Marsh wren with nesting material

Here is a tiny Marsh wren with nesting material from my Sony-sponsored Gosselin Photo walk yesterday at Parc-nature du Bois de l’Île-Bizard. After many great discussions about camera settings, exposure and birds, and once the light got harsh, longtime Facebook friend and photo walk attendee Claude Gervais kindly pointed out this little gem to everyone: Merci, Claude!

Northern Harrier

A beautiful male Northern Harrier backlit by the setting sun and colourful clearing clouds was the final treat after a cold afternoon with a dozen short-eared owls during one of my Winter Owl Photography Workshops last winter.

Also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk. The male is bluish-gray above with white underparts, a distinctive coloration that earns it the nickname among birders of "Gray Ghost."

Kentucky warbler

A Kentucky warbler poses briefly after bathing 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.

Prairie Warbler

During my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP, a Prairie warbler momentarily pauses in the open in nice light after migrating over Lake Erie to Point Pelee National Park.

Pelee always delivers the rarities! The Prairie Warbler is a scarce bird in Canada, occurring only in southern Ontario, where there are likely fewer than 300 pairs.

Nashville warbler in flight

Pioneer birdman Alexander Wilson encountered this bird first near Nashville, Tennessee. It has been called Nashville Warbler ever since, even though Wilson's birds were passing through in migration, and the species does not nest anywhere near Tennessee. This small warbler is relatively common in both the east and the west, often seen foraging in thickets and young trees, flicking its short tail frequently as it seeks insects among the foliage.

Northern Parula

Northern Parulas can be difficult to see and photograph as they rapidly flit and hop primarily through the upper levels of the forest and subcanopy, but during migration they also forage in the understory. We had a few moments with this species during my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP.

“Thanks again Chris for an amazing week! Lots of photo ops, great teachings and wonderful company! Now I just need to go through the thousands of photos I took, and then...decide which of your workshops to do next!!!”

— Louise Bertrand (Quebec, Canada) Songbirds of Pelee workshop May, 2023

Yellow warbler singing portrait headshot

A portrait of a male Yellow warbler singing from my recently concluded Songbirds of Pelee workshop in Point Pelee National Park of Canada.

Male Yellow warblers sing a sweet series of 6–10 whistled notes that accelerate throughout the roughly 1-second song and often end on a rising note. The tone is so sweet that people often remember it with the mnemonic sweet sweet sweet, I’m so sweet.

Prothonotary warbler

We had a blast photographing at least four Prothonotary warblers during my recently concluded Songbirds of Pelee workshop. This image was created using my Sony Alpha 1 and my Sony 600mm f/4 lens with 1.4X teleconverter attached. The warbler had flown over and landed on the boardwalk just behind me, before landing on this perch directly in front of me at minimum focusing distance.

Prothonotary Warbler Launching

Another image from my recently concluded Songbirds of Pelee workshop. As this Prothonotary warbler was foraging on this great perch, a Northern Waterthrush flew over it, and the Prothonotary warbler quickly gave chase. This was a lucky catch for me, as I was reorienting the camera from horizontal to vertical when I noticed it happening :)

Prothonotary Warblers are unique among the warbler family because they breed in nest cavities instead of making nests on tree branches. They choose tree cavities, dug out by woodpeckers or chickadees, that are either standing in water or within 5 m (16 feet) of water.

Prothonotary Warblers get their name from papal clerks, called prothonotaries, who wore yellow robes. However, it is also possible that the name derives from the notaries (known as protonotaires) who played a significant role in the 18th and 19th-century legal system of Louisiana, the state where the bird was first described. One point against that theory is that the notaries did not wear yellow.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Here is a Black-throated Blue Warbler from my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP in Point Peele National Park of Canada. The sold-out trip was a huge success, with a fabulous group and extraordinary photographic opportunities and birding moments enjoyed by everyone. The last image I made yesterday (May 11) before making the 9-hour drive home. A special year for me, with my nephew, Shane, joining in the fun!

Special thanks to the whole Peele 2023 crew! Great times were had by all! Front row L-R: Me (Chris), Howard, Linda, Pierre-Alexandre, Louise. Back row l-R: Omar, Sanjeev, & Shane.

Learn more and sign-up for my Songbirds of Melee workshop May 7-11, 2024 HERE.

Coastal Brown Bear mother and cubs

A Coastal Brown Bear mother and cubs pose for my group during my Ultimate Mother and Cubs bear boat trip. There is still space for my Mothers & Cubs trip in June and my Fishing Bears trip in September. I am also looking for a female solo traveller to share a room with another female solo traveller. Learn more about my Bears Galore workshop HERE.

Snail Kite

Another treat from my recently completed second Ospreys Galore workshop in Florida was this spectacular Snail kite. Notice the highly specialized hooked bill: Perfectly shaped to penetrate the freshwater snails they eat.

Roseate Spoonbill in flight

We had a fabulous time with the beautiful Roseate Spoonbills on the last day of the last Ospreys Galore workshop in Florida. Despite a disappointingly wet forecast before the trip started, the only daytime rain we had was a short-lived 5-minute shower shortly after this image was made; a small price to pay for the lovely dark grey sky - smile!

