Herring Gull and Sea Urchin

Herring Gull with a Sea Urchin (Larus argentatus, Goéland argenté, HEGU) Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens  with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 1,600, f/8 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full Frame.

Here's a Herring Gull about to drop a Sea Urchin from my recent PUFFINS GALORE DELUXE WORKSHOP. There was an abundance of Sea Urchins and the Herring Gulls were taking full advantage.

While researching the 950 species of Sea Urchin to correctly identify the species I had photographed, I discovered an interesting Oceans and Fisheries Canada document about the Green Sea Urchin Fishery in Canada. You can find it HERE https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/245512.pdf

Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus, Goeland argente, HERG)

American Herring Gull Emerging with fish (Larus smithsonianus, Goeland argente, HERG) Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure Island, Quebec. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS-1D MKIV, 800mm F5.6 L IS. ISO 400, 1/2000s F5.6 Manual. 580EXII Flash manual full power . Tripod & Wimberley Head II. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

A quick post today to further demonstrate the power of side light to make dramatic, action stopping images in harsh light. This is another image from a good collection produced while Bonaventure Island was closed to visitors during a recent Gannets Galore Bonaventure Island Bird Photography workshop. We made the most of the day by visiting a favorite spot for Common Eider Ducks (we had males, females and babies really close). The gulls (Herring and Great Black-backed) would harass and steal fish from the diving Eiders.

Gannets Galore August 13-15, 2010 - still space available - more information HERE

Canon 800mm F5.6 IS L First impressions....

Yowsa, what an amazing piece of glass! This lens was razor sharp, fast and snappy to acquire auto-focus when used with my EOS 1D Mark IV camera body. Special thanks to Canon Canada for the loan and for giving a chance for workshop participants a chance to "get behind the wheel" and give it a try. New coatings, IS system and design all add up to make this a must have lens - anyone wanna chip-in? (grin).