Michael Lythgoe has been creating wooden bird and fish carvings professionally since 1988. He was inspired by the early North American decoys and his early work concentrated on realism and very fine detail but, over time, the eye of the ornithologist and the skill of the engineer have combined so that he has developed his own recognisable style. Lythgoe was born in Liverpool in 1950 and upon completion of an engineering apprenticeship in 1970 joined the Merchant Navy as a junior officer.

In 1975 he emigrated to Canada and was employed in the ship building industry. He lived and worked on the shores of Lake Ontario where his passion for bird photography flourished and he spent his free time watching and photographing the bird life of the area. The extensive network of lakes in Northern Ontario provided the opportunity for canoe trips to photograph his favourite subject, the "Loon", with its beautiful form and haunting cry. On holiday in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts he purchased an old wooden decoy which still sits proudly in his workshop today.

This simple decoy inspired Lythgoe, upon his return to the UK in 1986, to become a bird carver. LythgoeÕs first exhibition in 1988 was a sell out. Shortly afterwards he won the European Decoy Carving Championship.