An artist named Mike McLean started painting willie wagtails on old fence pieces.

He gives them away for free to people in Torquay and sells them to others for $20.

The wagtails have traveled to many places like Japan, Venice, and even Antarctica.

The artist's paintings have gone to many countries, including Japan.

The artworks also went to Thailand.

A wagtail painting was seen in a plane's control room.

No place is too far for the colorful birds, even Antarctica.

The artist started painting the birds 10 years ago with leftover materials.

He has painted thousands of the birds by now.

The artist likes the birds because they are strong and cool images.

The birds make people happy and bring joy.

The birds can be found in many areas, even in cafes and houses.

There is a fun search for the wagtails in Torquay.

A family in Torquay likes to search for the birds on bikes and scooters.

The birds are easy to find in Torquay, in windows, on walls, and in trees.

A woman named Laura loves the wagtails.

Laura found the birds during the COVID lockdown and it was fun for her kids.

They still search for the birds years later.

They once found 89 birds in one day.

Laura's kids like to ride bikes and look for the birds.

They stop at the beach and a bike park, but mostly look for wagtails.

A 4-year-old girl likes to spend time looking for the birds.

Her 9-year-old brother likes to make a day of it and get ice cream.

The birds bring people together in a new neighborhood in Torquay.

A dog groomer likes to talk about the wagtails and why she has one.

She thinks it's nice for kids to look at the birds.

Many people got the birds during COVID and it made them happy.

A woman from Barwon Heads likes the wagtails and thinks they're great.

She wants to take one to her son in the Netherlands.

The birds were a happy distraction for the artist during a tough time.

The artist still paints the birds on old fence pieces with donated paint.

Painting the birds takes time, but it's like meditation for the artist.

The birds helped the artist forget about the tough times for artists.

The artist thinks people don't have money for art because of COVID.

The artist wants to make a big group of wagtails to grab people's attention.

He wants to make big installations with many wagtails.

He's excited to make a tree with 100 wagtails or a wall with patterns.

The wagtail image is in many of the artist's larger pieces.

The artist is happy to be known as the bird guy.

The article was published on May 28, 2026, at 5:03 am.

The article was updated on May 28, 2026, at 6:36 am.

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