Christopher Dodds presents at ProFusion Expo Nov 9 & 10, 2022

Join me for my presentation at the largest camera show in Canada. 12:00 (noon) on Nov. 9 & 10, 2022 in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. More details: https://profusionexpo.com/speaker/chris-dodds/

Bald Eagle on the run

A Bald Eagle runs across a fresh blanket of snow with its wings spread wide. With a maximum wingspan of 2.44 m (88 in = more than 7 feet) there is no doubt that they are impressive raptors to get close to.

We were at the boat before sunrise and quickly sailed across Kachemak Bay in time for the Eagles on the fresh snow. As the light intensity grew through the clouds, the fresh blanket of snow reflected light to illuminate every detail on the Eagles dark feathers. “Snow as fill” is a term I coined about 30 years ago during an owl shoot - smile.

Bald Eagle Vertical Portrait

Those eyes! The eagle eye is among the sharpest in the animal kingdom, with an eyesight estimated at 4 to 8 times stronger than that of the average human. Although an eagle may only weigh 10 pounds (4.5 kg), its eyes are roughly the same size as those of a human. Eagles have a highly developed sense of sight which allows them to easily spot prey. Eagles have excellent 20/5 vision compared to an average human who only has 20/20 vision. This means Eagles can see things from 20 feet away that we can only see from 5 feet away.

Bald Eagle Landing in snow

A Bald Eagle landing in the snow during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. We had fresh snow reflecting the soft overcast light against the underside of the Eagles which resulted in some incredible details in the dark feathers.

Bald Eagle Calling

For such a large bird, the Bald Eagle’s voice is surprisingly weak. Its call is compared to a snickering laugh and consists of seven or eight notes sounded quickly and haltingly in a way that sounds very laboured. It can be written to sound like ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker (Stalmaster, 1987). The function of this strange vocalization is unknown so further research on the function of the vocalization is needed. Young Bald Eagles make different sounds than adults. After hatching, the nestlings make a single-note tonal peep (Gilbert et al., 1981). As the bird ages, its sounds become more complex and have a greater volume variance and by day thirty of their life their call has similar characteristics to the adult Bald Eagles’ call even though there is no direct evidence that offspring learn their calls from adults (Buehler, 2000). Since there is no direct evidence, further research is needed to determine whether Bald Eagle song is learned or innate. To test this, scientists could raise a Bald Eagle in captivity without interaction with any other birds. They could then observe whether this Bald Eagle grew to have the same call as other adult Bald Eagles or if it was different or if it did not learn a call at all. The cheeping call of the nestling serves as a way to beg for food, an alarm call, and communication with adults (Kussman, 1977). After four weeks, the young Bald Eagles also develop wail and Peal calls. The peal call is often given in response to humans approaching the Bald Eagles and is a high-pitched cry that has three to five notes that sound like a gull followed by six or seven rapid notes. This peal is described to sound like, kwit-kwit-kwit-kwit-kee-kee-kee-kee-ker (Buehler, 2000). Another unique call the Bald Eagle is the call that females make when they are ready to mate. This sound is soft and high-pitched and repeated multiple times. The male also has a unique call that serves as a defence mechanism, it is a high-pitched peal to signal when other birds or humans approach. They will use this to fend off attacks at communal feeding sites also (Buehler, 2000). READ MORE HERE @ Vassar Collage The Gall Lab.

Join me for a dream Photo Tour: Eagles Galore March 5-9 or 10-14, 2023 in Homer, Alaska.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

🦅

Join me for a dream Photo Tour: Eagles Galore March 5-9 or 10-14, 2023 in Homer, Alaska. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 🦅

Atlantic puffin in flight

Puffins lead long lives for birds—often more than two decades. The oldest known puffin lived to be 36. The species’ maximum age is difficult to gauge because dated leg bands often corrode in the puffins’ salty habitat, or become illegible as the puffins nest in rocky environments. In fact, it’s hard to track which puffins were ever banded at all.

Atlantic puffin flying with bill full of Capelin

Another Atlantic puffin with bill full of fish image made with the camera set-up vertically. I like to try to push the limits of my hand eye coordination and try my hand at shooting with the camera turned to vertical. It can be remarkably challenging, but the results are sometimes spectacular. It is a great way to keep sharp - wink.

Atlantic puffin with fresh Capelin in flight

Trying to get on these speed demons as they emerge from heavy fog is an exercise in frustration. They seem to come out of nowhere at 55MPH. The key is to keep trying - smile.

Atlantic puffin with fish on golden cliffs

We gathered on the beach well before the 04:40 sunrise and the air was still and the sky was clear. Will the Puffins be bringing back fish to their babies as the sun rises? Will they be flying towards us? There are so many variables which include the tide, but I knew the tide had turned and was starting to rise. Without wind, I knew there would be less activity; seabirds love to fly in high winds. We set up hopeful that the stars would align - smile.

