Common Murre, Uria aalge, Guillemot marmette Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F6.3, 1/2000s Manual Mode
Common Murre, Uria aalge, Guillemot marmette Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F6.3, 1/2000s Manual Mode
Bridled Common Murre, Uria aalge, Guillemot marmette Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F6.3, 1/2000s Manual Mode
Bridled Common Murre, Uria aalge, Guillemot marmette Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F6.3, 1/2000s Manual Mode
If you were to listen to the critics, consistently obtaining critically sharp images of dark, freakishly fast birds against dark backgrounds is impossible with the latest offerings from Canon. The internet was, and continues to be on fire with the number of posts claiming the all new EOS 1D mark III series autofocus system was / is flawed. well, I was late to the game, or got a gem, but I see no problems with the one I'm using. In fact, I would not have done as well with a Mark II in these conditions. If you would like to make critically sharp images from a moving Zodiac (and it was moving a lot), make sure you select a shutter speed of at least 1/2000 of a second, acquire focus on the bird while it is approaching and follow through until, during, and after your pressing the shutter button. Imagine that it is like a good golf swing; followthrough is key. Practice photographing birds in flight every chance you get, practice "bobbing" around in a boat and take lots of images while continuously checking the histogram.
August 17-19, 2009 Gannets Galore Workshop
I still have room available for the August 17-19, 2009Gannets Galore workshop. Click here for more information.
TOP TEN REASONS TO JOIN ME ON BONAVENTURE ISLAND:
I received this in an email from Stan Buman from Carroll, IA:
I joined Chris for the 2009 Gannets Galore Workshop on June 19 -21. It was a great learning experience and a wonderful three days. Here are the top ten reasons why I would recommend attending a workshop with Chris.
1. Chris knows the workshop locations and subjects. He has been to the Northern Gannet colony over 375 times, giving him intimate knowledge of the island and bird behavior. All professional wildlife photographers will tell you that knowledge of the subject is crucial for obtaining quality images.
2. With this knowledge, he works hard to put you in the right place by constantly monitoring weather conditions (such as wind direction) and bird activity.
3. Chris is respectful of, and well respected by, the Park Service employees. He treats them well and they treat him well.
4. The Gannets Galore Workshop is more than just photographing on the island. Photography from the Zodiac boat adds a whole new dimension to the diversity of images and bird species.
5. While birds are his primary focus, he is willing to photograph other subjects; Gray Seals come to mind.
6. He is a good birder. It isn’t just all about Gannets.
7. Being a top-notch photographer, Chris knows what it takes to get great images. He is willing to share his knowledge with his participants.
8. I am a better bird photographer because of Chris. Leading by example, he challenged me to work harder on my skills and work outside my comfort zone.
9. For those of you who live to eat, Chris will make sure you are well fed (quality and quantity). I eat to live but think I gained weight on this trip.
10. His ability to speak French comes in handy for us ignorant Americans who never learned to speak anything but English.
The Common Murre
The Common Murre is found in the seas of the Northern Hemisphere, but unlike the Thick-billed Murre, it prefers ice-free waters. On some islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it nests in dense colonies on narrow cliff ledges, in semi-enclosed rock cavities and in deep fissures, occasionally sharing its quarters with the Razorbill. The Common Murre can fly up-to 200 kilometers from the nest to find food for their chicks, and, like the Northern Gannet, they can dive as deep as 100 meters, and depths of 180meters have been recorded. Courtship displays include bowing, billing and preening. The male points its head vertically and makes croaking and growling noises to attract a female. The eggs vary in color and pattern to help the parents recognize them, each egg is unique. They make no nest and their single egg is incubated on bare rock. Average fledging age is about 21 days, during which the male and female feed the chick with Capelin and sand lance, carrying them one at a time. Both male and female Common Murres moult after breeding and become flightless for 1-2 months. After the breeding season, the Gulf populations move toward the Atlantic and winter off the coasts of Newfoundland. In southern populations they occasionally return to the nest site throughout the winter. Northern populations spend the winter farther from their colonies. A group of murres are collectively known as a "bazaar" and a "fragrance" of murres (and you should get a whiff of the fragrance under the colony on Bonaventure Island).
In Québec, the Common Murre breeds only in the Gulf of St Lawrence. It is especially abundant on Bonaventure Island, with over 27 000 pairs, and on the Sainte-Marie Islands, where nearly 20 000 pairs nest alongside several other alcid species, including Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins. The Common Murre populations in the Gulf have recovered a great deal during the 70s and 80s but currently, the numbers on the Lower North Shore are still distinctly smaller than those reported by 19th century naturalists. According to their accounts, an estimated 350 000 pairs of Common Murres bred there at the turn of the century, whereas today there are a mere 20 000. Poaching and human disturbance are the main causes of this decline.
More KUDOS...
The reviews keep pouring in...this time from Rick & Melody Curtis from Flower Mound, TX. Rick & Melody were with me in Alaska for my Eagle workshop in March, and they are a ton of fun;
Chris,
Thank you for the wonderful time we had at your “Gannet Galore” Workshop! As always, we came away with some “awesome” pictures and expanded our knowledge not only about photography but the birds as well. We were fortunate to have a variation of the weather (fog, rain, sun, & cloudy), which presented us with a new learning experience daily also challenged us to think about what we had learned and apply it accordingly. The differences in the photos were a testimony to your ability to teach us how to use variation in shutter speed, exposure and composition. Even though we tried your patience on occasion, we swear we learned to "keep it to the right" and trust the histogram. Those “crazy birds on the rock” were so much fun to watch, it was easy to forget to take pictures. Your enthusiasm and joy of photography is contagious, making the workshop extremely fun.
We look forward to spending time with you again at another workshop in the near future. Thanks for the great experience; it is one we will remember for a long time.
Thanks again!!
The Texas Zoomers (aka Rick and Melody Curtis)