Charles Birch Canada Goose

Charles Birch (1867-1956) Willis Wharf, VA, c. 1920 24 1/2 in. long

Raised on Chincoteague, Birch moved south to Willis Wharf in Northampton County at age thirty-nine. He was a boatbuilder, waterman, and decoy carver. His decoys were very well regarded in their own time with rigs hunted over well beyond Virginia's waters, from North Carolina’s Gooseville Gun Club to Illinois’ Georgia Pacific Paper Gun Club. They continue to be coveted by collectors nationwide today.

Birch’s hollow birds with proud breasts and sweeping arched necks have long been collecting gems of the South. This example has a high crown which sweeps down to its inserted oak bill. Original paint with some gunning paint successfully taken down, some touch-up, gunning wear, structurally sound.