IT is so life-like that people who have visited Larry Weston’s suite at the Fairmont Southampton Princess have been convinced the Canadian visitor is a taxidermist. Rightly so, as the eastern bluebird perched on a piece of driftwood appears very real — but, in fact, it’s carved out of wood.

Mr. Weston will be donating between nine and 12 of his carved birds to the Bermuda Audubon Society over the next few years. And the collection will be housed on behalf of the Society at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI).

Speaking from his suite earlier this week, Mr. Weston said he first got the idea after meeting the Governor’s wife Lady Vereker.

“I thought it was a good way to give something back to Bermudians for all the years we’ve been coming here,” he explained.

Carving birds has always just been a hobby of Mr. Weston who has entered several of his birds in competitions in North America.

The Toronto native spent almost a year carving the bluebird, which is made from a solid piece of Malaysian jelutong wood.

“When you carve for the Audubon Society, you’d better know your stuff,” he said with a chuckle, adding that he spent almost as much time researching the bluebird, as he did making it.

Armed with more than 200 different shaping and grinding tools, Mr. Weston had to ensure the bird was ornithologically correct.

This meant having the exact number of secondary and primary wings, the exact shape of the head, body and beak and even the eyes, and the “attitude” of the little bird had to be matched inch for minuscule inch.

When it came to matching the exact colour of the bluebird to that of a living one, Mr. Weston turned to museums in Toronto for help.

“Museums rent out skins to bird carvers for this purpose,” he said.

After a base coat of jesso, which gives the finished product an opaqueness, he used acrylics, but said it was a slow process because he used washes instead of solid colours.

However, prior to painting, every single feather had to be burnt into the wood using a pyrotechnic pen, while a ceramic stone process was used to finish off the bird’s chest and belly.

Mr. Weston added that he wasn’t happy with the beak because ultimately this is what gives the bird “attitude” and ended up changing it three times.

The bluebird carving is truly one of a kind and Mr. Weston is planning to add a cahow, white-eyed vireo, longtail, green heron, black-crown night heron, goldfinch, cardinal, kiskadee and ruddy turnstone to the collection.

“I started with the bluebird because I know it’s one of Lady Vereker’s favourites and because it’s one of the most endangered species in Bermuda,” he said.

The carving itself was in danger of extinction on the flight from Toronto to Bermuda and Mr. Weston had to have a special wooden case made, which he then carried on the flight as hand luggage.

As for the case which will house the little wooden bird, BCM McAlpine provided the base and Island Glass provided the plexi-glass.

However, when it came to putting the case together, Mr. Weston called in the help of a local craftsman, Milton Hill.

“I know down the road this is going to be a wonderful collection,” he said and applauded the Audubon Society for the work it does in Bermuda to ensure the bluebird’s survival for future generations.

Meanwhile, past president of the Audubon Society Andrew Dobson expressed the Society’s gratitude to Mr. Weston for his generous gesture to the people of Bermuda.

“We’re absolutely delighted to receive his carvings and, of course, very pleased that we’ve been able to work with BUEI who have agreed to display the collection as it grows.”

He said the Society’s main purpose was to educate people about Bermuda’s birds and saw this as a wonderful way to do that.

He said it was also a very appropriate time for the presentation as bluebird boxes would be going up in people’s gardens at the start of the bird’s nesting season.

“This is the first of a series of carvings and we’re looking forward with great anticipation to future carvings, especially the cahow, our national bird and the white-tailed tropicbird (longtail), which is so familiar around our coastline in the summer.”