Crested Auklets of Saint Paul Island: Citrus-Scented Seabirds in the Bering Sea

One of my favourite seabirds always reminds me of Christmas morning. Crested Auklets—charismatic, comical little birds with wild head feathers—have a unique trait: they produce a citrus-scented oil from a gland near their shoulders. The smell is surprisingly reminiscent of tangerines, which instantly takes me back to the scent of the fruit tucked into my Christmas stocking every year when I was a child.

I created this image with the trusty Sony a1 mirrorless camera and the versatile, portable Sony 200-600mm zoom lens as I sat atop a windswept cliff on Saint Paul Island, one of the remote Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, situated between Russia and Alaska. The day was blustery and overcast—standard weather for that far-flung corner of the world (and yes, that’s part of its charm).

Despite the grey skies, the Crested Auklets put on an incredible aerial show. With ease and joy, they rode the strong currents sweeping up from the sea, appearing to hang effortlessly in the wind. There was a sense of playfulness in their flight—as if they were simply enjoying the ride.

Crested Auklet in flight FLYBY (Aethia cristatella, stariques cristatelles, Mérgulo empenachado, CRAU) from my Saint Paul Island, AK workshop in the middle of the Bering Sea in Alaska. ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@600mm) ISO 5,000, f/6.3 @ 1/5,000s. Full Frame image. Manual Exposure mode. Join me for my Saint Paul Island, AK workshop next July to learn more CLICK HERE.

Backlit Crested Auklet: Harnessing Harsh Light for Dramatic Flight Shots

After a spectacular morning photographing Crested Auklets from the Saint Paul Island cliffs, the sun turned intense – the kind of summer light that makes you understand why they cancel school! But instead of packing up, we saw an opportunity to continue to create.

Saint Paul Island is renowned for its often-overcast skies and persistent fog, a common characteristic of North Pacific maritime climates. While the sun can certainly break through, prolonged periods of dense cloud cover are the norm, which makes those rare moments of intense, clear sunlight even more appreciated by the residents.

The harsh light, often a photographer's bane, became our ally. I positioned everyone to use it to our advantage, aiming to capture striking backlit flight photographs as the auklets soared past the dramatic shadows beneath their nesting cliffs.

The Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella) is a truly distinctive seabird of the North Pacific. Easily identified by its prominent, forward-curling crest of black feathers and a bright orange-red bill, these social birds also possess a unique citrus-like scent, particularly noticeable during the breeding season. They are highly gregarious, forming massive nesting colonies on rocky cliffs and lava flows, and are expert underwater 'fliers,' using their wings and webbed feet for propulsion to dive deep and forage on krill and other small marine invertebrates. Their energetic flights, often in tightly packed flocks, offer incredible photographic opportunities, especially against the rugged backdrop of their island homes.

This image was created using the portable and impressive Sony 200-600mm zoom lens paired with a Sony a1 body. The combination proved still excellent for seizing these dynamic moments, transforming a challenging lighting situation into a chance for dramatic, silhouetted action shots.

Crested Auklet in flight Vertical (Aethia cristatella, stariques cristatelles, Mérgulo empenachado, CRAU) from my Saint Paul Island, AK workshop in the middle of the Bering Sea in Alaska. ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@600mm) ISO 2,400, f/6.3 @ 1/5,000s. Full Frame image. Manual Exposure mode. Join me for my Saint Paul Island, AK workshop next July to learn more CLICK HERE.

Saint Paul Island, Alaska Horned Puffin Head On Portrait

There are moments in a photographer's life when everything aligns. The light, the subject, the location – it all conspires to create something truly unforgettable. For me, one such moment unfolded on the rugged cliffs during my Saint Paul Island Workshop in Alaska, on a speck of land in the vast, wild expanse of the Bering Sea. It's a place so remote and untouched that it feels like stepping onto another planet. And amidst its dramatic volcanic landscapes, I found myself face-to-face with this entertaining and charismatic Horned Puffin.

I have travelled to Saint Paul Island over the last few decades with a singular purpose: to capture the essence of its incredible seabird colonies. But nothing quite prepares you for the sheer abundance and proximity of these creatures. Sitting precariously on a cliff edge, the wind whipping around me, I was eye-level with a pristine and curious Horned Puffin; they don't see many people in this remote part of the world.

