Linda Fields' collection of pie birds has grown to 600 and her search for more continues. As a member of the Pie Birds Unlimited club and coordinator of their bi-annual convention in Paris, TN, in June, her love for pie birds and bird watching is typical of club enthusiasts.

"I always use a pie bird when making pies," said Ms. Fields. "Part of the fun of collecting is research and finding out about the potter, where it was made and how many. In the South you don't see as many in stores. Up in New England, they are everywhere."

Formed less than a decade ago, the club now boasts 400 members, a newsletter and a biennial collectors convention. Headed by Lillian Cole, the newsletter is filled with photographs, researched information and identifications of the rarest and the latest in pie birds.

The black bird is the most common pie bird, probably because of the nursery rhyme, "Sing a Song of Sixpence, pocket full of rye," said Ms. Fields. "But sometimes the most valuable pieces are not the oldest."

Ms. Fields' favorite piece in her collection is a mother blue bird perched in a nest with three of her young. It is a rare pie bird. She has been offered $500 but refuses to part with it at any price.

Pie birds are used to vent steam while a pie is baking. Decorative and useful, they run the gamut of multi-use dutch girls to white doves singing their hearts out.

Although many people think of pie birds as a southern tradition, the baking utensil originated in England. English immigrants settled in New England and continued the practice of using pie birds when baking. The decorative but useful baking tool can be found everywhere in the north. Going south, the ceramic treasures are more difficult to find. England and Australia are two other countries where baking means having a pie bird.

According to Fields, specialty stores such as Lechtner's often carry new pie birds. Cracker Barrel restaurants' gift shop also features pie birds.

With contacts in England and Australia, Ms. Fields has been able to acquire pie birds created in potteries around the world.

A majority of Fields' collection has been acquired through trips to shops in northern states and visits to antique shops along the way. Large flea markets can also be a good source.

Most pie birds are bird shaped but potters could not resist creating other shapes such as the English-made "Fred, the Flour Grater" and the hand blown "Victorian Lady" pie bird made by The Glass Menagerie. Other whimsical shapes include an owl in a suit and tie, businessman, and a crow wearing a chef's outfit, complete with a bandana.

Ms. Fields has written and published a resource guide, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, A Pictorial Identification and Price Guide, for collectors. It is the first book ever published for pie bird collectors and will be available at the convention.

The most expensive pie bird Fields has catalogued is Donald Duck stamped with a Disney insignia. It was manufactured in Australia and is valued at $1,100.

More than 150 members are expected to attend the convention. Trading and selling, lectures by key speakers, auctions and newly manufactured pie birds are just a few of the activities offered.

Anyone interested in purchasing the resource guide may sent $29.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to Linda Fields, 158 Bagsby Hill Lane, Dover, TN., 37058.

For information on the convention, call Bobby and Linda Fields at 931-232-5099. The Second Pie Bird Collector's Convention will be held June 19-21 at Paris Landing State Park in Paris, Tennessee. Most collectors will be bringing six of their favorite, oldest or most unusual pieces to the convention.