Glenn G Nichols is a Decoy Carver, Professional Land Surveyor and Very Nice Chap to boot. A couple of months ago he emailed us to ask if we could help him find some photos of bird feet for his latest carving project. To be honest, we weren't really much help, but as we'd never met a real life decoy bird carver before, we thought we'd better ask him for an interview.

All the carvings from here on in are by the man himself, and as you'll see, they're fantastic. If you want to contact Glenn about doing a carving for you, drop us an email and we'll very happily forward it on.

Who? What? Where?

I am Glenn G Nichols, Decoy Carver and Professional Land Surveyor. I own Top of the Hill Decoys & Ect...; my decoy shop is located at 176 Hammock Lane in the community of Atlantic which is in Carteret County, North Carolina.

Are there any good animals living in North Carolina?

The answer would be yes. There are the wild Shetland Ponies that mixed with the Spanish Stallions from shipwrecks, in the National Seashore Park, which is a group of barrier islands that help to protect the mainland of North Carolina from hurricanes and other bad storms from the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the islands are not accessible except by boat. There are several private ferries that run to the different islands and of course private owned boats. The National Park Service now protects the ponies.

There is always an abundance of shore birds as well as migratory birds that stay year round. The winters here are somewhat mild because the Gulf Stream is near to the coast year long. This creates a good fishing area too. Carteret County has a wide variety of wild life including poisonous snakes and nonpoisonous snakes. We have a very rare snake the Pamilico Sound Water Snake, which I have only seen on three occasions. There are also the Whitetail Deer, Black Bears, Bobcats, Fox and other woodland and wetland species of animals that abound the Croatan National Forest, which surrounds our county from the west. We also have an exotic species of Horn Toad Lizards. I expect that they came from the members of the military that let their pets loose before they depart overseas.

Common Pintail drake

Belted Kingfisher in progress.

Crikey. How long have you been carving yourself?

I started Carving in March 2002 and have joined the Core Sound Carvers Guild www.decoyguild.com. They have monthly meeting that cover different techniques and the work of other carvers. They have a building which displays and sells decoys from the guild membership. The office is open from 11:00A.M. until they close for the day, and the third Saturday of each month they sponsor a children's carving program. Then in December each year there is a show of carvers, painters and other Guild functions that go on through the weekend at the Harkers Island Elementary School.

Harkers Island is also home to the Core Sound Decoy Museum which was set up to show the history of decoy carving and how it has evolved into an art form from the days of working decoys. Carteret County before the Civil War had just gotten a railroad line from the western part of the state. The gravity of the railroad was not experienced until after the war had ended and commerce began again as a tourist location and the hunting clubs during the winter as well as the fishing industries of the area.

How did you first get interested in carving birds?

I first got interested in carving after being struck by an automobile while surveying which left me handicapped with no real hobby since I can not survey in the field anymore. I have a friend J. Keith Gaskill which stopped by one day and asked if I might be interested in learning to carve decoys. Of course I jumped at the chance since Keith has been carving for near thirty years now, he also is handicapped from and auto accident and kind of knew I was needing something to take up some of my time. Well the passion of carving is now in my system and my new hobby.

Ruby Red Throated Humming Bird.

What's your favorite animal and why?

I like a lot of different animals, but as a carver I like the Herons , Egrets, Hawks, and Eagles. I probably like the Humming Birds most of the things I carve, there are so many different types between North and South America. A good example of humming birds was when surveying in Big Bend National Park in Texas. I was working one day and this knoll was not named there so I was going to call it Gnat Hill as being tormented by them so bad. Well the next day I was finishing my work in that area and it sounded like a helicopter was coming toward me, I looked up and there where thousands of the Red Throated Humming birds migrating and they stopped by that spot an proceeded to eat their fill of the gnats. I then reconsidered and named it Humming Bird Hill since they got rid of my tormentors.

You mentioned hunting clubs - do you carve decoy ducks for hunting?

I would hope that the people that purchase my work to be an art form. I do make decoys that could be used for hunting . I feel that it is a sport that many people enjoy, but for myself I just enjoy watching the birds in flight and the rafts of them migrating during the year.

Great Blue Heron Scene with tree, marsh grass, old floating ring
and washed up decoy duck.

Do you sell any of your decoy birds?

Yes, I do sell my decoys, donate to charity for auctions, and give to close friends. During the Christmas season, I make neighbors and friends little decoys to hang on their trees,as well for my sons teachers and other school staff members.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a Belted Kingfisher for a charity raffle, drake Wood Duck, Great Blue Heron full sized, and one of my favorites a Red Throated Humming with wood flowers.

To tell the truth I came across Animal Reviews looking for pictures of the feet on the Belted Kingfisher. Theo and Max where of great help on this. (Thanks Glenn, the cheque's in the post - Theo & Max).

Glenn's Eared Grebe carved out of Red Cedar.
If only they made loaves of bread look more like this.

Have you ever been bitten by a wild wild beast?

Yes, I have by a Red Fox ,which I saw in a subdivision of land I was working on. When I saw the fox, I wanted it for a pet and darn near chased it for half a day on foot. It was in autumn and the chase was on traversing through the woods and fields. The fox made a mistake running into a soybean field where I picked up small rocks an threw them around him. The noise of the rocks hitting the dry soybean pods distracted it. I wrapped a quilted shirt around my left hand an charged it giving it my hand to bite at and the fox did just that. I grabbed it by the nape of its neck with my right hand and he was mine. My helper that day was not as enthusiastic as I was, and did not want to get in the truck to drive me home. I kept it for some months before I found out that it was not within the law to keep such animals, but we had became friends and I took it back to where he was caught and released it.

The worst I have ever been hurt by were Ground Bees walking or chopping property lines out. The vibrations made by either act will alert the hive which lives underground. They will swarm you by the hundreds and leave their stingers that keep pumping their enzymes into you. The fast remedy if stung is lemon or lime juice and meat tenderizer to make a paste. It helps break down their powerful enzymes and they are very painful.

Do you have any amusing animal tales?

Being a Surveyor there are plenty of stories I could share. When working in Nebraska I saw what looked like a beavers burrow. It was it the North-western part of the state with no rivers near. I took out a three feet marker stake and ran it into the opening of the mound and just a few seconds a badger charged out mad. I ran an jumped on the hood of the truck and he was not happy, biting at the tires and anything else that was touching the ground that we had taken out the truck. It took it several hours before we could retrieve our equipment after it calmed down a bit.

In the Big Bend National Park there is an exotic species of rattlesnakes that are pink in color. There are mountain lions and three kinds of scorpions (Blonde, Brown and most lethal the Black scorpion).

When working on the Alligator State Park in North Carolina, we used small boats to get around instead of wading with the alligators. One morning one of the crews working on the project called by radio that they where sinking fast. We got from them their location and headed to help, upon arriving we asked what happened did you hit a submerged tree. Well their answer was much more funny, a Cottonmouth had dropped into the boat from a tree. Without thinking it through and flipping it over the boat side with a paddle one of them pulled out his pistol and shot at it several times before killing it, and that is why their boat sank.

Glenn, you're a true gent. Thank you.

Common Loon (which could well be
the best name for a species of bird ever).