Snowy Owl Workshop Kudos

On the morning of February 6, everyone in my fifth (of eight) Winter Owl Workshop spent almost five hours in the freezing rain with this beautiful Snowy Owl. This image was made after the freezing rain switched to snow, as it sat on a snow-covered frozen pile of manure (who said this job didn’t have perks?). A great group of dedicated and diehard photographers, they were rewarded by their patience - smile.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 4,000, f/9 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

“I recently participated in my second trip with Christopher Dodds to find and photograph the beautiful snowy owls. It was an amazing experience. Not only was Christopher able to find these owls due to his extensive experience and knowledge of the owl’s behavior but I expanded my skills in capturing stunning birds in flight photography. Not only did we see and photograph snowy owls but also short-eared owls, harriers, a screech owl and some absolutely stunning early morning photos of a barred owl hunting along the snow-covered ground. Christophers’ knowledge of how to photograph these magnificent birds honed over decades of wildlife photography was well worth the cost for my second trip. Chris was able to assist me in the optimal settings for my Canon gear. Very worthwhile!”
— Wayne Ferch | Oregon |USA

Snowy Owl Workshop Testimonial from Wink Gaines

This is a beautiful female Snowy Owl on the hunt from February 12, 2025, during week 6 of 8 Winter Owl Workshops. It started as a miserable day with snow and freezing rain, the perfect recipe for Snowy Owl hunting after the storm. We had some great opportunities, as this female hunted directly in front of my group several times. Be sure to see the fabulous image that Wink Gaines made below!

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a1 II Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 5,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Testimonial and image from Wink Gaines:

“ I couldn’t have asked for a better experience while participating in one of Chris Dodds’ Snowy Owl workshop in February 2025. Chris is a photographer’s photographer! His meticulous field preparation and expert understanding of owl behavior and natural habitats are unmatched. While in the field, Chris is always on hand, offering tailored advice on camera settings, lens choices, and technical matters —no matter what gear you’re using. His approachable nature and years of guiding photographers to hidden, exceptional wildlife hotspots make his workshops stand out, ensuring an unforgettable experience that goes above and beyond what most photographers have encountered.”
— Wink Gaines | North Carolina | USA | www.winkgainesphoto.com

Snowy Owl photograph courtesy and copyright Wink Gaines www.WinkGainesPhoto.com

American Kestrel on European Starling Prey

We started strong on the morning of February 25th during the last of my eight weeks of Winter Owl Workshops. A beautiful, almost pure white adult male Snowy Owl showed well, and we got a terrific take-off launch sequence. With the high still lingering, we set up where a predictable female Snowy Owl spent her winter. Despite a relatively quiet (and wet) afternoon, we got some great frames of a Male Northern Harrier (AKA Gray Ghost) hunting close to us. We continued our day with another drive and stopped for a flock of Horned Lark, and then Dave Evans pointed out some movement in front of the van; An American Kestrel had just grabbed a European Starling and dropped it on the side of the road. We set up low, sat, and waited for the Kestrel to return to her prize as she watched from the closest telephone pole. It didn’t take long to return and feast on her recent catch! This is almost the last frame I made before we left her in peace. Stay tuned to the blog for more images from this winter!

American Kestrel on European Starling Prey (Falco sparverius, Crécerelle d'Amérique, AMKE on Sturnus vulgaris, Étourneau sansonnet, EUST) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 Mark III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 16,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Blue-eyed Barred Owl Flying and Tapetum lucidum explained

We had an incredible end to this week’s Winter Owl Workshops yesterday. This Barred Owl spent a few hours hunting in the open meadows in front of my group. It was the perfect end to an incredible week of winter owling with another great group.

Tapetum lucidum

Barred owl eyes can sometimes appear blue due to light scattering and how their eyes reflect light under certain conditions. While barred owls naturally have dark brown to black eyes, they may look blue in photos or under specific lighting.

More details: The tapetum lucidum is a layer of tissue in the eyes of many vertebrates and other animals that lies immediately behind the retina. It reflects visible light back through the retina, increasing the light available to the photoreceptors. The tapetum lucidum contributes to the superior night vision of some animals.

