White Gyrfalcon in snow

Taxidermy Mount of a White Gyrfalcon

This was a customer’s white Gyrfalcon which he requested to be mounted in a similar position to a Gyrfalcon I did some time ago with its head to one side.  The original idea for this came from a game fair I attended when I knelt down to take a photo of a gyrfalcon in the falconry section.  As I was in front of the bird, its keeper started to approach from behind me and the bird craned its neck to one side to see what he was doing.  I got a good photo and this is my second attempt at trying to recapture that scene, this time with a white Gyrfalcon.

The bird was presented at the Guild of Taxidermists' annual competitions in March 2014 (click here for more about the 2014 Conference).  It lost the Bird Competition to a very nice Bittern by Will Hales breaking my six year run, so well done to Will.  It also failed a credit due to problems with the eyes - I have no real excuse; just the usual not paying enough attention and the 'gone blind' stage creeping in.  It did however manage to win Breakthrough's new Judges' Choice Best of Show.

The rock is a cast of some magnesium limestone and a mix of cured lichen and painted lichen.  I tried to recreate the effect of snow melting and having slid off the rock, ice crystals around the edge of the rock and a bit of melting snow in one part of the rock.

Log No: C-7251
A10: not required as customer's own bird

Dimensions
Height: 78cm
Length: 51cm
Depth: 38cm