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.

Common Murre with baby food

I photographed this Common Murre (bringing fish home to feed its baby) against the out-of-focus cliffs of Bonaventure Island hand-held from a Zodiac Hurricane during my GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP last June. I love my time on the daily Zodiac excursion photographing the other species that call Bonaventure Island home. The open boat trips are weather permitting, and there is some rain in our forecast, but my fingers are crossed that the current sunshine manifests and we start big on the Zodiac tomorrow morning.

Sea Wolf Howling or Grey Seal Calling

A Grey Seal (AKA Sea Wolf) howled under Bonaventure Island's cliffs in Percé, Quebec, Canada. I am returning to Percé to host my annual Gannets Galore (and so much more) workshop. Super excited to get back to one of my favourite places on Earth! Getting out in the 28-foot Zodiac Hurricane for four hours each morning is an absolute highlight - hearing the seals howl is pure magic to my ears - smile!

Bay-breasted Warbler

During my recent SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP, a Bay-breasted warbler pauses for a split second at eye level during migration at Point Pelee National Park.

Bay-breasted Warblers eat eastern spruce budworm, a native but often destructive insect. The two species are so closely tied that budworm outbreaks (or declines) affect the warbler's population. Bay-breasted Warbler's overall population has dropped about 74 percent since 1966, likely due in part to pesticide use to control the budworm.

Black-throated green warbler

A Black-throated Green Warbler pauses for a portrait during my recent SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP at Point Pelee National Park of Canada.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

A Golden-crowned kinglet took a brief pause from flitting restlessly from branch to branch as it plucked insects and their eggs and larvae from the foliage and crevices in the bark. Males have conspicuous orange crowns, so I expect this is a female with her yellow crown. The Kinglets are so fast and unpredictable that they annoyed everyone during my recent SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP.

Blue-headed Vireo

A Blue-headed Vireo from my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP. While everyone was distracted by the first Willow Ptarmigan ever to visit Point Pelee National Park, I decided that the crowds were too much and it was unlikely that I would get a decent image. This beauty showed up for a portrait - smile!

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 with a spider

We had a great time photographing the Prothonotary warblers during my Songbirds of Pelee workshop; this one brought its dinner to show off at the minimum focusing distance of my lens.

Prothonotary warblers eat adult insects and larvae (primarily aquatic insects), ants, caterpillars, mayflies, beetles, and other insects, as well as snails and other small mollusks, spiders, and some seeds.