From the category archives:

Phriday Photo

The First Duck Stamp

by The Birdfreak Team on July 11, 2008

Jay N. “Ding” Darling

Brush and ink drawings of Mallards by Jay N. “Ding” Darling, a famous cartoonist and noted conservationist. The artist was chief of the Biological Survey, a precursor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, from 1934 to 1936. “Ding” conceived the idea of using duck stamps to raise money for the purchase of wetlands. (Deceased)

–U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Phriday Photo - Happy 232nd Birthday!

by The Birdfreak Team on July 4, 2008

Have a wonderful Fourth of July and celebrate this great country. We may have our problems (who doesn’t?) but this is still a great place to live (and not just for the birds).

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Phriday Photo - Red-headed Woodpecker HDR

by The Birdfreak Team on June 27, 2008

In order to take High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos of birds you have to be quick and they have to be pretty still. Movements on either end make the photo a bit junky, although a little bit is correctable.

Photo 1 - Underexposed (-2)

Photo 2 - “Normal” Exposure (0)

Photo 3 - Overexposed (+2)

Finished Product of a Red-headed Woodpecker in HDR

Now, this isn’t a perfectly done shot but we feel it often makes the colors “pop” and adds a little artistic quality to already beautiful birds. In a way, it helps to produce a more realistic image of what the bird looks like, although it can often be overdone making the image look a bit odd (which some may think this one looks).

Regardless, it was nice to find this Red-headed Woodpecker, as it is the first one spotted at Deer Run Forest Preserve this year. It is a shame these awesome birds are in decline.

Side note: these photos cost Birdfreak some lost blood as a cloud of mosquitoes decided outstretched arms with a camera in them make a wonderful buffet.

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Phriday Photo - Rock Cut State Park in HDR

by The Birdfreak Team on June 20, 2008

One of our favorite birding spots is Rock Cut State Park. It consists of over 3,000 acres of prime birding habitat and attracts a lot of visitors (which is good and bad).

This photo is HDR - High Dynamic Range - which is a unique way to photograph by merging various exposures into one, “high dynamic range” shot.

Note: Birdfreak and Arizona are camping this weekend and hope to find a lot of nesting warblers along the Sugar River in western Winnebago county.

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Phriday Photo - Killdeer Crossing

by The Birdfreak Team on June 13, 2008

This Killdeer parent was discovered at Deer Run Forest Preserve and had four young chicks. The chicks mistakenly came out in the open, but were well protected by their aerial mom (or dad).