Extinct duck, last seen in Elmira, part of film

The artist who created the Labrador Duck on display in Elmira’s Brand Park will soon return to the Southern Tier as he continues his mission to prevent the further extinction of birds.

The documentary film “The Lost Bird Project” that includes the Labrador Duck will be presented at 6 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Rockwell Museum, 111 Cedar St. in Corning.

The 63-minute film will be followed by a discussion moderated by sculptor Todd McGrain, who created and installed the 540-lb. sculpture in Elmira. The two-hour event will close with signings of his book “The Lost Bird Project” that was published in September.

While McGrain was unavailable for an interview Friday, he explained the importance of the project in May 2009 while he was installing his sculpture in Brand Park.

“I thought we should have memorials so that there’s a place to remember our loss and hopefully be inspired to prevent further losses,” he said. “It just seems like if we don’t remember the birds, we won’t act in a way to prevent further extinction. We need to remember.”

In addition to the Labrador Duck, the project includes sculptures of other birds that have disappeared from the landscape, with each sculpture permanently placed at the location related to its decline:

•The Great Auk in Newfoundland, Canada. The last documented pair of Great Auks was killed on Eldey Island on June 3, 1844.

•The Heath Hen in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. The bird was hunted so extensively that by 1870, the Heath Hen population had vanished. In 1929, ornithologists discovered a male on the island, but he was last seen on March 11, 1932.

•The Carolina Parakeet in Okeechobee, Fla. No one knows exactly where the last wild parakeet died. The last two known parakeets lived together for 32 years in the Cincinnati Zoo and died in 1917 and 1918.

•The Passenger Pigeon in Columbus, Ohio. A boy shot the last recorded wild Passenger Pigeon on March 24, 1900. The last captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo 14 years later.

The area now known as Brand Park is the site of the last known spotting of a wild Labrador Duck on Dec. 12, 1878. The bird was shot by a boy hunting wild game in the Buttonwoods for his family’s table.

McGrain said he spent five years creating the sculptures, initially inspired while he was doing research on the Passenger Pigeon. That’s when he learned about the other modern extinctions.

“What inspired me to work was the fact that I didn’t know anything about these birds,” he said. “I had to assume then that very few other people did, too.”

The sculpture in Brand Park was a gift to the people of Elmira and paid for with private funds.

Follow Ray Finger on Twitter @SGRayFinger.

If you go

The documentary film “The Lost Bird Project” that includes the Labrador Duck last seen in Elmira will be presented at 6 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Rockwell Museum, 111 Cedar St. in Corning.

The film will be followed by a discussion led by sculptor Todd McGrain, who created and installed the Labrador Duck sculpture in Brand Park.

He will also sign copies of his book, “The Lost Bird Project.” Books can be purchased in advance at the Rockwell Museum or at the event.

Cost is free to members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students.

Advance reservations are requested by 5 p.m. Feb. 4.