KUDOS:

I recently attended the Winter Owl workshop, and I can honestly say it was an incredible experience. Not only did we have the opportunity to capture a number of  stunning owls in their natural habitat, but the whole trip was expertly organized. Chris was knowledgeable, patient, and offered great tips to help elevate my skills.   It was an unforgettable experience that I highly recommend to anyone looking to improve their wildlife photography while enjoying a unique adventure! - Mike B. (Virginia, USA).

Barred Owl (Strix varia, Chouette rayée, BADO) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 Mark III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 10,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Snowy Owl Workshop Update

Last week was another great week of Snowy Owl photography during week 5 of 7 Winter Snowy Owl Workshops. It was an awesome group and everyone’s patience in the cold was rewarded by many hunting missions by this beautiful Snowy Owl.

Join me in Canada 🇨🇦 for an Ethical and Responsible Snowy Owl Photography Workshop. We will not feed, bait, lure, call or disturb the owls we photograph. Some spots are still available for my February 24-28, 2025 Winter Snowy Owl Workshops & 2026 trips are filling quickly!

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a1 II Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @400mm ISO 1,000, f/8 @ 1/6,400s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Snowy Owl Flying in Golden Light

Here is an image of a Snowy Owl in flight from my recent Winter Snowy Owl Workshops. Everyone’s patience was rewarded when this beautiful Snowy Owl launched to chase after another Snowy Owl that was intruding on its winter hunting grounds.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a1 II Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 1,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Snowy Owl Flying Pink Sky

We have been having a blast during my Snowy Owl Workshops this winter. This image was made at first light as the Snowy Owl took flight. I carefully removed the top of the telephone pole and a wire from the lower portion of the image.

Join me in Canada 🇨🇦 for an Ethical and Responsible Snowy Owl Photography Workshop. We will not feed, bait, lure, call or disturb the owls we photograph. Some spots are still available for my February 17-20 & February 24-28, 2025 Winter Snowy Owl Workshops. Click the link below to learn more or sign up.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada, during my recent Winter Owl Workshops. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 16,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Rough-legged Hawk in flight ventral view

This is another image from our terrific encounter with this Rough-legged Hawk as it circled us a few times last Wednesday during my recent Winter Snowy Owl Workshop. See yesterday’s post: Rough-Legged Hawk in flight dorsal view.

Rough-legged Hawk in flight ventral view (Buteo lagopus, Buse pattue, RLHA). Created during my recent Winter Owl Workshop in Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 1,600, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Rough-Legged Hawk in flight dorsal view

This is one of many images made during a close encounter with this Rough-legged Hawk during my Winter Snowy Owl workshop recently. The bird circled us several times, giving everyone fantastic views; stay tuned for more.

The rough-legged hawk gets its name from the feathers that run down its legs to its talons, keeping it warm in frigid temperatures. After breeding in the Arctic tundra, rough-legged hawks travel south to open fields and grasslands.

See: Rough-legged Hawk in flight ventral view

Rough-legged Hawk in flight dorsal view (Buteo lagopus, Buse pattue, RLHA). Created during my recent Winter Owl Workshop in Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 1,600, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Snow Bunting in flight

This high-key image of a backlit Snow Bunting in flight was made during my Winter Snowy Owl Workshop this week. It is an excellent example of why I keep my shutter speed high enough to freeze action, even when the owl we were set up at wasn’t moving: I am always ready for extraordinary and unexpected action. A couple of spots are still available for my February 17-21, 2025 Winter Snowy Owl Workshop.

Snow Bunting In Flight (Plectrophenax nivalis, Plectrophane des neiges, SNBU) from my recent Snowy Owl Workshop in Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 3,200, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Snowy Owl In Flight Glance

I was photographing this Snowy Owl out the window of my car while scouting for my Winter Owl Workshops last week when a snowplow scared it off the fence post it was perched on. Although I followed it as it took flight, I hadn’t pressed the trigger because it wasn’t looking at me. I would have missed this, as it glanced back for a fraction of a second, but the pre-capture function in my camera saved me.

Snowy Owl In Flight Glance (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm ISO 3,200, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

American Coot in Golden Light

This is an American Coot from December 8, during my recent Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico. I am so grateful we had some marvellous light and windless mornings at the duck pond—smile!