My objective was clear: to create intimate portraits that went beyond a simple record shot. I wanted to convey the magic of being so close, to feel their presence, to see the intricate details of their plumage and the spark in their intelligent eyes. For this, I relied on my trusty Sony a9 Mark II, paired with the Sony 400mm f/4 GM lens and my 2x teleconverter. This combination provided an effective focal length of 800mm, enabling me to fill the frame, even from a respectful distance. This puffin, seemingly unfazed by my presence, settled on a rock just within my minimum focusing distance. It was the perfect opportunity. As I framed the shot, this charming individual looked directly at me, offering an ideal angle for a head-on portrait. To ensure maximum sharpness on the puffin while still rendering the background into a beautiful, ethereal blur, I made a deliberate aperture choice. I stopped down to f/16. However, in this instance, with the 2x teleconverter on and at such close quarters, I wanted to maximize the depth of field on the puffin – from the tip of its bill to the back of its head. The goal was absolute sharpness on my subject. The background was composed of dark volcanic rocks, as the lingering sea foam retreated with the waves, lightening the background tonality with each wave. By stopping down to f/16, combined with the extreme magnification, these dark, textured forms melted away into a rich, out-of-focus tapestry.

Join Me on Your Own Saint Paul Island Adventure!

Imagine being eye-level with a horned puffin, the wind in your hair, and the wild beauty of the Bering Sea surrounding you. You can experience this magic firsthand! I'm leading a photography workshop on Saint Paul Island in July 2026, where you'll have the incredible opportunity to capture intimate portraits of these charismatic seabirds. While I finalize the charter flight and other complex logistics, you can add your name to the interest list today. You'll be the first to know the moment all the details are in place, ensuring you don't miss out on this unforgettable adventure.

Horned Puffin Head On Portrait (Fratercula corniculata, Macareux cornu, Frailecillo corniculado, HOPU) Saint Paul Island, AK ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 Mark II Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @800mm. ISO 1,600, f/16 @ 1/800s Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my workshop in Saint Paul Island, AK, next July. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Red-faced Cormorant in flight

Here is a Red-faced Cormorant returning to it’s perch on the cliffs of Saint Paul Island. It was great to see the species doing so well with many more accessible for photos than in recent years. Also known as the Red-faced Shag and Violet Shag, this is likely the least studied North Pacific bird species.

Peek-a-boo Horned Puffin

After seeing the effects of avian flu on the Bonaventure Island Northern Gannet colony firsthand, it was nice to see more Horned Puffins than there have been during the last decade on the cliffs of Saint Paul Island this year. This Horned Puffin has a great home with a fabulous view of the Bering Sea!

Backlit Crested Auklet in flight

This image has been on my bucket lit for a very long time. Crested Auklets are the least abundant seabirds on the cliffs of Saint Paul Island, so finding them flying into the right background can be challenging. All of the other images in this sequence had busy and bright coloured rocks in the background. I was fortunate to have a few sequences as this bird circled multiple times waiting for the right wind to land.

Crested Auklet in flight

There was no shortage of Crested Auklets on Saint Paul Island during my recently concluded workshop there. They share the same habitat as the much more numerous Parakeet Auklet, so you really do need to focus on finding the few Crested Auklets amongst the masses of seabirds flying on windy days. The quick identifier is the dark belly compared to the pale underside of the Parakeet Auklet. Absolutely my favourite bird on Saint Paul Island - smile.

Tufted Puffin in flight with feather

Here’s a Tufted Puffin flying straight up the cliff towards me against receding sea foam below. The Sony bird eye auto-focus really improved the keeper rate while doing this type of extreme birds in flight photography - smile.

Tufted Puffin Portrait Bad Hair Day

A curious Tufted Puffin was photographed while pointing my lens straight down off the cliffs of Saint Paul Island during my recent workshop.

Parakeet Auklet in flight vertical

Here’s another from the cliffs of Saint Paul Island. I always make a point of practicing shooting full frame verticals when it is windy and there are loads of subjects :)

Pribilofs Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch In Flight 2

The second time I have been lucky enough to photograph this species in flight. See my last effort in my blog post from 2020 Pribilofs Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch In Flight.

Horned Puffin in flight over the Bering Sea

Once again, the Sony Alpha 1 paired with the 200-600 zoom lens proved to be the most versatile kit during my recent Saint Paul Island workshop. It is easy to carry around and hold all day during our long cliffside shoots. Here I am only a few seconds before making the Horned Puffin image above:

Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds high atop the cliffs of Saint Paul Island (The Pribilof Islands, in the Bering Sea, Alaska, USA) with a Sony Alpha 1 camera and Sony 200-600mm lens. June 27, 2022 Image courtesy and copyright Dale Johnson - Thanks, Dale :)

Tufted Puffin in flight over the Bering Sea

We had some EPIC opportunities for birds in flight during my recent Saint Paul Island workshop. This is a Tufted Puffin in flight over the Bering Sea. Photographed hand-held from my little perch on a cliff - smile.

