Before photographing the White-winged Crossbill framed by soft yellow buttercups during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshops (featured in an earlier blog post), I had an unexpected and fleeting opportunity to create something even more intimate—a clean headshot of the bird perched quietly on a signpost.

White-winged Crossbills are usually restless, so when this one sat still—relaxed, elevated, and unbothered—I knew I had a rare chance. Rather than go wide, I went close, focusing on the fine feather detail, the distinctive crossed bill, and that soft, alert eye. I also made a point to get slightly below eye level—a minor adjustment that goes a long way toward creating a more intimate and engaging portrait.

The signpost itself wasn't ideal visually (dark green, with a "Do Not Disturb the Nesting Birds" message), but the overcast sky above provided the perfect high-key background. I used the soft, even overcast light to isolate the subject, allowing its subtle tones and textures to stand out without distraction.

Sometimes the best portraits don't come from hours of waiting—they appear in a blink, if you're ready and paying attention to the details.

👉 See how the rest of the encounter unfolded:

A Rare Treat: White-winged Crossbill on L’île aux Perroquets

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera, Bec-croisé bifascié, Piquituerto aliblanco, WWCR) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop , Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds . Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Lens @500mm ISO 40,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

After our lobster supper on August 9th (the last night of the fourth of five Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshops), we had an absolute blast photographing a remarkably cooperative White-winged Crossbill that stayed low and slow—perfect conditions for a dream shoot. I was ready, armed with my Sony a1 Mark II and the stellar Sony 400–800mm zoom lens. Earlier in the day, we had already seen a few fleeting glimpses of a Bay-breasted and a Yellow-rumped Warbler, but the crossbill was the clear highlight.

What made this encounter so special wasn't just the bird's behaviour—it was where it happened. White-winged Crossbills are nomadic finches typically associated with boreal coniferous forests, where they feed almost exclusively on the seeds of spruce and pine cones. So to find one on L’île aux Perroquets, a small treeless island off Quebec's North Shore with no coniferous trees in sight, was truly unexpected. During my decades of leading the Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop here, I've heard their calls in the distance but never witnessed one landing—let alone offering such a perfect photographic opportunity with such a colourful background. Moments like this are a reminder of nature's unpredictability and the rewards of always being prepared.