I carved this bird back in the early 90s when we lived in Utah. Avocets were common nesting shorebirds on the marshes I worked on, and when someone loaned me a study skin for reference, I had to carve one. 

The bird is carved from basswood and is hollow. The head and legs were carved from separate pieces of wood so that the grain would run the length of the piece for strength. All feathers are carved, with burned feather detail, and painted in acrylics. For travel purposes, the bird separates from its left leg just below the body.  The base is made from cherry. The water is cast from Envirotex, and the droplet of water on the right foot is made from epoxy.