Sitting quietly and observing a colony of Northern Gannets interact is a magical gift. On a foggy morning in a sea of white, I picked out this loving couple with my telephoto lens, gently greeting one another after the closest bird returned from a fishing trip at sea. These beautiful birds pair for life (with frequent “out-of-nest” encounters - smile). Each season, they travel hundreds of miles to come together like long-lost lovers, to rekindle their commitment to one another before nesting. This was photographed in Eastern Quebec during my recent Gannets Galore and so much more workshops. I have pre-visualized this image for over a decade and come close several times, but the isolated subjects, eye contact and ethereal, diffused, low-contrast light make this one special for me; a favourite from the trip!

**Northern Gannets Fencing** (Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan, NOGA) from my GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP at Bonaventure Island, Quebec, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens & Sony 1.4X Tele-extender @840mm. ISO 1,250, f/6.3 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

A pair of Northern Gannets “fencing” during my Gannets Galore and so much more workshops in Quebec. After one mate returns to the nest (in this case, the super clean one on the right), Gannets greet each other by facing each other, often touching, calling, and shaking heads side to side as their bills clack together (fencing; think sword-fighting a la “on guard”), bowing, and finally preening each other’s necks.

While I often strive to isolate the subject using a longer focal length, I chose not to increase my reach by switching to the 2X tele-extender after realizing that I love the added interest of the second, out-of-focus pair of Gannets in the lower right-hand corner.

Northern Gannets Lovers

Northern Gannets Lovebirds