Happy International Puffin Day! Let's Celebrate These Clowns of the Sea!

Today, April 15th, is International Puffin Day, and if that doesn't bring a smile to your face, well, maybe you haven't spent enough time gazing at these incredible little seabirds. With their bright orange beaks, waddling gait, and knack for aerial acrobatics, Atlantic puffins are indeed the clowns of the sea.

These charismatic birds spend most of their lives on the open ocean, only returning to land to breed in the spring and summer. Imagine thousands of these vibrant characters bustling around rocky cliffs and grassy slopes, diligently digging burrows and raising their single puffling. It's a sight – and a sound – you won't soon forget! They're also surprisingly resilient, facing harsh North Atlantic conditions. Their ability to "fly" underwater to pursue and catch fish is impressive. So today, let's take a moment to appreciate these remarkable creatures and the vital role they play in our marine ecosystems: They help regulate fish populations by preying on small fish while also serving as a food source for larger predators like gulls and marine mammals

Deluxe Lighthouse Island Dream Puffins and so much more Photography Adventure

Are you ready to take your puffin appreciation to the next level? Imagine yourself immersed in the heart of puffin paradise, witnessing their daily lives up close and capturing breathtaking photographs. This dream can become a reality!

We're thrilled to offer an exclusive opportunity to join acclaimed nature photographer Christopher Dodds for an unforgettable adventure photographing Atlantic puffins on a small, remote island in Quebec. Picture this: you'll spend several days living in a beautifully renovated lighthouse, the perfect basecamp for exploring the island's thriving puffin colonies. Each day will be dedicated to capturing stunning images of these captivating birds in their natural habitat, guided by Chris’ expert eye and unparalleled knowledge of wildlife photography.

And it doesn't stop there. After exhilarating days in the field, you'll return to the cozy lighthouse to indulge in gourmet meals, share stories with fellow photography enthusiasts, and review your incredible captures. This isn't just a photography tour; it's an immersive experience designed to ignite your passion for nature and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Spaces for this exceptional adventure are extremely limited. Now is your chance if you've ever dreamt of getting up close and personal with Atlantic puffins in a truly unique and luxurious setting. Visit THIS PAGE to learn more about this dream puffin photography adventure with Christopher Dodds. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to celebrate International Puffin Day by embarking on the journey of a lifetime!

Atlantic Puffin flying with fish at first light (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, ATPU) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Workshop Adventure. Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm. ISO 8,000, f/8 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Pouncing

The adrenaline was off the charts as we watched this magnificent sow as she ran directly towards us. Imagine the view through the viewfinder!

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Pouncing (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens. ISO 1,600, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Last minute cancellation for Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshop in Quebec

An Atlantic Puffin photographed in flight with fish at first light during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Lighthouse Island adventure workshop in Quebec.

I just had a last-minute cancellation for my otherwise sold-out Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Lighthouse Island Adventure Workshop in Quebec. Click below to find out more or to reserve your spot.

Atlantic Puffin flying with fish at first light (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, ATPU) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Workshop Adventure. Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm. ISO 8,000, f/8 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear on the beach

A Coastal Brown Bear on the hunt for Razor Clams on Ninagiak Island delights my group with a close encounter of the bear kind during my Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure in Alaska.

The Katmai coast is known for the large number of brown bears congregating to feed on salmon. The bears also scavenge on marine mammal carcasses that wash ashore and have developed the unique skill of digging for razor clams. They have also been observed swimming relatively long distances to gain access to ground-nesting birds. In Hallo Bay, brown bears swim 2 miles (3.2 km) from the mainland to Ninagiak Island to feed on the eggs and chicks of glaucous-winged gulls and puffins.

These bears are most often young males or sows and their cubs. It is advantageous for a mother bear to take her offspring to islands because of the ready supply of food and because the islands are likely safe refuge from adult males. Likely, cubs taken to an island by their mother will return.

Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear On The Beach (Coastal brown bear, Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, ours brun) Ninagiak Island on the Katmai Coast from my June Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@350mm) ISO 3,200, f/6.3 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear female yearling cub in fog

Here is another image from my Ultimate Brown Bear Photo Adventure last June. We had countless hours with this curious Coastal Brown Bear Yearling (1-year-old cub). I chose my Sony Alpha a1 camera body paired with the ultra-portable Sony 200 to 600mm zoom lens set at 378mm.

Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear female yearling cub in fog (Coastal brown bear, Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my June Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@378mm) ISO 5,000, f/6.3 @ 1/1,250s Manual exposure. Full frame image top to bottom; cropped a little off the sides to make a 4x5 aspect ratio.

Join me in Alaska for the Ultimate Brown Bear adventure of a lifetime

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Join me in Alaska for the Ultimate Brown Bear adventure of a lifetime 🐻

Northern Gannets SPOONING

Here is an image from 2013 that I have looked at so many times! It is extraordinary how affectionate Gannets can be!

There is still a couple of spots available for my June Gannets trips due to unvaccinated participants who decided to postpone another year.

Join me for the ultimate immersive bird photography workshop! We start each day onboard a 28-foot Zodiac Hurricane under the bird-filled cliffs of Bonaventure Island. We’ll be photographing diving Gannets, Common Murres, Razorbills, Harlequin Ducks, and Black Guillemots while getting close to Grey Seals and Whales. After our daily Zodiac adventure, it’s off to the colony with the park staff transporting our gear on their Kawasaki Mule, making our walk an easy and pleasant one!

Bald Eagle

I recently returned from Chris’s Eagle Workshop in Homer Alaska. Over the years, I have traveled extensively and can say without hesitating that this was the best trip I’ve ever been on. Chris is a very cordial but no nonsense guy. Everything about the trip was organized to the max. I’ve been photographing wildlife for 35 years and thought I had a pretty good idea about how to do it so I wasn’t expecting to learn a whole lot that was new. Wrong! Over the years, other “professionals” had encouraged me to shoot in aperture priority or auto ISO. When Chris told us he was going to teach us to set our camera exposures manually, I thought that sounded like a lot of unnecessary effort. That notion turned out to be false. If you attend this workshop and don’t already shoot in manual mode, your life will be changed. The exposures of the photos I took are spot on and better than any I have ever achieved.

In addition to the new material I learned, the “eagle shooting” was beyond anything one could ever imagine. It was both action packed and challenging. Our group was only five people and Chris bent over backward to make sure that each of us got the best photos of our lives. Even though I had substantial problems with my equipment, I now have more killer eagle photos than I could have ever hoped for. If you want an informative and fun packed trip, I encourage you to sign up for this or any of Chris’s workshops. I have signed up again for next year’s Eagle Workshop, in spite of my truck load of eagle photos, which I believe tells the whole story.”

— Ron Brown Colorado USA

Coastal Brown Bear Mother and Cub Clamming

Here’s mom showing her cub how to clam in Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, AK. My planned June Ultimate Alaska Bear Boat Trip is officially now another victim of the CORONAVIRUS COVID-19; it is best everyone stay home and let’s flatten the curve together. Join me in October for fishing bears or next June for mothers and cubs.