan Emmett said: "This is our 15th Annual Competition and the 3rd time that it has been open to non-members of the British Decoy Wildfowl Carving Association. There will be carvings of birds of all descriptions and styles, including wildfowl, sea and song
birds."
The art of decoy making (using models of birds to entice the real thing close enough to be shot or trapped) dates back many centuries, with early American Indian decoys consisting of no more than crafted bundles of straw. However, today's highly crafted and detailed decoys owe much
to North American tradition and a change of US law in the early 20th century; in 1912 the use of decoys for commercial shooting was outlawed (as they were so successful in luring ducks on migration that there was a real danger of some species becoming extinct) and so professional makers turned their attention to carving as an art form instead.
There will be carving demonstrations on both days and decoy carvings for sale at a range of prices. Doors open at 12pm on Sat 25 (when the judging also begins) with the event finishing at 4pm on Sun 26 (when prize-giving will occur).
Entrance to the event is included within admission charge to the Centre.
Posted by Surfbirds at September 19, 2004 07:10 PM
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