Instructions: The oven temperature is exact. The filling is fresh, and the crust promises to be faultless. Your pie is ready to be baked. Or is it? The answer may rest on whether you own a gizmo known as a pie bird.

Pie birds - also called pie funnels, pie cups, pie tubes or pie vents - are small devices placed in the center of a pie dish. They poke up through the pastry to support the crust, help prevent it from sagging and allow steam to escape through an exit vent. As a result, the filling doesnt bubble out of the pie plate and sully your oven.

Used since Victorian times, most notably in England, the first pie birds were crafted from plain white china. Over the years, they were manufactured in glass, aluminum and plastic. Pie birds usually stand about three to five inches high and have a series of arches around their base.

By the 1930s, the most famous pie birds had made their debut - those created in the image of the warblers in the old English nursery rhyme, Sing a Song of Sixpence:
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye;

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.

Now wasnt that a dainty dish to set before the King?

While the blackbird is the most commonly found pie bird, it wasnt long before the birds took on other whimsical forms like elephants and bears.

Now, you can find pie birds in the shapes of snowmen, flamingos, unicorns, golfers and even Santa Claus.

While all pie birds are collectible, serious enthusiasts keep an eye out for those issued prior to 1950. Collectors prefer signed examples made by top English firms such as Royal Worcester and TG Green. Pie birds by American potters Shawnee and Cleminson also are in big demand. Expect to pay around $40 for the average bird. And remember: Collectors expect these items to have a bit of crazing, but no major chips, cracks or stains.

A recent search along San Joses Antiques Row on West San Carlos Street and along Gilroys Monterey Street proved fruitless.

Frustrated, I called antiques maven Shirley Henderson at the Antiquarium in Los Gatos. I figured if anyone in the area had an early pie bird, she would.

But, Henderson said, I havent had an old pie bird in nearly five years. I just dont find them. Still, she says she gets multiple pie bird requests every week.

Newly made pie birds, on the other hand, are easy to find. Stacey Aldrich of Soquel and her mother Barbara Rebuppo from Watsonville sell at least 20 per week on e-Bay.

In business for close to a year, they start the bidding for their pie birds at $2.99. When the online auction ends, however, some bring in as much as $30. Each is molded and hand-painted with original designs featuring fruits, patriotic motifs and flowers. Theyve sent their work to folks in Canada, Ireland and Hong Kong.

The women will hawk their cheery wares at the Elks Lodge Flea Market, 121 Martinelli St., Watsonville, on July 21. At least 80 pie birds will be up for grabs, tagged $7-$12 each.

I must admit. Im a pie eater, not a pie baker. But if I ever decide to make one from scratch, I think Ill ask a little birdie for some help.

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