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.

Red Fox peek-a-boo

On the first morning of my GANNETS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE WORKSHOP in June, we were treated to this Red fox peeking over the cliff edge briefly during the four-hour Zodiac Hurricane cruise.

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish in the fog

It was a dark and foggy morning, and waves of Puffins were bringing back freshly caught fish for their babies during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshops. Today’s cameras with the latest software can negate any sign of fog, but I much prefer the fog as I saw it, as it adds such an ethereal quality to the image.

Another image from my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more Workshop. Nature is not always cute and cuddly like this baby Common Eider was before being snatched away from its mother and aunts, who all tried to protect it from the Great Black-Backed Gull.

Unlike most other Larus gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls are highly predatory and frequently hunt and kill any prey smaller than themselves, behaving more like a raptor than a typical larid gull. Lacking the razor-sharp talons and curved, tearing beak of a raptor, the great black-backed gull relies on aggression, physical strength and endurance when hunting. When attacking other animals, they usually attack seabird eggs, nestlings or fledglings at the nest, perhaps most numerously terns, but also including smaller gull species as well as eiders, gannets and various alcids. In Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, 10% of the stomach contents of great black-backed gulls was made up of birds, while a further 17% of stomach contents was made up of tern eggs alone. Adult or fledged juveniles of various bird species have also been predaceously attacked. Some fully-fledged or adult birds observed to be hunted in flight or on the ground by great black-backed gulls have included Anas ducks, ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis), buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus), pied-billed grebes (Podilymbus podiceps), common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus), terns, Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica), Dovekie (Alle alle), coots (Fulica ssp.), glossy ibises (Plegadis falcinellus), rock pigeons (Columba livia) and even predatory birds such as hen harriers (Circus cyaneus). When attacking other flying birds, the great black-backed gulls often pursue them on the wing and attack them by jabbing with their bill, hoping to bring down the other bird either by creating an open wound or simply via exhaustion. They may kill healthy adult birds weighing up to at least 750 g (1.65 lb) but take exclusively the small young of larger birds such as common eider (Somateria mollissima) and cormorants. They will also catch flying passerines, which they typically target while the small birds are exhausted from migration and swallow them immediately. Great black-backed gull also feed on land animals, including rats (Rattus ssp.) at garbage dumps, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and even sickly lambs (Ovis aries). - Wikipedia.

Savannah Sparrow

I love spending time with the Savannah Sparrows, which inhabit the tiny island where I host my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore and so much more Workshops. I carefully positioned myself at the minimum focusing distance of my Sony 200-600mm so that the background was far enough away to be out of focus.

Snowy Owl SOLITUDE

A Snowy Owl from last winter’s WINTER OWL WORKSHOPS. Allowing for a generous negative space adds definition to your subject, and it reduces the negative impact of a busy composition by acting as a buffer, an area in which the eye is drawn back toward the subject.

Savannah Sparrow on Fireweed

A Savannah Sparrow posed on some Fireweed during my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more workshop in Quebec. Savannah Sparrows nest on the island and are easy to photograph as they forage and return to their nests with food for their babies.

Atlantic Puffins in flight with fish

We got photobombed while I was tracking the nearest Puffin as it brought fish back to its baby during my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more workshops in Quebec. Join me at the best location in the world to photograph Puffins bringing home fish. It was one of those days when it got cloudy and we were having so much fun that we stayed out late in the dark; notice my ISO of 32,000 :)

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish (Capelin) in sweet light

Join me for a DREAMY DELUXE ATLANTIC PUFFIN WORKSHOP from August 10-13, 2023. It all starts when we arrive on the tiny island and move into the newly renovated lighthouse accommodations; We will be living only feet away from the many Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and Common Murres that call the island home - all of the photography is within 200 meters (200 yards) of our bedrooms! This is THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD to photograph Atlantic Puffins; in sweet light, in flight and bringing home loads of fish to their babies! The included gourmet food is a bonus - smile!

