Ruddy Turnstone, Toronto

In a piece for Decoy Magazine titled “Ontario Shorebirds”, Paul Brisco writes: “Shorebird or snipe shooting was not as prevalent in Ontario as on the Atlantic coastline. Yet it is highly probably that early Canadian market shooters and sportsman hunted shorebirds on the sandy spits and beaches of Lake Ontario and Toronto island.” An early photo of a member of the Southam family shorebird hunting on the Toronto waterfront over the family rig illustrates the fact that shorebirds were hunted in central Ontario and likely throughout the Great Lakes. While the Ontario regional waterfront sporting tradition is poorly documented, the shorebird decoys from this area share distinctive traits. The carving is simple form with few details. These decoys typically have two wire legs inserted into a wooden sand-shelf for stability. The eyes were painted-on or made from tacks. The bills were made from wood or wire. This ruddy turnstone is a fine example of the Toronto tradition. Wood beak. Tack eyes. Wire legs wrapped in sailcloth. Old if not original wood sand-shelf base. Unmarked. 9". Guyette & Schmidt (1995)

Condition
Original paint with fine surface. Some paint loss on the breast. Well hunted with resulting gunning wear.