There was no shortage of Eastern Kingbirds during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada. This image was made while waiting for a Prothonotary Warbler to drop down from the top of a tree.
House Wren
We photographed this House Wren on May 7 during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop in Point Pelee National Park of Canada.
Nine species of wrens—all of them small, stocky brownish birds that often perch with their tails cocked over their backs—are native to North America. The best known is the house wren, which nests in parks, farmyards, and orchards from coast to coast. Tenacious and aggressive, it is a welcome springtime visitor that fills the air with a bright, bubbly song.
Prothonotary Warbler
A Prothonotary Warbler pauses on an open perch during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop in Point Pelee National Park of Canada. We had some amazing encounters with at least four Prothonotary Warblers (endangered species in Ontario).
Great Horned Owlets Point Pelee National Park
This pair of Great Horned Owlets was the star attraction along the Tilden Woods trail in Point Pelee National Park on May 4, 2024, while I was scouting for my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop. We could only find one the next day, and it was much further away from the trail.
Razorbill with fish flying over out-of-focus seaweed
A Razorbill with fish flying over out-of-focus seaweed at low tide during my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Adventure Workshop in Quebec, Canada.
Atlantic Puffin Headshot
Here's another Atlantic Puffin portrait from my recent PUFFINS GALORE (and so much more) DELUXE WORKSHOP. We woke to fog several mornings, and Puffins were perched everywhere. We used the park information signs as blinds and were able to spend hours making portraits at just about point-blank range. After making the standard tight headshots, I always explore more interesting poses while working at the minimum focusing distance of our lenses with an extremely limited depth of field.
KUDOS:
Chris: Just a quick note to express my appreciation for the fine workshop (PUFFINS GALORE DELUXE WORKSHOP) hosting provided by you and Julie, along with Louise and Marie-Josée and the charming Auberge facilities. We were fortunate to have such good weather and abundant puffin activity, and your guidance and tips were very helpful, even for a long-time Sony mirrorless shooter. I found the other clients quite interesting and enjoyed sharing the experience with all of them. Despite some travel challenges to and from the Mingan Archipelago, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and look forward to the prospect of joining you in another workshop in the future.
Again, thank you for your excellent leadership and engaging fellowship on Iles aux Parroquets – now to plough through the 30,000+ images I brought back to find the “exceptional” few!
Best regards,
Gordon Norman California USA
Magical Atlantic Puffin flying with fish against Golden Cliffs
Almost at the end of the road along the upper North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River in The Gulf of The Saint Lawrence and almost in Labrador is a little island with a newly restored lighthouse. I charter the entire island every year for the first two weeks of August and host the most magical, fairytale-like “Puffins Galore and so much more workshops” to photograph Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and more. The magic of the location, the quality of light, the varied backgrounds and the proximity to the birds make it the best place in the world to photograph Atlantic Puffins! We sleep in the fully restored lighthouse keepers’ quarters and eat gourmet food, and our biggest commute to the Puffins once on the island is only 200 meters (200 yards).
Due to popular demand, I have just added one extra workshop from August 10 to 13, and the spots are filling quickly. Learn more about my “Puffins Galore and so much more workshops” HERE.
Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish
An Atlantic Puffin returns to its nest with a beak full of fish during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Workshop in Quebec, Canada.
Join me for a fairytale adventure. We will live in a restored lighthouse, eat gourmet food, and photograph Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills (and more) that bring fish to feed their babies only 200 meters (200 yards) away. This is the best location in the world to photograph both species and is perfectly timed for them, bringing the most fish back to their babies.
The tiny island, only 1km (.6 Miles) in circumference, means no long pre-dawn drives or long hikes to access the best locations; it is right outside the door! Since we live on the island, there is no rough boat commute to endure either.
Razorbill Flying with Fish
A Razorbill brings a couple of fish to its nest during my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more Lighthouse Island Workshop in Quebec, Canada.
Mixed into the swarms of Atlantic Puffins Galore returning to their nests with mouths full of fish are Razorbills bringing Capeline to feed their babies. Razorbills are one of the 22 species of Auks found only in the northern oceans. All family members are expert divers that use their short wings for flying and as flippers for swimming in pursuit of fish, shrimp, and other prey.
