Kentucky warbler

A Kentucky warbler poses briefly after bathing during my recent SONGBIRDS OF PELEE workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada. Kentucky warblers are rare visitors to Canada, but a few are seen yearly at Point Pelee National Park.

Prairie Warbler

During my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP, a Prairie warbler momentarily pauses in the open in nice light after migrating over Lake Erie to Point Pelee National Park.

Pelee always delivers the rarities! The Prairie Warbler is a scarce bird in Canada, occurring only in southern Ontario, where there are likely fewer than 300 pairs.

Nashville warbler in flight

Pioneer birdman Alexander Wilson encountered this bird first near Nashville, Tennessee. It has been called Nashville Warbler ever since, even though Wilson's birds were passing through in migration, and the species does not nest anywhere near Tennessee. This small warbler is relatively common in both the east and the west, often seen foraging in thickets and young trees, flicking its short tail frequently as it seeks insects among the foliage.

Northern Parula

Northern Parulas can be difficult to see and photograph as they rapidly flit and hop primarily through the upper levels of the forest and subcanopy, but during migration they also forage in the understory. We had a few moments with this species during my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP.

“Thanks again Chris for an amazing week! Lots of photo ops, great teachings and wonderful company! Now I just need to go through the thousands of photos I took, and then...decide which of your workshops to do next!!!”

— Louise Bertrand (Quebec, Canada) Songbirds of Pelee workshop May, 2023

Yellow warbler singing portrait headshot

A portrait of a male Yellow warbler singing from my recently concluded Songbirds of Pelee workshop in Point Pelee National Park of Canada.

Male Yellow warblers sing a sweet series of 6–10 whistled notes that accelerate throughout the roughly 1-second song and often end on a rising note. The tone is so sweet that people often remember it with the mnemonic sweet sweet sweet, I’m so sweet.

Prothonotary warbler

We had a blast photographing at least four Prothonotary warblers during my recently concluded Songbirds of Pelee workshop. This image was created using my Sony Alpha 1 and my Sony 600mm f/4 lens with 1.4X teleconverter attached. The warbler had flown over and landed on the boardwalk just behind me, before landing on this perch directly in front of me at minimum focusing distance.

Prothonotary warbler with a spider

We had a great time photographing the Prothonotary warblers during my Songbirds of Pelee workshop; this one brought its dinner to show off at the minimum focusing distance of my lens.

Prothonotary warblers eat adult insects and larvae (primarily aquatic insects), ants, caterpillars, mayflies, beetles, and other insects, as well as snails and other small mollusks, spiders, and some seeds.

Prothonotary Warbler Launching

Another image from my recently concluded Songbirds of Pelee workshop. As this Prothonotary warbler was foraging on this great perch, a Northern Waterthrush flew over it, and the Prothonotary warbler quickly gave chase. This was a lucky catch for me, as I was reorienting the camera from horizontal to vertical when I noticed it happening :)

Prothonotary Warblers are unique among the warbler family because they breed in nest cavities instead of making nests on tree branches. They choose tree cavities, dug out by woodpeckers or chickadees, that are either standing in water or within 5 m (16 feet) of water.

Prothonotary Warblers get their name from papal clerks, called prothonotaries, who wore yellow robes. However, it is also possible that the name derives from the notaries (known as protonotaires) who played a significant role in the 18th and 19th-century legal system of Louisiana, the state where the bird was first described. One point against that theory is that the notaries did not wear yellow.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Here is a Black-throated Blue Warbler from my recently concluded SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP in Point Peele National Park of Canada. The sold-out trip was a huge success, with a fabulous group and extraordinary photographic opportunities and birding moments enjoyed by everyone. The last image I made yesterday (May 11) before making the 9-hour drive home. A special year for me, with my nephew, Shane, joining in the fun!

Special thanks to the whole Peele 2023 crew! Great times were had by all! Front row L-R: Me (Chris), Howard, Linda, Pierre-Alexandre, Louise. Back row l-R: Omar, Sanjeev, & Shane.

Learn more and sign-up for my Songbirds of Melee workshop May 7-11, 2024 HERE.

