SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - If it looks like a duck and floats like a duck, it may be a goose or a yellow-billed magpie. But chances are it's a blue ribbon winner. This Saturday and Sunday, the planet's best carvers will be competing at Liberty Station, among them two-time world champ Mel Herbert, who proudly displays his Super Bowl of carving ring.
"We are all birdwatchers, birders. We get out in the field, study the birds in the field," he said.
Then they draw a patter, lay it on a block of wood and carve out the fowl.
"To me, rolling a nice chip with a sharp knife off a piece of wood, that's about as good as it gets," Mel said.
Then over 100 man hours later, it's time to paint. Even though the competition doesn't begin until Saturday, Mel's sure that his California condor will win best of show.
"It's actually made out of four palm fronds. The wings are a palm frond, the body is a palm frond and then the lower part of the body is a palm frond," he said.
This competition runs deep.
"We have the fish as well, they are by Bob Berry of El Cajon. He's a four-time world champion fish carver," Mel said.
For Mel Herbert, being a world champion isn't just about how the bird looks, but how it behaves in the water.
"The floating birds need a keel, because the rules say throw them in the water upside down, and they have to what they call self-right," he said.
This weekend, five world champion carvers will be displaying their work alongside world class artists and photographers. It's a chance for adults to play duck, duck, goose.