Crested Auklet Portrait

Crested auklets are known for their forehead crests, which are made of black forward-curving feathers. These forehead crests are highly variable and can have between two and twenty-three narrow forward curving feathers. The average auklet has 12 crest feathers, which are of variable length, between 8.1 and 58.5 millimetres. Auklets have auricular plumes and a bright orange bill with curved accessory plates. Like forehead crests, these features vary widely within auklet populations.

Join me on Saint Paul Island in the Bering Sea, Alaska for an adventure of your lifetime: Saint Paul Island Workshop adventure details CLICK HERE.

Crested Auklet CURIOUS STARE

A Crested Auklet gives a curious glance during my last Saint Paul Island, Alaska Workshop.

Auklets produce a pleasant social odour during the breeding season, described as smelling like tangerines. This odour originates from tiny wick feathers located in a small patch of skin between their shoulder blades.

Horned Puffin in flight

“My truest feelings for my Saint Paul Island experiences were self-expressed spontaneously and subconsciously when, as our plane taxied down the runway on our return home, I choked up at the thought that our unique week together was over. Special thanks go to you, Chris, for your special help: giving me physical support to deal with the slipperies in the early days before I developed my sea-legs, directing me to good spots for close-up photos, helping me get into and out of them as needed, and especially for your converting me to use the Manual setting for my exposures. The true value of the latter became evident as I scanned my photo results on the computer. I confess I was plenty tired physically at the end of our week, but it was a week that in retrospect I would not have missed.”

— Charles Wyttenback Cape Cod | Massachusetts | USA

Crested Auklet Preening

“As an experienced wildlife & landscape photographer I would highly recommend you attend one of Chris Dodds' workshops - I have attended a number of Chris' workshops and each of them reflect Chris' caring. I just attended the St. Paul, Alaska workshop - typical of Chris' professionalism, and expertise. He only takes you to those unique shooting opportunities when he is convinced that the shoot will provide you the experience you are seeking. In the Saint Paul Island workshop's case he has visited this unique special remote island for over 25 years. The local small population obviously respects Chris and they do all they can to assist the experience. You shoot from a variety of locations, with many types of birds, complimented by wild fox, sea lions etc. Chris has the talent to assist both experienced and novice photographers - he makes sure you get the opportunities you want, and if you need extra help he enjoys jumping in and helping you. If you had to summarize Chris' workshops in a few words - Great well researched locations, tremendous local knowledge, dedicate to your photographic results being all you could possibly want.”

— Wynne Powell British Columbia, Canada

Parakeet Auklet After the Storm

Saint Paul Island is, for all intent and purpose, in the middle of the Bering Sea. When there is a storm, it is usually quite a storm with heavy rain and high winds. The birds stay out at sea, or on/in their nests to protect their eggs/babies. It is after the storm when the birds start to arrive back at the cliffs in big numbers. It can be overwhelming, at times, seeing the number of birds swirling around. This is when we fight the urge to photograph the flying birds, and focus our lenses on the perched birds that seem to come out to stretch, or linger on the cliffs to rest. Even though I used a small aperture to try to get some details in the sky, the resulting image has very little detail, so I replaced the sky to add some drama to this image.

Least Auklet Portrait

Also known as the Knob-billed Auklet, the least auklet (Aethia pusilla) is a seabird and the smallest species of auk. It is the most abundant seabird in North America, and one of the most abundant in the world, with a population of around nine million birds. They are able to locate their nest sites from the previous season, even when covered with snow. They sit where the nest is and take possession of it once the snow has melted.

Red-faced Cormorant in flight with nesting material

Also known as Red-faced or Violet Shags, this Red-faced Cormorant brings home some nesting material to its nest on the cliffs of Saint Paul Island, Alaska.

Deriving their name from the Latin term Corvus marines (“sea raven”), cormorants are highly adapted for underwater hunting. Their bodies are streamlined and somewhat flattened beneath, the neck is long and subtle, the wings broad, long and blunt, and the legs powerful and set far back. Using their lean bodies, they thrust through the water and along the seabed to flush out prey.