Equipment: Canon SLR with 400mm Canon Lens
PHOTO BY: MARTIN FREEMAN
Winning photo captures young birds ready for their father (and food).
Martin Freeman, an amateur wildlife photographer, captured this photo in Arden Park on the edge of Minnehaha Creek, in a patch of formerly untouched woods that was a haven for birds. While waiting to capture a shot of bald eagles in their nest, Freeman noticed the young birds—pileated woodpeckers—sticking their heads out, waiting for their next meal, so he hid until the first parent showed up. Freeman recognized the father by the red chin stripe, which male pileated woodpeckers have and females don’t. Freeman says his favorite part of the shot is “the parental bond between [the] adults and young—and, in this case, equally shared by male and female parents.”