Yellow-throated Warbler
On the morning of May 10, 2019, during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park, a Yellow-throated warbler was the star visitor. We had an amazing morning watching it creep over the branches of the trunk of a few trees, much like a Black-and-white Warbler, before it jumped onto this perch in front of the out-of-focus marsh background.
Why Point Pelee? Location! Location! Location!
Point Pelee is part of a peninsula at the crossroads of two major migration routes, extending into the western basin of Lake Erie. It is one of the first points of land spring migrants reach in the pre-dawn hours when crossing Lake Erie at night. Point Pelee’s diverse habitats provide shelter for more than 390 recorded species of birds.
On rare occasions, you may witness a fallout of migrants in the park. Fallouts or groundings of songbirds occur when a warm weather front advancing from the south or southeast meets a cold weather front moving in from the north or northwest. Birds will descend when the two fronts meet at ground level or when the birds flying on a warm front override a cold front.
Long-eared Owl.
In his play Love's Labour's Lost, William Shakespeare wrote, "Then nightly sings the staring owl." These words certainly apply to any of these big-eyed, big-headed birds, for owls do indeed stare. And in that staring face, we can see some of the owl's adaptations for life in the dark.
Unlike the eyes of other birds, an owl's eyes face straight ahead, like our own, giving the bird binocular vision. Unlike human eyes, however, they do not move in their sockets, so the bird must swivel its head to follow moving objects.
Although owls see well in dim light, most depend on supersensitive hearing when searching for prey. Long-eared Owls have hearing so acute that they can snatch prey in complete darkness.
American Redstart Displaying
An American Redstart displaying during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada. We had so much fun trying to get a clean background as this stunning warbler bounced around, trying to get noticed by a female.
Male American Redstarts display to females during courtship by fluffing plumage, raising crown feathers, spreading wings and tail, and bowing.
Still space for you to join the fun and photograph spring migration in all of its glory at one of the top 10 migration hotspots in the world! Learn more about my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop HERE.
Blackburnian Warbler
Here is a Blackburnian Warbler from a magical morning at Point Pelee during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop on May 9, 2019. The birding started slowly, but we soon realized it would be an epic morning when warblers began to appear in increasing numbers. There was no legendary “wave” of Warblers, but it did become difficult to isolate just one bird in an image. I just relived that morning as I prepared this image for publication. All of the images before and after this frame include a Bay-Breasted or a Magnolia Warbler - One of those mornings that makes Point Pelee so legendary for spring migration!
I still have room on my Songbirds of Pelee May 7-11 workshop due to a medical emergency last-minute cancellation. Learn more and sign up for my May 7-11 Songbirds of Pelee Workshop HERE.
The only North American Warbler with an orange throat, the Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca) was named after Anna Blackburne, an English Botanist. The male Blackburinan Warbler's orange throat appears glowing, giving it such previous names as "Firethroat" and "Tourchbird." Bent (1953) wrote, "Blackburnian seems to be a doubly appropriate name, for its upper parts are largely black and its throat burns like a brilliant orange flame amid the dark foliage of the hemlocks and spruces." Favouring Hemlocks, they feed and nest in coniferous trees' upper and outer portions, perhaps to avoid competition with other closely related species. Hidden in dense foliage or Usnea lichen and often as high as 85 feet, Blackburnian Warbler nests are an uncommon victim of Brown-Headed Cowbird parasitism.
Yellow-throated Vireo
This Yellow-throated Vireo was photographed during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada. I used my Sony 600mm f/4 G Master lens with my Sony 1.4X teleconverter.
Due to a medical emergency that resulted in a cancellation, there is still room for you to join my May 7-11 Songbirds of Pelee workshop at Point Pelee National Park. Come and experience the magic of spring migration at one of the top 10 birding destinations in the world! Learn more about my Songbirds of Pelee spring migration workshop HERE.