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin workshop just announced

Another from my recent Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Adventure in Quebec. An Atlantic puffin with a bill full of capelin in golden light against out-of-focus golden cliffs. This has quickly become one of my favourite images from one of my favourite places! There is no better place in the world to photograph than Puffin Paradise in Quebec, Canada.

Just announced! August 10-13, 2023 Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop

If you would like to photograph Atlantic Puffins flying with fish in golden light while eating gourmet food, consider joining me in August. Wait! Did I mention that we live in a recently renovated lighthouse? The trips were sold out completely, so I added August 10-13. My trips are timed perfectly so the babies are big enough to need constant feeding, but it ends just before the adults abandon them to fend for themselves.

““Puffins Galore” is a very apt name for this photography workshop with Christopher Dodds on L’Ile Aux Perroquets in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, and many shorebirds use this little island in the Mingan Archipelago as their nesting home during the breeding season and the place is alive with activity with many opportunities for images of birds in flight and birds around their burrows. Chris Dodds is acquainted with every aspect of puffin behaviour and is very generous with time and advice; he helped me improve my skills capturing images of fast-moving birds. Everyone in the group came away with images that they were thrilled with. The guest house on the island is a converted lighthouse keeper’s residence and provides a very comfortable experience. The meals alone would be worth the trip. Puffins Galore and much, much more!”

— Paul Ludden (Wisconsin, USA)

Northern Gannet with Seaweed

Gannets Galore Workshop update

Two spots just opened up for my June 5-7, 2023, Gannets Galore (and so much more) workshop in Gaspé, Québec. Learn more about this epic adventure, with includes a daily four-hour Zodiac excursion HERE.

The best photographic event that any of us had ever experienced

Thank you for a magnificent workshop on Bonaventure Island. Your efforts on our behalf were nothing short of heroic. I don't know where you get your energy, from Sun up to long after it set, you were working to make this the best photographic event that any of us had ever experienced, and you succeeded. Bonaventure Island is a photographers paradise, I have never returned from a workshop with so many 'Portfolio shots. If all your endeavors as fruitful, can't wait to get my lens on those Snowy Owls this winter.............

I had a heck of a good time doing what I love, thanks to you.

Malcolm MacKenzie West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Summer Tanager

Here is a Summer Tanager from my Songbirds of Pelee workshop in 2005 that I recently rediscovered while looking for the Ruby-crowned Kinglet image posted HERE.

For all intents and propose, it is simply a “bird on a stick,” but I love the monochromatic setting that accentuated the bird's colours. I significantly desaturated the red channel to prevent it from looking fluorescent, as the older digital cameras had a really hard time with the reds.

I had skipped over this one because there was too much noise (for me). I am blown away by the new AI-powered noise removal in the recently updated Adobe Camera Raw. The unfortunate side of this discovery is the time I will have to invest in reprocessing my older images.

There is still limited space for my free Sony Photo Walks at the end of May. The walks will be in English on Saturday, May 27, and in French on Sunday, May 28. There is a $15 charge to prevent no-shows with limited seating, but you will get a $15 Gosselin Photo gift card at the event. Click on the image below to register:

Bald Eagle on Final Approach in Snow

A very simple and minimalist image of a Bald Eagle landing on a stick in a brief snowfall during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska from March 2022. Look at those talons! I see this as a big print - smile.

The exposure in the snow was much easier than most photographers think: Set the desired shutter speed (1/5,000s to freeze the action), set the desired f-stop (wide open to make the subject pop), and then fill the viewfinder with white snow and adjust the ISO until the meter shows plus 1 & 2/3 stop - it’s that simple!

Free Photo Walks in Montréal Sponsored by Sony and Gosselin Photo

Proud to announce that I will be hosting free photo walks with Sony of Canada and Gosselin Photo at Parc-nature du Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard in Montréal, Québec, on May 27 in English and May 28 in French. Sony will have some cameras and lenses for you to try, and both Gosselin Photo and Sony will have staff helping out. There is limited space, so book your spot soon! Follow the links below to learn more.