Osprey in flight with a Black Crappie

An Osprey is bringing home a fish called a Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) from my recently concluded Ospreys Galore workshops on Lake Blue Cypress in Florida. I love the perspective of the Osprey being below my line of sight, and the background gives the image a sense of place and seems a lot more interesting than a plain blue sky - wink.

Pel's Fishing Owl South Africa

More from my workshop in Africa in November of 2012.

Night Safaris in Africa are always fun and productive. This is a Pel’s Fishing Owl that was illuminated by an old-fashioned high-power tungsten spotlight. Once the correct exposure is determined, it doesn't change unless the distance between the subject and the light source changes; Increase the ISO if the light source to subject distance increases, decrease the ISO if the light source to subject decreases :)

The Pel's Fishing Owl is one of the largest owls on earth. Among the world's owls, it ranks as the fifth heaviest on average, the seventh longest in length and measured wing chord and fourth longest in mean wingspan (1.24 meters or 60 inches). They typically weigh about the same as a Snowy Owl.

Pel’s Fishing Owl Dorsal View (Scotopelia peli, Chouette-pêcheuse de Pel Croatian) South Africa. ©2012 Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. ISO 20,000 @ 1/250s f/5.6 @ 500mm. Hand-held. Full frame image.

Male Leopard Portrait

I just went through a folder full of Leopard images from my workshop in 2012 that went from Sabi Sands Game Reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park in South Africa to the largest mammal migration on Earth (the great Straw-coloured Bat migration) in Zambia.

Funny how I initially rejected all of the images without a direct stare. I love the undisturbed and peaceful nature of this image. My zoom lens adjusted to 116mm and this is a full-frame image, so we were close :) I remember finding this lazy male who spent most of our encounter snoozing. This image was created just after he stood up and yawned, just before he sauntered off directly towards us before veering off to the right.

Coyote Pouncing on Prey

This is the same male Coyote as in my last post with the image of the playful Coyotes. My group had some great opportunities of him hunting meadow voles during my Best of Bosque workshop.

Coyotes catch mouse-sized rodents by pouncing, whereas ground squirrels are chased. Recent research suggests that Coyotes depend on their vision more than their sense of smell to hunt. Unlike the wolf, which attacks large prey from the rear, the coyote approaches from the front, lacerating its prey's head and throat.

Coyotes of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico

We had some awesome experiences with this pair of Coyotes during my recent Best of Bosque workshop at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, USA. Given the playful nature of their interactions that we watched, I think it is fair to assume they were siblings born this past April.

My experience at the refuge this year was absolutely awesome. Word spread quickly that the drought limited the amount of wetland habitat and the failure of the crops that were planted to feed the migrating Sandhill Cranes and Geese. While this did mean there were limitations on the number of locations for good photography, the available options were awesome. I have never seen so few people in the refuge during migration.

Atlantic puffin LOOK BACK

Chris delivers a premium product, in every way.

I’m an experienced wildlife photographer and I’ve had puffins on my bucket list for several years. Around my Colorado home, I scout my own sites and work my network of photography buddies, so I know what it takes to find good sites, get in and then have the wildlife cooperate, to get good pictures. I’ve even been a scout for a leading professional photographer, looking for superior deer and turkey subjects and locations.

Regarding puffins, I’d considered renting hide times, but most involved day-trips on boats. Most importantly, time in the hide is limited and you won’t necessarily be able to shoot when they’re feeding, nor will you likely shoot in the ideal light. The angle of view is often not ideal from a hide.

I don’t know how, but I ran across Chris’ Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop at the Mingan Archipelago National Park of Canada. It sounded too good to be true. You can shoot ALL DAY and have gourmet meals morning, noon and night. Hang on.

The “galore” part of the title is entirely true. I took over 13,000-shots in my three-days. It required merciless culling to get down to under 200 for sharing. I have many worthy of framing and the culls contain many shots that I might have been happy with, had I not had so many superior shots.

There are rules, to protect the birds, about where you can go on the islet, but that in no way excludes you from puffin activity. For example, every evening, we sat in chairs as puffin filled our frames landing, taking off, kibitzing, posing, all in the ideal light. By the end of the first day, I didn’t know how I’d possibly improve my shots, but I did, indeed, add to my archive.

Importantly, Chris is an affable and professional guy, but he pays close attention to safety, respect for our subjects, and the comfort of his guests. Everyone in my group was experienced, with good equipment. In fact, I was the only newbie. All had shot with Chris before. Guess what, I’ve signed up for his Snowy Owl Adventure, next January. I suspect that won’t be my last.

Chris delivers a premium product, in every way. Planning information was thorough and detailed, making it crystal clear what you needed to get there, to wear, etc.. The only thing left was to take the pix.

This is a premium product and a photographer’s dream. This is THE way to shoot Atlantic puffin.

Dave Stephens Colorado | USA

Sony Alpha A1 in the house

I’ve been out & about testing the brand new and industry leading action camera, the Sony Alpha A1. Stay tuned here (www.NaturePhotographyBlog.com) for my review early next week.