We had been set up since before sunrise during one of my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Photography Workshops. We were having an absolute blast photographing Atlantic Puffins returning from the Gulf of St. Lawrence with bills full of fish for their hungry chicks.
The action was fast and steady. Puffins were coming and going, everyone was concentrating on birds in flight, and then something different entered my field of view.
It was the flight pattern that caught my attention first.
After watching puffins fly past for hours, you become remarkably tuned in to their shape, speed and distinctive flight. This bird simply wasn't moving like a puffin.
I swung my lens onto it and immediately realized it was a Merlin—and it was carrying prey.
The whole encounter lasted only a few seconds.
Those who were ready and reacted quickly were rewarded with a great sequence of this small, incredibly fast falcon streaking past with what appears to be the back half of a White-rumped Sandpiper.
Sometimes You Only Get a Few Seconds
This is one of the things I love most about wildlife photography.
We were there to photograph Atlantic Puffins, but nature doesn't follow a shot list.
There was no warning that a Merlin was about to fly past us. There was certainly no time to start changing camera settings once it appeared. I saw the different flight pattern, acquired the bird in the viewfinder and stayed with it.
A few seconds later, it was gone.
That's why I put so much emphasis on being completely ready before something happens.
When the unexpected suddenly flies through your viewfinder, the settings you've already chosen can make the difference between watching an extraordinary encounter disappear and coming home with the photographs.
Sony a9 III + 600mm f/4 GM + 1.4X
I made this image with the Sony a9 III, Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS and 1.4X teleconverter, giving me an effective focal length of 840mm.
1/5,000 sec. | f/5.6 | ISO 20,000
The ISO 20,000 wasn't a setting I suddenly chose for the Merlin. I was already configured for the fast-moving puffins we had been photographing when it appeared.
That is the important part of this story.
I needed 1/5,000 second for the action, and I wasn't about to sacrifice the shutter speed when this opportunity lasted only seconds.
Interestingly, this photograph follows closely on the heels of my recent image of an Atlantic Puffin photographed at ISO 20,000. In that post, I went into considerably more detail about why I am comfortable working at such high ISO settings with today's advanced camera sensors—and why getting the exposure and shutter speed right in the field matters far more to me than worrying about the ISO number.
VISIT: Atlantic Puffin at ISO 20,000: Full Frame in the Fog
Rather than repeat all of that here, this Merlin provides a pretty good real-world example of the point.
What Is the Merlin Carrying?
Looking closely at the photograph, the Merlin appears to be carrying the rear portion of a small shorebird.
The visible plumage—and particularly what appears to be the distinctive white rump—suggests to me that it could be a White-rumped Sandpiper.
With only the back half of the prey remaining, however, I wouldn't consider that identification definitive.
If you're a shorebird expert and see something that points toward another species, please leave a comment below. I'd be interested to hear what you think.
Puffins Are the Stars—but Keep Your Eyes Open
This unexpected encounter is also a perfect example of why my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Photography Workshops are about much more than simply pointing a camera at puffins.
Of course, the Atlantic Puffins are the stars of the show. We spend long days in position for those wonderful opportunities as they return from the sea with bills overflowing with fish.
But we're also immersed in an extraordinary coastal environment, and you simply never know what nature will put in front of you.
On this morning, we'd been there since before sunrise photographing puffins with fish.
Then a Merlin came streaking through carrying a meal of its own.
It lasted only seconds.
And we were ready.
Join Me for Atlantic Puffins in 2027
If photographing Atlantic Puffins at close range—and being ready for all of the unexpected opportunities that come with spending days immersed in their world—sounds like your kind of photography, join me for one of my 2027 Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Photography Workshops on Île aux Perroquets, Quebec.
Small groups, an extraordinary location, incredible access to the birds and plenty of hands-on instruction in the field.