Two Crested Auklets mutually preening during courtship and pair-bonding behaviour on a backlit cliff ledge on Saint Paul Island, Alaska. — **Crested Auklets Mutual Preening — Saint Paul Island, Alaska (***Aethia cristatella*, Starique cristatelle, Mérgulo empenachado, CRAU) from my Saint Paul Island, Alaska Workshop. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS Lens and Sony 2x teleconverter @ 1,200 mm. ISO 25,600, f/16 @ 1/4,000s, manual exposure.

The Scent of Courtship: Crested Auklets on Saint Paul Island

Christopher Dodds September 3, 2026

Two Crested Auklets mutually preen during courtship on Saint Paul Island, surrounded by their remarkable vocalizations and citrus-like scent. A rare opportunity to photograph one of the Bering Sea’s most fascinating seabirds.

Merlin flying with the remains of a small shorebird, possibly a White-rumped Sandpiper, photographed by Christopher Dodds with a Sony a9 III and 600mm f/4 lens with 1.4X teleconverter at 840mm. — **Merlin Carrying Prey in Flight** (Falco columbarius, Faucon émerillon, Esmerejón, MERL) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop , Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 Mark III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens and Sony 1.4X Teleconverter @840 mm. ISO 20,000, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s, manual exposure. Full-frame image.

Expect the Unexpected: A Merlin Flies By With Prey

Christopher Dodds August 20, 2026

We had been photographing Atlantic Puffins returning with fish since before sunrise when a different flight pattern caught my eye. Seconds later, a Merlin streaked past carrying what appears to be the back half of a White-rumped Sandpiper.