These little insect-eating birds resemble the warblers with whom they often migrate. Vireos, however, have somewhat thicker bills, search more slowly and carefully for food, and are less colourful. Eleven species breed in North American woodlands and thickets, constructing cup-shaped nests suspended from tree branches' forks.
Black-throated Blue Warbler Point Pelee Workshop Opening
Here is a beautiful Black-Throated Blue Warbler from an incredible afternoon during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop last May 8, 2023.
Due to a medical emergency, I suddenly have space available for my May 7-11 Songbirds of Pelee Workshop (Get well soon, Dave) that sold out last July. Join me for this epic experience at the peak of the spring songbird migration at one of the top 10 birding destinations in the world! I am a fully licenced operator in the park.
Point Pelee National Park is one of the best inland locations to observe bird migration. Its location on major migratory flyways and the north shore of Lake Erie make it a migrant trap—a place that attracts a wide diversity of species in a tiny area. More than 390 species of birds have been recorded in the Point Pelee Birding Area.
Osprey Calling with fish in first light
After an early breakfast, we drive to Lake Blue Cypress and board the pontoon boat for what is always a magical ride through the Osprey-filled Blue Cypress trees that grow in the water as the sun begins to cast its magical first drops of light. On the last morning of the first Ospreys Galore Workshop (April 7), I heard the celebratory calling of this Osprey showing off its fresh catch to its mate, and Captain Don quickly did his part and got us in position to make a series of images before leaving the bird in peace.
Join me next April for this magical adventure: Ospreys Galore and so much more Aril 5-7 & 8-10, 2025. Learn More HERE.
Osprey in flight with fresh catch
An Osprey with a freshly caught fish from my recently concluded Ospreys Galore workshop in Florida.
Brown and white, with nearly six-foot wingspans, ospreys are formidable birds of prey that feed exclusively on fish. Also known as fish hawks, they hover over rivers, lakes, and seacoasts as they search for prey. Once they spot a tantalizing flash, ospreys plunge feet-first into the water, often with a great splash, and seize their slippery catch in sharp talons. On the flight home, they usually hold the fish facing forward, reducing wind resistance.
Red-shouldered Hawk
I love exploring the hidden canals controlling Lake Blue Cypress's water level during the afternoons of my Ospreys Galore (and so much more) Workshop in Florida. This image was made during the first workshop on the afternoon of April 6 as this Red-shouldered Hawk flew a short distance between two trees.
The Sony a9 III has proven to be a remarkable action camera; the autofocus is a step beyond that of the Alpha 1, and the 120 fps Raw capture is a game changer.
Roseate Spoonbill pretty in Pink
A Roseate Spoonbill lands directly in front of me during my recent Ospreys Galore Workshop (and so much more) in Florida.
One of the most spectacularly beautiful large wading birds is the roseate spoonbill, a resident of the Gulf Coast from east Texas to southern Florida. Named for its bright pink plumage and long, flat, spoon-shaped bill, the bird feeds in a manner all its own. It swings its extremely sensitive bill from side to side in shallow water, snapping it shut on small fish, shrimp, and insects that it detects by touch.
Like other members of the ibis family, roseate spoonbills are usually found in flocks. The birds nest in colonies among shrubs and mangroves, often sharing island rookeries with herons, egrets, and other waders. Spoonbills fly in long lines at dusk, their slender necks extended as they head to their roosts.
Boat-tailed Grackle in flight
Who would have thought that a Boat-tailed Grackle would be one of my favourite images from our Stick Marsh excursion to the Roseate Spoonbills in Fellsmere, Florida?
High winds and heavy rain were predicted for the morning of April 10 at Lake Blue Cypress during my Ospreys Galore Workshop, so Captain Don and I decided it best to keep everyone safe and skip the boat. We all headed to the Roseate Spoonbill colony for an epic shoot; this Boat-tailed Grackle decided to fly in and land directly in front of me. Choosing my favourite from the nearly 250 images made with the new Sony a9 III at 120 frames per second took some time!
Join me in Florida for my Ospreys Galore (and so much more) Workshop next April 5-7 or 8-10. Learn more HERE.