Short-eared Owl Stare

Here is another Short-eared Owl from my scouting trip for my Owls Galore workshops. There was a burst of flight activity when we got there and we had overcast conditions with a window of blue sky. These owls forage mainly on the wing: flying low over the ground, sometimes hovering briefly at heights of 6–100 feet. They are incredibly maneuverable in the air, dropping suddenly to capture prey or climbing to avoid pursuers. They also soar hawklike on their long, broad wings, a flight mode they probably use for migratory travel.

There are currently only two openings due to last-minute cancellations:

January 9 to 13, 2023 SOLD OUT!

January 16 to 20, 2023 SOLD OUT!

January 23 to 27, 2023 ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT!

January 30 to February 3, 2023 SOLD OUT!

February 6 to 10, 2023 SOLD OUT!

February 13 to 17, 2023 ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT!

Short-eared Owl in flight

I had a great afternoon in great company yesterday while scouting for my Winter Owls Galore workshops. While the sky was dramatic and spectacular with storm clouds and golden light at times, my favourite poses and closest encounters happened against a bright white part of the sky with the slightest hint of pink - happens :)

Snow Goose flying in nice light

A Snow Goose takes flight in the morning light from my recently concluded Best of Bosque workshop. Most of the cranes and Snow Geese had left the safety of the pond before the best light. Having a lot fewer birds made it easier to isolate single birds as they took off to head to the corn fields to eat.

Sandhill Crane Banking

Another Sandhill Crane from my recent Best of Bosque workshop. This was made at my favourite spot along the north loop of the reserve; I just love the background!

Kudos:

“Your workshop (Best of Bosque Dec. 2022) was wonderful - you chose a beautiful setting, and I sincerely appreciate your time and effort in putting together a great photographic experience. I learned so much from you over the course of the week, including an understanding of histograms, exposure, shutter speed and how various settings interact to achieve the effects we are trying to create. I appreciated your kindness and patience, and regular checking of my histograms, feedback, and answering any and all of my questions! I have some unexpectedly great photos, including sharp ones of the cranes in silhouette against the setting sun!!!”

— Marsha Lomis Ontario, Canada

Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico for my Dec. 5-9 workshop. LEARN MORE HERE.

Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico for my Dec. 5-9 workshop. LEARN MORE HERE.

American Kestrel dorsal view in flight

This is another frame from my heart-stopping, off-the-charts, epic session with this American Kestrel. Admittedly, the frame before this one was an ounce better, but I clipped the tail off :)

See my favourite image from the session in my blog post from last Friday: American Kestrel in flight.

Sandhill Crane FLYING OUT OF THE STORM

I mentioned the record-breaking rain that we had during my Best of Bosque workshop in an earlier post. This is the kind of dramatic image that can be made if the sky clears in the Southwest as the sun sets. The sky in the Northeast East was still full of clouds over the Sandia Mountains.

Sandhill Crane Golden Silhouette

As the sun set in the background, we focused on the golden reflection and the magical silhouettes that the Cranes projected. Exposure for these is easy: f/8, 1/5,000s (to freeze movement and get a sharp outline) and ISO 500. Adjust black point, colour temperature and contrast to artistic taste.

American Kestrel in flight

On my way out of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for the last time this year, I had an epic encounter with this American Kestrel. So many images and so many poses! WOW, I think my heart stopped a couple of times!

The smallest member of the falcon family in North America is also called a Sparrow Hawk. Studies have shown that kestrels can see ultraviolet light. Researchers believe that this ability to see UV light enables them to vividly see the urine markings and trails that small mammals, such as voles, leave as they run along the ground. These trails and urine markings would likely look bright yellow to a kestrel, therefore alerting them to the presence of a meal.

Northern Harrier in flight

Here is a female Northern Harrier from yesterday (day 4 of my Best of Bosque workshop). We have had some near-epic Northern Harrier encounters so far. My favourite is still the one I posted on Wednesday morning with the cottonwood trees in the background SEE IT HERE.

