Landscaping decor

Whirligigs

Whirligigs are outdoor objects that have a spinner and at least another moving part. The wind would blow the spinner and pump a little piston rod for another action. Usually, there were made of wood, then metal, and now, plastic. Common ones were birds with moving wings, wood chopper chopping wood, a man in a canoe rowing, etc.

Whirligigs become popular during the Great Depression when farmers with failing crops started to make them. They took them to town and sold them as cheap toys placed on a stick in the front yard. This is why they usually depict a rural scene.

More complex ones can display multiple scenes in motion. A garden whirligig makes a thumping sound on the ground to scare moles away.