Grizzly Coastal Brown Bear Mother and Cub

Another image from my recent ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP in Alaska. After another of Melissa’s epic home-cooked meals on our private charter ship, we returned to shore in heavy overcast and foggy conditions and spent a few hours waiting for this mother and cub to wake up from their afternoon nap :)

Grizzly Brown Bear second summer cub in the rain

A second summer Coastal Brown Bear grazing in the rain from my recently concluded ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP. I love cloudy and overcast light, especially when it is misty or drizzling in Katmai. The short grass in mid-June offers amazing low-angle images possible. The bears love the sweet, high-protein sedge and spend much time grazing like cows - smile.

One of the few reliable food sources for bears in the spring is Lyngbye's sedge (Carex lyngbyaei). On the Pacific coast of Katmai, large numbers of bears gather to graze like cattle when this sedge emerges in salt marshes. As it begins to grow, Lyngbye’s sedge is relatively high in protein and lower in crude fibre, making it easier for bears to digest and extract nutrition.

Harbor (or harbour) seal

Although the primary “focus” of my ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF ALASKA WORKSHOP is the bears, we get distracted occasionally. This Harbour seal lounged on the rocks at low tide while we cruised Kukak Bay for bears clamming from our boat.

Grizzly bear mother and cub running

We had a fabulous time with this mother and cub during my recently concluded ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP. Contrary to most assumptions about how aggressive a mother is when protecting her cubs, the mother bears of the Katmai coast seek us out as protection from the big boars (the male bears). We sat with his mother and cub for hours as they slept on the ground pointed away from us with their noses pointed into the wind and us as protection downwind. The moment she caught the scent of a big male, she ran for cover, and they ran past us, spraying mud as they escaped.

Tree swallow in flight

Here is a Tree swallow in flight from my recently concluded Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai workshop in Alaska. Yes, there will be loads of bear images to follow, but I thought that I would start with something different - smile.

Northern Gannet in flight with seaweed

A Northern Gannet landing with seaweed during my recent GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP on Bonaventure Island in Quebec. The heavy fog during our first day became patchy, and I made this image while wandering between the main colony and the tower during a brief window of light fog at the end of the first day.

There are many ways of dealing with fog post-capture, including the dehaze tool, curves and levels adjustments, etc. I usually try to preserve the foggy scene but occasionally process a foggy image so the result negates any sign of the fog.

Common Murre (bridled) calling in flight

The opportunities were endless during the early morning boat cruise below the cliffs of BONAVENTURE ISLAND during my recent GANNETS GALORE and so much more workshop.

I love the white spectacles on this bridled common Murre. The key to success while working at 20,000 ISO is to pay particular attention to two things:

1. Ensure you have exposed the image correctly and pushed the whites all the way to the right of the histogram; correcting a poorly exposed image will always result in much more noise than getting it right in the camera.

2. Try to work full-frame; the more you crop an image, the more you magnify any noise that there may be.

Northern Gannet foggy landing

A Northern Gannet landing in the fog from my recent GANNETS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE WORKSHOP on Bonaventure Island in Quebec. I always keep an eye open for unique backgrounds and love the foggy background here; I think this was the only bird that swung around and landed away from the gentle breeze.

Northern Gannet flying with seaweed

The early morning boat excursion under the cliffs of BONAVENTURE ISLAND during my Gannets Galore workshop offered so many different and unique opportunities. This Gannet had just collected the seaweed and flew right past us: I love the contrast between the dark water, shadows and subject here.

Northern Gannet landing with seaweed in fog

On the first day (June 5, 2023) of my Gannets Galore and so much more WORKSHOP, after our four hours along the cliffs under the colony in the Zodiac, we loaded our gear onto the specially arranged 4-wheeler for the park staff to transport for us, and we hiked up to the gannet colony. The fog was thick, and the gannets were plentiful. This image was made from the memorial platform that is a tribute to Gilbert, a friend, former long-time park employee and Gannet lover.

Northern Gannet landing with seaweed

A Northern Gannet brings home some seaweed to line its mud-bowl nest during my recently concluded GANNETS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE Workshop on BONAVENTURE ISLAND.

After spending an incredible four hours on the Zodiac, we loaded our gear on the park’s four-wheeler (a special arrangement only available to my group) and made our way up to the fog-enshrouded Gannettry; it is always an impressive sight. The fog was heavy, but the rain was manageable. This image was made towards the end of the day as the fog let up a little.