Unlike many raptors, hen or northern harriers have historically been favourably regarded by farmers because they eat mice that damage crops. Harriers are sometimes called "good hawks" because they pose no threat to poultry as some hawks do.

Sandhill Crane landing

We were lucky to find some fantastic opportunities yesterday during my Best of Bosque workshop in New Mexico. About 50 Cranes flew into this location close enough to get some great images with great backgrounds. This is one of my favourites from the day.

Northern Harrier in flight in nice light

My group had some pretty awesome views of Northern Harriers yesterday. This is a female against autumn Cottonwood tree foliage. Things are starting to dry out after the near record-breaking rain the other day. Bosque del Apache was photographically slow with many Cranes and Geese, but very far from the road. I took the group to another reserve that had just reopened after the rain made the roads too muddy to drive without getting stuck. I have such a great group that I am really excited things are getting back to normal.

Wood Duck in flight in last light

Bosque del Apache was quiet yesterday morning after the near record-breaking rain with loads of birds, but the majority were far from the wet, muddy and messy roads. We regrouped and moved for the afternoon session of my Best of Bosque Workshop and found some ducks to pose for us :)

This is a drake (male) Wood Duck that did a flyby at last light.

Peek-a-boo Sandhill Crane in flight

It was a very different day in Bosque del Apache yesterday after the rain. I invited the new group out to shoot for the afternoon before the workshop starts, but I changed my plans to bring them to another refuge because they had closed with impassable muddy roads. The light was still really dark and the roads were wet and muddy with much less bird activity today. Things should dry out quickly and I expect everyone will make an amazing portfolio of images over the course of the next five days.

Sandhill Crane landing head on

Here is a Sandhill Crane from yesterday morning while scouting for my Best of Bosque workshop. Although the light was dark and overcast, the background and head-on landings made it an epic morning for me. While most are complaining that there are no cornfields near accessible roads, the backgrounds this year are fantastic - far better than chopped cornfields of years gone by :)

Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR next Dec. Learn more HERE

🦆

Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR next Dec. Learn more HERE 🦆

Northern Shoveler Landing

I’ve been scouting for my Best of Bosque workshop and this year is looking like it will be off the charts! Here’s a Northern Shoveler from earlier today while catching up with old friends Doug and Kristin Brown on the side of the pond. Who would have thought my first post of the trip would be a Shoveler? I’ve had some epic opportunities with Geese, Cranes, Harriers and Red-tailed hawks :)

Bald Eagle Calling in light snow

Another Bald Eagle from a magical snowy day during my Eagles Galore workshops in Alaska. I noticed this perch early on and never saw an Eagle land on it for the first few days of my trip. Things improved when it started to gently snow :) ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker. You can read more about the Bald Eagle call in my post from September HERE: THE BALD EAGLE CALL.

Bald Eagles Tumbling

Bald Eagles fighting over a fish with locked talons tumbling toward the ground = a heart stopping moment. At first it was the thrill of it happening right in front of us, then it was the fear that they would crash into the ground. The thief got the fish and they both released as they were about to hit the ground….oh, and the photographers got their images - smile.

Learn more about the Eagles Galore Photo Adventure Workshop HERE

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Learn more about the Eagles Galore Photo Adventure Workshop HERE 🦅

Bald Eagle Fishing Tales

Look closely :) A Bald Eagle banking in flight with fresh catch from my Alaska Eagles Galore Workshop in March. Join me for an incredible workshop with more Eagles than you can imagine. Learn more about my March Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska HERE.

Bald Eagle Call of the Wild

Another Alaskan Eagle from my Eagles Galore Workshop in March. The predawn colours in the sky were an amazing pallet of pastels - and the Eagles were singing their morning chorus. What could be better?

Bald Eagle Silhouette

A Bald Eagle in silhouette at the top of its dive during my Bald Eagles Galore workshop in Alaska.