John James Audubon, a French-American ornithologist (a person who studies birds), became internationally known in the 1800s for his ambitious goal of painting and documenting all the different bird species found in the United States. His methods, however, weren’t exactly bird friendly. To prepare his subjects, Audubon would first kill them using fine shot and then fix them into striking poses using wire.

Ornithologists these days have a much better way of capturing birds for science: mist nets. The nylon mesh nets virtually invisible to birds when suspended between two poles, and allow scientists to capture, study, and release the birds unharmed. Photographer Todd R. Forsgren wants to be the modern day equivalent of Audubon. His project titled Ornithological Photographs consists entirely of photos showing different birds caught in mist nets.
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Jill Gillen has a fun photo craft idea for customizing any clear hand sanitizer bottles you have sitting around the house: add photographs of trapped family members! She writes,

I took their photos, cut them out and glue onto white paper. Then photo copy onto transparency paper (Kinkos for less than a dollar), then cut out image and roll it up so that it can fit into the top of a soap bottle. Make sure you have clear soap or sanitizer. Done!

Teacher gift idea, soap craft, keepsake [Pinterest]

Image credits: Photograph by Jill Gillen