An Outrageous Example Of Copyright Infringement Of My Images
Copyright infringement and image theft are often the bane of my photographic existence. They are illegal, unethical and rampant, ranging from abuses on Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr to theft by bloggers and others with personal websites. I spend more time filing DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) takedown notices than I care to think about. But recently I came across an unusually flagrant example regarding one (actually two) of my photographs that really got my dander up. The draft version of this blog post was much more extensive, documented and vitriolic than this one but writing the draft may have been cathartic for me to some degree so I’ve been able to calm down a little, to the point that I’ll now (largely) only present the images and let the viewer see for themselves what has been done (though I will point a few things out that might otherwise be missed). This Black-billed Magpie image is one of my favorites, to the point that I have a large print of it hanging over my fireplace. So try to imagine my chagrin when I found this while doing a reverse image search on Google a couple of weeks ago. The owner of this site: a), has lifted my image, b), has altered it (grossly, IMO) without my permission, c), has removed my copyright notice on the image and now claims her own copyright on the print, and d) is offering it for sale on Etsy. Here’s the link but I included the screenshot in case the Etsy offering somehow disappears as soon as this blog post…
American Kestrel With Peeling Beak
I’ve never before posted this image because of the “imperfection” of the peeling beak tip of this male American Kestrel. Bird beaks are largely composed of the protein keratin and like our fingernails are constantly growing. This can apparently cause flaking or peeling of the beak but I don’t understand why and so far internet research hasn’t provided the answer.
Ospreys In Shooting Conditions That Drove Me A Little Nuts(er)
Every bird photographer has horror stories about potentially great opportunities with birds that were ruined to some degree or another by miserable shooting conditions. Well I met my match on my recent trip to Flaming Gorge.
Flaming Gorge Osprey – An Experiment That Worked
We returned home Thursday after spending three wonderful days camping at Flaming Gorge in NE Utah. This is very close to the view we had on most mornings from our campsites (two of them), though this image was taken the morning before the Osprey photo, below. As you’ll see, the lighting conditions were dramatically different…
Western Kingbird Off Balance
There was a bit of a breeze as this Western Kingbird was trying to maintain its balance on the precarious perch which resulted in this pose.
Ferruginous Hawk In Flight
I don’t often get close enough to Ferruginous Hawks for decent photos but this one seemed curious about me and flew in just close enough.
Chukar – Wing Stretch On Tippytoes
The bird was so enthusiastic about its morning stretch that it even stood on its toes at the end (reminded me of some people when they stretch).
Willets On Antelope Island
Willets aren’t flashy birds but right now they’re very conspicuous on Antelope Island because they’ve come up higher on the slopes for their spring mating activities.
The Raven And The Pied-billed Grebe
Last week as I drove along the causeway to Antelope Island just after sunup I came across a Pied-billed Grebe on the shore that was being tormented by a Common Raven. I still don’t fully comprehend what I witnessed.
A Mother’s Day Tribute To Two Women Who Saved Many Of Our Birds
Snowy Egrets are spectacularly beautiful birds that we came very near to losing. In the early 1800s birds in North America were so numerous that John James Audubon insisted that no act of man could ever wipe a species out, including the Snowy Egret – yet by 1913 the Snowy Egret was flirting with extinction. The cause? – lady’s hats.