On a “cold, cold, wet day” this past weekend, I sat warm and dry in the shop by the window and whittled a little bird from a pine branch. Winter birds bring a special joy. It’s magical to be in the snowy woods and have an enthusiastic bunch of chickadees gleaning the twigs just overhead. Or to see the brilliant flashes of bluebirds darting around tattered brown stalks of goldenrod. A carved bird like this can bring a little of the magic inside.
It’s a fun project any time of year, but maybe there’s even time to carve one or two before Christmas. I didn’t think to take any photos until I was quite a ways along, so I made some notes in my sketchbook showing the basic procedure and suggested dimensions.
All you need is a stick and a knife. Starting with a saw cut at the feet of the bird makes the initial roughing a little easier, but even that isn’t necessary.
I carved mine from a pine branch that had been around awhile and was dry. It was about 1 1/2″ in diameter. I think the relatively small size makes it possible to leave the pith in such a piece and not have it crack open. I’ve carved similar ones from green sticks, crack free. I suppose it would be best if the branch is harvested in winter. Experiment with what you have around, but species like aspen, poplar, basswood, birch, and many others would surely work well.
There’s no one right shape or size for a bird, but if you use a bigger or smaller diameter stick you could scale the other dimensions up or down accordingly. Or you can ignore even these few measurements altogether. It’s just a whittled bird. Relax and enjoy.
I worked eight long facets around the surface. In a sense, the form ends up as an octagon that has been pulled, pushed, and stretched. Then again, facets like this aren’t necessary at all. You could experiment with other textures, paint, or maybe designs or letters on the base.
If I have a choice, I prefer light coming from my left when I’m carving. In the final stages I work progressively around the bird from one facet to the next, concentrating on the flow of the ridge between them.
Warm up with the bird, then get inspiration from this fantastic episode of the Woodwright’s Shop with Roy Underhill’s fun wood toy ideas. And here’s a link to a toy post I wrote a few years ago with a few more ideas for carved toys, some of them also inspired by Roy. Another wonderful gift for yourself and friends is the 2022 Dickinsons Reach Calendar. Mine is on the way.
Wishing you a joyful holiday and a Happy New Year full of birds and wood chips!
David Fisher, Carving Explorations 
and many birds to come I hope–
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I do hope to carve lots more of these and other birds, Marie! Lots of ideas.
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Merry Christmas to you, your family, and all the FisherFans.
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Thanks, Chris. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
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Thank you for bringing enthusiasm and joy of nature today. Otherwise, for AZ, it is bleak, overcast drizzly day.
Bob Simmons
Sent from my iPad
>
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Even in Arizona, Bob! That seems fair. Savor the drizzle.
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How timely
I’ve been trying to think of the best way to carve an owl on a branch or stump. Maybe this will break the self imposed action barrier
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Dig in, Jed. You’ll at least then figure out what doesn’t work and be that much more ahead on the next attempt. Happy carving!
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What a great little gift idea! Thank you for sharing this, Dave, and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a wonder-filled New Year.
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Thank you, Drew. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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Thanks David for your inspiration! Happy Holidays.
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I loved this post! Hopefully I can duplicate your efforts!
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And we have to have bunches of these little birds. They usually travel as large groups. Thanks for the beautiful ideas.
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Beautiful post, Dave. Thanks and Happy Holidays.
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Dave, Thanks for this post and a year’s worth of inspiration! The very best to you and your family this Holiday season and throughout 2022!
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Really nice! Did you just leave the bird connected to the branch?
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Yep, that’s his perch in this design.
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As always, your thoughts, insights, directions, and comments make me feel warm, safe, happy, energetic, so many other emotions. Truly a wonderful part of any day. Sincerely wish you and your family, peace, happiness, and good health in the new year.
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Thank you, Rick. That’s very kind of you to write. Warm wishes to you and yours as well.
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I have a few pieces of Yellow Birch sitting outside my shop, looks like a fun project. Thanks for sharing David.
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Very inspirational and timely, I had a few days at a cabin with the family and without electronic distractions so I took this image in mind and sought out a branch on a small hike. I finished most of it before the girls were even out of bed the second day. I can’t say that mine turned out as good as yours, but then it was my first try and now I have a reference point from where I started.
https://wordpress.com/post/stewartwoodworks.wordpress.com/5243
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Thanks for sharing that, James. From the looks it in the early stages, you may have grabbed a maple stick which could make for some tough whittling. Your bird has it’s own charm and shows how you can adapt an idea in many ways. I wasn’t able to get to your post through the link you provided. Maybe this one will work: https://stewartwoodworks.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/whittle-birdie-to-close-out-2021/
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Thanks for replying. Always inspirational to share and learn from fellow woodworkers.
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Happy New Year Dave.
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Happy New Year to you, John! I hope there are plenty of winter birds singing in Yorkshire.
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Thank you David for another generous share, a great idea for a new little project… setting off more ideas.
I hope your year has started well and continues that way.
Best wishes,
Michael
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