Atlantic puffin in flight in golden light

A Puffin changes direction while on final approach in the last drops of golden light.

The pose with diagonal wings and the head position with the bill clear of the body/wings align with the golden light and catchlight in the eye to make this a keeper :)

Razorbill calling in last light

Razorbills simply fascinate me. Newfoundland hunters called Razorbills “tinkers,” the local pronunciation of “thinkers.” They were given this name because during courtship displays, males hold their bills vertically, appearing to contemplate the heavens.

Bald Eagle with fresh fish

Here is a Bald Eagle with a freshly caught fish. That stare!

Every few years a story makes the rounds about a bald eagle carrying off a dog or trying to snatch someone’s cat. Biologists who study birds of prey and folks who live around eagles have seen plenty snatching and carrying – as well as swooping and swimming – and they offered insights into what eagles really can and cannot do.

Bald eagles are strong, aggressive birds but like everything that flies they are governed by aerodynamics. The wings of an eagle need to support the eight to 12-pound bird as well as whatever the bird is carrying, and best estimates put the lifting power of an eagle at four or five pounds. But it’s not quite that simple.

Lift is dependent not only on wing size, but on airspeed. The faster a bird (or plane) is flying, the greater the lift potential. An eagle that lands on the beach to grab a fish, and then takes off again, is limited to a smaller load than an eagle that swoops down at 20 or 30 miles an hour and snatches up a fish. That momentum and speed gives the bird the ability to carry more weight.

You can read more @ The Alaska Fish & Wildlife News HERE.

Bald Eagles fighting over fish

A Bald Eagle reaching for a fish from another Bald Eagle. Fishing over and stealing fish is quite common because the Eagles are quite lazy and would rather steal fish from another Eagle or Osprey. This is from the middle of a 55 frame sequence that I kept from this chase - smile.

Atlantic puffin bringing home breakfast

Be sure to let me know when to move past the Puffin with fish pictures; I have enough new content to post a new one every day for another year (at least). We had an awesome lunch in the lighthouse and went back down to the beach as the tide turned and the Puffins started to bring back loads of fish. Everyone was full and happy - smile.

Atlantic puffin flying with Capelin

The new Sony “Fish Eye Auto-Focus” did an exceptional job during my Deluxe Puffin Workshops - LOL!

We would start each day with a 200-meter (200 yards) walk down to the beach well before sunrise and then photograph until the light shifted to the harsh side before heading back up to the lighthouse for our freshly cooked breakfast. The kitchen crew (Jeannine, Brigitte and Jean-Paul) did an exceptional job cooking our delicious meals and meeting everyone’s dietary and allergy needs. Oh, did I mention the endless supply of freshly ground and brewed coffee? Expresso, latte, cappuccino, Café au lait? Life is good with exceptional coffee :)

This image was made the moment we went back down to the beach after breakfast; I think the Puffins had the same idea and it seemed like hundreds of Puffins were returning with bills full of fish.

I never tire of Puffins - lol.

Atlantic puffin in flight

An Atlantic puffin returns to its burrow after bathing in The Gulf of the Saint Lawrence. As I tracked the Puffins flying back to the cliff face, I would stop once they entered the shade of the cliff. This is the last frame before the puffin entered the shade and I was lucky to get a near-perfect wing position and the spotlight effect - smile!

Razorbill in flight with Capelin fish

Unlike the Puffins that usually circle a few times before landing and scurrying into their burrows, the Razorbills usually just fly straight in on the first attempt. This Razorbill made a few attempts before it landed, and banked right in front of us a few times before finally landing.

Atlantic puffin flying with fish at first light

We were all down on the beach and ready before the sun rose at 04:48 and there really weren’t any birds flying around. The air was warm and still. As the intensity of the sun rose, a gentle breeze turned gusty and Puffins started to appear with bills full of fish. The first dozen flew away from us as they landed, but then the wind shifted and we had dozens of amazing opportunities as they brought home loads of fish for their babies - smile.

Atlantic Puffin with fish on green in golden light

Are you getting sick of Puffin images yet? How about Puffin with fish images? LOL.

If you really want to up your birds in flight game, try turning the camera to vertical or portrait orientation: the challenge is a tough one, but will help you learn to acquire fast moving targets more reliably - smile.

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish (Capelin) dorsal view

Everyone who joined my five sold-out Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Workshop Adventures had some pretty epic opportunities with the Puffins bringing fish back to their babies. Upon reflection, there seemed to be more Puffins and more of them had fish. A sign that the colony is doing well despite many other seabird colonies being ravaged by the Avian flu.

Next year’s trips are starting to fill already, so don’t wait until it is too late to join the Puffin fun.