I mounted a flying Widgeon on a a branch that is about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The branch is screwed and glued to a base with a water scene. Wasn't sure how to attach the bird to the branch. I drilled two holes in the top of the branch and put a piece of #12 wire in each hole. Pushed the body down on that. It is attached but doesn't seem real secure. Any tips on how a person can make those types of unions more solid? Thanks for any ideas.
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
anchored the #12 wires in the bird or if you just poked them into it. If they are not ANCHORED into the birds body, then it will not be very sturdy. some people anchor a wire before the breast in cision is sewn up, and some people take a sharpened wire and push it all the way through the bird, then bend the sharpened end back and pull that into the bird and hide it with feathers. it can be more difficult to hide the wire if you anchor it after the bird is sewn up, but anchoring the wire before you sew it up can cause problems with taxiing the skin unless you have really thought about where and how the wire will be. By anchoring it , i mean bending the end of the wire so it looks like a fish hook, and pulling the bend back into the body. It helps if it is at a horizontal angle instead of straight up, because then pressure and gravity can unseat the wire. hope that helps.
I just pushed the bird down on the wires. Your response just gave me another ideas, I think I could run the wire from under the wing and curve it out the breast and anchor that to the branch. That way I could hide the wire up in the side pocket. Guess the trick there is getting it to come out where I want it on the breast. Thanks for the help.