American coots are known for their unmelodic medleys of cackles, grunts, and croaks. The ducklike water birds are slaty gray with a white bill, red eyes, and lobed toes that facilitate swimming and walking on muddy shores. Coots take flight awkwardly, spattering water as they run across the surface while trying to lift off. Feeding on aquatic plants, insects, worms, and snails, coots often gather in dense flocks on open water. The young have a remarkable means of escaping danger: at the first warning from an adult, chicks dive underwater and grasp a plant stem in their bill, anchoring themselves to the bottom until the threat has passed.

American Coot (Fulica americana, Foulque d'Amérique AMCO) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 2,500, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Full frame image. Manual exposure.

Wood Duck Vertical in Golden Light

During my recent Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico, we had fun with numerous wood ducks in golden light on windless mornings. It is hard to get a perfectly straight head-on image of a duck! I used the pre-capture functionality of my Sony a9 III at 120fps to ensure that I got a picture with both eyes visible and a more or less symmetrical composition.

Wood Duck Vertical in Golden Light (Aix sponsa, Canard branchu, WODU) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 2,500, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Full frame image. Manual exposure.

Happy New Year Dancing Snowy Owl

Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year filled with peace, hope, love and light.

This Dancing Snowy Owl was photographed from my car window a few days ago while scouting for my upcoming Winter Snowy Owl Workshops. A few spots remain for the February 17-21 Winter Snowy Owls Workshop. Click the image to learn more.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 10,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Sandhill Crane flying in golden light

A Sandhill Crane landing at dusk against the golden backdrop of blurred Cottonwood trees during my recent Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico.

This year, we were fortunate to enjoy golden light and ideal wind direction for most of my Better than Bosque workshop. The Cottonwoods displayed their autumn foliage, creating stunning backgrounds when the light became perfect - smile.

Sandhill Crane flying in golden light (Grus canadenis, Grue du Canada, SACR) from my recently concluded Better than Bosque workshop. Bernardo Wildlife Area (Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex), Bernardo, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 8,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

American Wigeon in Flight

An American Wigeon flies over the duck pond during my recent Better than Bosque workshop in New Mexico.

American Wigeons consume more plant matter than any dabbling duck, thanks to their short, goose-like bill. The shortness of their bill allows them to exert more force at the tip, enabling them to easily pluck vegetation from fields and lawns.

American Wigeon (Anas americana, Canard d'Amérique, AMWI) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm ISO 800, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure.

Wood Duck in flight

Another Wood Duck from my recent Better than Bosque workshop in New Mexico. There was no shortage of Wood Ducks this year, and the wind and light were favourable for photographing them in flight. It is hard not to point your lens at them when they fly past!

Wood Duck in flight (Aix sponsa, Canard branchu, WODU) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm ISO 1,250, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s. Full frame image. Manual exposure.

Wood Duck Basking in Golden Morning Light

Here is another Wood Duck from the coldest morning of my recent Better than Bosque Workshop. The fog over the water was so thick that it made capturing great images difficult when we first set up, but it quickly transformed into epic photography as the sun rose and began to burn it off. The still water was perfect for low-angle views, with magical autumn colours framing the ornamental Wood Duck.

Wood Duck Golden Pond (Aix sponsa, Canard branchu, WODU) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 3,200, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Full frame image. Manual exposure.

Hooded (Hoodie) Merganser in flight

A Hooded Merganser in flight over the duck ponds from my recent Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico.

Slim and swift on the wing, mergansers are unique among ducks in that they have slender, saw-toothed bills to grab fish and other prey in underwater dives. The most petite and elegant of the three merganser species is the Hooded Merganser, which has a fan-shaped white crest bordered with black (tucked back in this flight image). Unlike the other mergansers, “hoodies” rarely gather in flocks and usually winter on small ponds.

Hooded Merganser In Flight (Lophodytes cucullatus, Harle couronné, HOME) from my Better than Bosque workshop . Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 2,500, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Northern Shoveler in flight in golden light

A hen (hen = female) Northern Shoveler prepares to land over golden corn fields while bathed in golden morning light during my Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico earlier this month.

As the sun rose, the wind raged in the wrong direction as we drove the North loop in Bosque del Apache NWR. We came upon a mixed flock of ducks and decided to stop and see if any were banking around and posing at a light angle that worked. A few obliged the determined photographer.

Northern Shoveler (hen = female) in flight in golden light (Spatula clypeata, Canard souchet, NSHO) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 2,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.