The Lemon Bird

The Lemon Tree

My 93-year-old maternal grandpa has a lemon tree in his backyard. I have no idea how old the tree is, however it is probably close to fifty years, if not more. Every Christmas when we visit him for the holidays, we pick lemons off the tree.

Earlier this year my mom visited, and came back with two lemons from his tree. They were withered and dried beyond recognition as lemons. However, as Grandpa observed, one of them looked like a bird. Upon seeing this lemon, I decided to give the lemon back to Grandpa for his birthday. With some modifications of course. Presenting - Lemon Bird!

As it is created from a dried lemon, this bird can probably be considered food art too. The attached eyes are the only modification to the actual lemon.

The Bird.

Lemon Bird close up.

The nest is shaped with a foam cup, strengthened with leather, strips of bark and woven grass. The foliage in and around the nest is both real and artificial. This is a true family project as my mom gathered several of the pieces. The base is cork, scraps from our coasters.

Bird and Nest side-by-side.

Nest Close up

Nest from Above

Neither the actual nest lining nor the bird are glued. I did this to create a further sense of realism, as birds' nests are generally strong structures whose lining is added after the structure is built. And, of course, birds can leave their nests. In theory a non-lemon bird could move in! For now, the Lemon Bird lives there.