Squirrel on the Feeder (Stamp Filter)

For something just a little bit different, I processed today's image through Photomatix. (The stamp filter images in previous posts had been processed by layering them together in Photoshop. For today's image, I took varying stamp filter levels from darkest to lightest and merged them together on Photomatix, processing the image in HDR.) The effect is an interesting black-and-white, reminding me of something from a newspaper photo (back from before everyone printed them in color...)

The subject, the squirrel on the feeder, has been rather entertaining to watch. The feeder is squirrel proof, in that the squirrel can't get into the holes. (If the squirrel lands on the bird perch its weight closes little doors behind the holes. The squirrels don't usually land on the perch, they seem to fall right to the ground.) What the squirrels have figured out, however, as they fall to the ground - is that even though they can't get into the holes, if they give the feeder enough of a bump or a push, a handful of seeds will fall out. (What do they say about necessity being the mother of invention?)

Thanks for stopping by!