Shipping Birds

Shipping Prep

  1. Contact me to schedule/notify me of intended shipping, I do not want birds to be sitting outside if I will knowingly be away or on vacation.

  2. Place the highest R-Value Insulation on all sides of a sturdy cardboard box.

  3. Place an ice pack (ice blanket from amazon are cheap and perfect) below your bird if its during late fall/winter and an additional ice pack above if it is spring/summer.

  4. Cover the bird or top ice pack with another piece of insulation.

  5. Place a piece of paper with all Contact (Name, Phone, Email) and Federal Migratory Tag information (as shown to left) along with your check for deposit made out to Nick Funkhouser (unless paid electronically) in a separate ziplock bag within the box. Include any pictures of desired poses or habitats as well (these can be emailed or texted prior).

  6. Ship only via UPS!! In the spring/summer/fall you must use UPS Overnight on Monday or Tuesday avoiding holiday weekends. During winter you can use UPS 2 day on Monday or Tuesday.

    1. If you do not have a shipping account please contact me and I can get you the best rate via my account. It will most likely be less then 50% of what the ups store will charge you!!

  7. Provide me with the tracking number so I can know when to expect the package and get the bird back into the freezer asap. In the event your bird gets lost, spoiled, or ruined in transit I will notify you and return your deposit.

Return Shipping and Delivery

The return of your finished product can be through return shipping (customer responsible for shipping cost over $50, will be added to total balance due) or potential delivery depending on distance from Walnut Ridge Waterfowl. Prior to completion of your mount I will email a “Balance Due” invoice with shipping or delivery estimate which will be included. The balance will need to be paid prior to completion of your mount. Mount will be shipped 3 weeks later (Necessary for drying time) after receiving final payment. Customer will be provided with tracking number or delivery ETA. Delivery by Walnut Ridge Waterfowl may be possible if it benefits both parties especially for larger displays.

Best poses for a shipped mount

Standing or swimming poses have a much better potential of arriving unharmed as well as being cheaper to ship due to smaller size. Open wing or flying poses run the risk of damaged flight feathers during shipment. If flight feathers do show damage, they can typically be fixed by holding a garment steamer under them to reattach the feather tracts. Mounts are packaged in reinforced shipping boxes attached directly to the bottom of the box to prevent any shifting or tumbling, the mount themselves are covered with a plastic bag and surrounded with foam peanuts. Large open wing birds such as geese or swans will have detachable wings with instructions for reinstallation. Walnut Ridge Waterfowl is not responsible for any damages which occur during shipping. I put shipping insurance on every mount that is shipped but there are no guarantees that a claim will be able to be processed. In the event that damage occurs, take pictures of the shipping package immediately and any damage to the mount. I will need these when filing any claims.