Fière d'annoncer que j'organiserai des marches photo gratuites avec Sony du Canada et Gosselin Photo au Parc-nature du Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard à Montréal, Québec, le 27 mai en anglais et le 28 mai en français. Sony aura des appareils photo et des objectifs à essayer, et Gosselin Photo et Sony auront du personnel pour vous aider. Le nombre de places est limité, alors réservez vite votre place ! Suivez les liens ci-dessous pour en savoir plus.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet revisited

I am working on something special with Sony of Canada and Gosselin Photo at Parc-nature du Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard in Montréal, Québec, on May 27 in English and May 28 in French. Follow the links below to learn more.

While working on the event, I came across this image of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet made at Parc-nature du Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard in Montreal on OCTOBER 8, 2004, with a Canon 1D MK II, 500mm f/4 & 1.4X extender.

I reprocessed the image using the latest Adobe Camera Raw and the new noise reduction with AI. Talk about giving new life to an old favourite image! I am thrilled with the results!

The image was made at 1/50s at ISO 200 because those early digital cameras couldn’t produce quality images at higher ISO. I remember how many photos were thrown away because the subject had moved. So happy today with the ultra-high ISO performance of my Sony Alpha 1s which allows me to shoot at 20,000 ISO comfortably!

This image won the bird photography category and best overall picture in the only photo competition that I have ever entered :)

Coastal Brown Bear mother and cubs

A Coastal Brown Bear mother and cubs pose for my group during my Ultimate Mother and Cubs bear boat trip. There is still space for my Mothers & Cubs trip in June and my Fishing Bears trip in September. I am also looking for a female solo traveller to share a room with another female solo traveller. Learn more about my Bears Galore workshop HERE.

Bald Eagle Silhouette

Here is another Bald Eagle from my Bald Eagles Galore Workshop near Homer, Alaska, in March. I usually work tighter for more visual impact online but I love the little horizon at the bottom of the frame. We had tons of fun with the silhouette opportunities that the fabulous weather offered - smile!

Joe Norton Eagles Galore Testimonial

“I have finally been able to make time to sit down to thank Christopher Dodds for a wonderful Bald Eagle Photography Trek on Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska this past March, 2023! What a glorious, wonderful trip this was. I can highly recommend this if you are a fan of Bald Eagles and Photography. I have been fortunate to capture images of Bald Eagles across the “lower 48”, but never have I had an experience with eagles like this! One again, Chris’s experience and knowledge about wildlife and bird photography, as well as about our target subject, the majestic Bald Eagle, made this an experience I will never forget. He is a highly professional photography trek leader, with a constant aim of not stressing our target wildlife as well as a focus on the safety and well being of his trek participants. As this trek involved travelling twice a day across Kachemak Bay to various shore landings via “water taxi” (think miniature landing craft with bow ramps) on sometimes steep rocky shores, this was paramount to ensure neither participant nor photography equipment went swimming. As a no longer young photographer with what might be considered some mobility limitations, I remain highly appreciative of the support and assistance of Chris, our boat captain and his mate in this regard. The weather gods smiled on us this trip and gave us fantastic dawns, sunrises and afternoons with wonderful light. In addition, we never found ourselves without Eagles to photograph. I came home with a more than large portfolio of outstanding images of Eagles flying, diving, chasing, striking fish, twisting, turning, flipping and even “posing for portraits”! It is only recently that I have trekked with Christopher Dodds, this being my second trip with him. My highest recommendation is that I will be looking forward to trekking with Chis again.”

— Joe Norton Illinois, USA

Bald Eagle in flight with prey

A Bald Eagle with its prize. The light and action was extraordinary during my Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska this March.

Eagles Galore Workshop update:

Coastal Brown Bears: Wanna Play?

The Katmai Coast Ultimate Brown Bear workshop is a magical experience if you dream of getting up close and personal with Coastal Brown Bears; Mothers often bring their cubs to my groups for free babysitting services :)

These two siblings are about to erupt into a frenzied playful tussle, a necessary lesson to help them survive alone in the wild.

This image was created hand-held using my Sony a9 camera with the Sony 100-400mm zoom lens with a doubler attached.