Chainsaw Art at Thornley Woods nr Newcastle

Thornley woodpecker

Otter from a tree stump

This past Sunday was a glorious autumn day, so we decided to go for a walk and hit on Thornley Woods near Newcastle. Never been before, but we happened to arrive after Tommy Cragg had just finished his series of chainsaw sculptures on dead trees along the trails leading away from the Thornley Woods information centre. Dead fascinating!

Red kite from a
tree stump

Rabbit at Thornley Woods

It turns out that Tommy Cragg, based near Consett, is well-known on the international chainsaw art

circuit, having competed in the Chainsaw Carving day at Chetwynd, BC in June 2011, winning overall Third Prize. And he won the 2008 APF Chainsaw Carving Competition sponsored by Echo in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.  His works adorn several venues around England; see his Gallery for the enormous range of artwork he does and where those works are located.  I must say, we were impressed; the artistry is astounding. And the fact that these sculptures are all on trees that are still rooted mean they will remain to be enjoyed many years. If you are interested in how these sculptures are done, see the 4 videos on YouTube of the Chetwynd competition.
   In addition to seeing Cragg's Red Kite, we also saw two red kites in the air, two dippers in the stream, and a grey heron (Ardea cinerea), relative of the North American great blue heron (Ardea herodias). The red kites are a real treat, as they have been reintroduced to England and are now thriving. On the wing, they are one of the most beautiful birds, flashing red, black and white in the sun.