Guest Blog- Woodcarving and Wildlife – My lifelong passions

By Roger Anderson, Woodcarver

I can still remember what prompted my fascination with woodcarving as an art form. It was a display of vintage duck decoys from the ‘20s and ‘30s presented in Field and Stream magazine that did the trick way back in 1968.

I struggled at first, but when I saw the ad in the Sacramento Bee for the 1982 Pacific Flyway Decoy Festival, I attended and started learning from expert carvers the proper methods of carving and materials selection. This information, along with my desire to master this medium, has helped me reach my current skill level. It’s all been self-taught, and I have carved upwards of 300 decoys.


I really enjoyed carving the winning Redhead duck for this year’s California Rice Commission competition. The Redhead is my favorite duck and this proved a challenging project. I find carving a great hobby and pastime. With carving, it’s just you and the block of wood. I enjoy seeing the bird develop as the carving progresses. Much of my preparation and study begin in the field with the actual viewing and photography of wild ducks in Sacramento Valley rice fields. This year's Redhead duck was right up my alley. In fact, my first winning carving was a different Redhead that I made in the mid 1980s for the Pacific Flyway Decoy Festival.

The Redhead duck is magnificent with its prominent red head, yellow eyes, and striped bill. I always keep an eye out looking for them throughout the Sacramento Valley and beyond. The Redhead migrates late in the season, arriving from the north in December. The Sacramento Valley with its refuges and rice agriculture lands provide the aquatic plant feed for the wintering birds. It’s wonderful to see the trend to conserve and preserve these wetlands.

Bird viewing has become very popular and hunting is remaining a viable sport. An outgrowth of these is waterfowl art, which brings many different people together. I know as the days grow shorter and the air crisper the excitement of fall will stir my soul, and I'll be out in the field to view this wonder of nature!