Short-eared Owl banking in flight

A Short-eared Owl banking in flight from last winter’s Owl Workshops. While I love cloudy, bright conditions for bird photography, there was no shortage of white sky days last winter. Lake Ontario never froze, which meant a lot of lake effect clouds and light snow.

Lake Effect clouds and snow occur when cold air moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over the unfrozen and relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. As the air rises, clouds form and grow into a narrow band that can produce snow, which can be heavy at times.

Short-eared Owl Banking in Flight (Asio flammeus, Hibou des marais, SEOW). From my first Winter Owls Galore workshop that concluded on Friday. 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 10,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Atlantic Puffin banking in golden light with fish

This is, by far, my favourite from last summer’s Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Adventure Workshops. The sun came up quickly as the Puffins were swirling around trying to align their trajectory, the wind with the entry to their burrows; I have watched them circle as many as 23 times while trying to get everything right before landing. Sunrise was 04:59 on August 11, 2023, and this image was made just a few moments later, against the glowing out-of-focus cliffs.

Join me in Quebec for my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins (and so much more) Lighthouse Island Workshop. I just added another date to accommodate the high demand at the best time to be there to ensure there are Puffins bringing fish home for their babies.

Atlantic Puffin banking 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 6,400, f/8 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image (shot an ounce too tight, so I added a sliver of canvas to the left and bottom).