Wood Thrush

This was a heart-stopping moment during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop several years ago as this Wood thrush jumped onto the moss-covered rotting log and stopped in the open on camera angle, posing pretty.

Outstanding songsters, the thrushes produce clear, flutelike notes that carry long distances through the woodlands, their favoured habitat. Mainly brown with spotted or speckled breasts, thrushes are insect eaters that spend much of their time searching for food in the leaf litter on the forest floor, making them hard to photograph - smile.

Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina, Grive des bois, WOTH) from my SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP at Point Pelee National Park of Canada in Leamington, Ontario, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @800mm. ISO 2,000, f/13 @ 1/400s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Northern Parula with insect snack

A Northern Parula extracts an insect from its leaf cocoon during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada.

I made this image in the harsh light on the afternoon of May 11, 2023, using my Sony a1, Sony 600mm f/4 and 2X extender (doubler). The Northern Parula must have been a fresh arrival that morning because it was “low & slow,” stopping for minutes between foraging for insects to refuel.

Due to a last-minute medical emergency, there is still space for you to join one of my favourite workshops at one of the top ten birding hotspots in the world. Learn more about my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada HERE.

Northern Parula (male) with insect snack (Setophaga americana, Paruline à collier, NOPA) from my SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP at Point Pelee National Park of Canada in Leamington, Ontario, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm. ISO 2,000, f/8 @ 1/500s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Tennessee Warbler

There was no shortage of warblers during my recent Songbirds of Pelee Workshop. There were times when it was hard to choose which species to follow; a great problem to have!

The Tennessee warbler specializes in eating the spruce budworm. Consequently, its population goes up and down with fluctuations in the population of the budworm.

Kentucky Warbler

A Kentucky warbler poses briefly during my recent SONGBIRDS OF PELEE workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada. Kentucky warblers are rare visitors to Canada, but a few are seen yearly at Point Pelee National Park.