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.

Northern Gannet Preening

A Northern Gannet Preening photographed during my recent Gannets Galore and so much more workshop in Quebec.

Preening allows the bird to remove dust, dirt and parasites and realign each feather and their tiny barbules in the correct position relevant to the next feather, following the body's contours underneath. Birds preen several times a day, often for hours, to keep their feathers in top shape.

Northern Gannet in flight with seaweed

A Northern Gannet brings home seaweed to line its mud bowl nest during my Gannets Galore and so much more workshops on Bonaventure Island in Quebec. This dark grey background made standing in the rain all day well worth it - smile! Join me next June for the adventure!

Bald Eagle over the top light

A Bald Eagle cartwheels at the top of the dive from my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. We had a blast photographing Eagles until the last drops of golden light: What a perfect way to end the day.

Northern Gannet Artistic Eye Detail

Here’s another Gannet from the first day (June 5, 2023) of my Gannets Galore and so much more workshops on Bonaventure Island. Near the end of our very long day of rain, it started to let up a little, and I decided to lie down in the wet grass and wait for a Gannet to get close. I spent almost 25 minutes with it before starting the hike back to catch the boat. I wanted something that would work on a cover, so I kept the camera in vertical orientation and let the composition …develop - smile.

Click on the image above to see and read about a horizontal image cropped to vertical and published on the cover of the now-defunct Dutch E & V magazine way back in 2010. ©Christopher Dodds

Bay-breasted Warbler

A Bay-breasted warbler from my SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP at Point Pelee National Park of Canada.

In contrast to the more stable populations of other warblers, Bay-breasted Warbler numbers go up and down depending on spruce budworm outbreaks. The birds are abundant during infestations but decline or disappear from some areas a few years later. A similar relationship with spruce budworm exists for Tennessee and Cape May Warblers. Blackburnian and Blackpoll Warblers also readily consume budworms but are not as specialized in their diets.

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.

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop update

A portrait of an Atlantic Puffin against out-of-focus kelp at low tide. I have only one room available for my August 10-13, 2023, Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshop in Quebec, Canada. This is your chance to join me for a dream workshop; it all starts with the newly renovated lighthouse accommodations, gourmet food, and….wait for it….. Puffins. The island is only 1km (.6 mile) in circumference, and the action happens only 200 meters (200 yards) from our accommodations! No long drives, hikes or cliffs to contend with! Live the dream & join the trip HERE.

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.

Razorbill in flight with fish takeout

It’s not only Puffins: A Razorbill bringing home some fish for its baby during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more Workshop.

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.

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish at sunset

One of my favourite Atlantic Puffin images of all time; We were set up on the beach in perfect conditions with the wind blowing from our backs and the sun behind us. The storm cleared quickly, and the pastel colours in the sky were fabulous as sunset quickly approached. The tide was about to turn, but no Puffins were flying in. We waited patiently, and suddenly, there was a flurry of activity, and Puffins started bringing fish back to the babies in their burrows. This image was made with my Sony 200-600mm zoom lens @472mm.

Join me at the best place in the world to photograph Atlantic Puffins! The included recently renovated lighthouse accommodations on a small private island are what dream adventures are made of. Learn more about my DELUXE ATLANTIC PUFFINS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE WORKSHOP HERE.

Black Guillemots Cuddling

A pair of Black Guillemots on seaweed at low tide from my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more workshops in Quebec. The Atlantic Puffins always steal the show, but there are some other great opportunities for other species during the workshop.

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.

Atlantic Puffin portrait with a beak full of fishes

Chris is not only an excellent teacher but an outstanding host.

My teenage son (an avid youth nature photographer) and I just came back from Chris' Puffin trip. We had a day of pouring rain, a day of cloud cover and a day of sunshine and Chris gave practical advice on how to get great images no matter what the weather. Chris is skilled at meeting each photographer where they are as he gives individual customized attention out in the field. Chris uses a variety of teaching strategies (including great metaphors!) to make complex information concrete and understandable. My son came back with incredible images - puffin portraits in beautiful golden light, puffins and razorbills with fish in flight, beautiful groupings, single puffins in grass, flowers and rocky cliffs. He also came back with a wealth of tips, tools and strategies. And amidst all of the superb photography instruction and individualized attention, there was also lots of camaraderie and great stories. Chris is not only an excellent teacher but an outstanding host. Can't wait for our next Chris Dodds adventure!

- Deborah & Christopher Graham Ontario | Canada

Atlantic Puffin with a fish

An Atlantic Puffin is showing off its catch of the day; a fish brought home to feed its baby during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore and so much more workshop.

Atlantic Puffin Headshot with beak full of fish

An Atlantic Puffin proudly displaying its bounty during my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop in Quebec.

Puffins swim underwater using their semi-extended wings as paddles to "fly" through the water and their feet as a rudder. It swims fast and can reach considerable depths and stay submerged for up to a minute. It fishes by sight and can swallow small fish while submerged, but larger specimens are brought to the surface. It can catch several small fish in one dive, holding the first ones in place in its beak with its muscular, grooved tongue while it catches others. The two mandibles are hinged in such a way that they can be held parallel to hold a row of fish in place and these are also retained by inward-facing serrations on the edges of the beak.

Atlantic Puffin flying head-on with fish

“The Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop exceeded my expectations. Chris is an exceptional photographer, teacher, and all around good guy. He was quick to point out the best photographic opportunities for the group, taking into account the constantly changing weather, light and tides. He was always available to answer questions and give tips, catering to all levels of experience in the group. The accommodations were excellent and the food was first rate. Our chefs/housekeepers/hostesses were amazing. The photographic opportunities were endless with an unbelievable number of puffins as well as razorbills, guillemots, gulls, whales and seals. This was my first photography workshop and I am looking forward to my next adventure with Chris.”

— Mark Adkins Rochester| MN