Mad River Decoy by Audubon

Saving Seabirds with Social Attraction 

The development of Social Attraction techniques was vital to the success of Project Puffin. These techniques include using decoys, bird calls, and mirror boxes to create the illusion of an established seabird colony. This method is now used widely to encourage rare and endangered seabirds to colonize safer nesting habitats.  

From December to March, the Seabird Institute manufactures and sells over 40 species of seabird decoys used in restoration efforts around the world through the Mad River Decoy by Audubon brand.  

How We Make Durable Decoys 

The first step to making a decoy is creating a master, often hand-carved from wood or molded from clay to create the shape of the decoy being created. A high temperature mold is made over top of the master. The decoys are made out of recycled polyethylene, the same plastic used to make milk jugs, that is added to the molds during rotational or injection molding. The Rotational molding, done in-house, produces a strong, hollow, lightweight decoy. Least Tern decoys are made using the injection molding process and are solid. Each decoy “blank” is trimmed, prepped for painting, and hand painted. 

 
Incorporate Social Attraction into Your Project 

Decoy pricing is available upon request. Discounted rates may be applied for bulk orders. Orders are accepted year-round and processed in the sequence in which they are received. Submit this form to learn more.  

Jim and Nancy Henry began operating Mad River Decoy in 1990 out of their barn in central Vermont with the goal of crafting conservation decoys. Jim provided the master carving expertise and manufactured the decoys while Nancy specialized in painting the 30 species they created. The Henry’s generously donated Mad River Decoy to the Seabird Institute upon their retirement in 2016.