Sandhill Crane and Bosque Workshop Openings.

A Sandhill Crane calls to announce its arrival as it lands in front of us during my Best of Bosque workshop last December.

Due to an unfortunate medical emergency, I have two spots open for the previously sold-out Dec. 5-9, 2024 Best of Bosque workshop. Join me for five full days of EPIC imagery and learning.

Sandhill Crane Calling in flight. Landing Loud. (Grus canadenis, Grue du Canada, SACR) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 5,000, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Sandhill Crane calling in flight in golden light

A Sandhill Crane calls as it flies past the out-of-focus autumn foliage of the cottonwood trees.

Sandhill Cranes can be heard as far as 2.5 miles (4km) away. They give loud, rattling bugle calls, each lasting a few seconds and often strung together.

Sandhill Crane calling in flight in Golden Light (Grus canadenis, Grue du Canada, SACR) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Bernardo Wildlife Area, Bernardo, New Mexico, USA. 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 3,200, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Happy Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July to all of my American friends and family. This image was made during my annual Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska every March. The predawn colours in the sky were a fantastic pallet of pastels - and the Eagles were singing their morning chorus. What could be better?

Bald Eagle Call of the Wild (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) near Homer, Alaska. 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 mode. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop in March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Osprey Showing off a Fish

This Osprey announcing its arrival with fresh fish for its new babies was made during my Ospreys Galore Workshop on Lake Blue Cypress near Vero Beach in Florida. The is still one spot left due to last-minute medical cancellation (a fractured femur that led to three days in hospital, rods, plates and screws and a whole lot of physio. Get back on your feet soon, Joe!).

Learn more & Sign up for Ospreys Galore HERE

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Learn more & Sign up for Ospreys Galore HERE /

OSPREY Showing off a Fish (Pandion haliaetus, Balbuzard pêcheur, OSPR) from my Ospreys Galore Workshop Lake Blue Cypress near Vero Beach, Florida, USA. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm ISO 640, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Ospreys Galore workshop every April. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

“Hi Chris, Thank you for the magical photography experience on Lake Blue Cypress. The opportunity to witness and capture images of this annual ritual of the osprey life cycle was truly a privilege. The setting and expertise of you and the captain were perfection, with the weather and wind in remarkable compliance for the ideal opportunities for memories of a lifetime. Thank you again for putting together this wonderful experience. Honestly, I am in awe of the photos that came out of my camera— you set me up for success! Thank you so much for this!”

— Marsha Lomis (Ontario, Canada)

Bald Eagle The Call of the Wild

This is another portrait of an Adult Bald Eagle calling from my recent Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska. The new Sony A9 Mark III proved to be an incredible tool for any action. In this case, having so many frames to choose from ensured direct eye contact with open eyes. As always, I chose manual mode and exposed for the light falling on the subject to ensure a perfect exposure for every frame.

Bald Eagles Calling Portrait (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 13, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X Tele-extender @840mm ISO 2,000, f/9 @ 1/800s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Bald Eagle Calling Portrait

After a flurry of feeding, the Eagles settled down on perches, and many allowed us to get really close, as they usually do during my Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska.

The key to getting a close-up portrait of an Eagle calling is patience; wait, and they will call!

ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker! An Eagle calling is like no other sound in nature; it always induces goosebumps and is instantly recognizable.

Bald Eagles Calling Portrait (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 13, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X Tele-extender @840mm ISO 2,000, f/9 @ 1/800s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Snow Goose announcing its arrival

A Snow Goose announcing its arrival in magical light from my recently concluded Better than Bosque workshop in New Mexico, USA.

Snow Goose calling at light (Chen Caerulescens, Oie des Neiges, SNGO) from my recently concluded Better than Bosque workshop. Bernardo Wildlife Area (Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex), Bernardo, New Mexico, USA. 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 2,500, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

“Snow Geese are possibly the noisiest of all waterfowl. Their main call, made by both males and females, is a nasal, one-syllable honk given at any hour of the day or night, at any time of year, in the air or on the ground. Distant calling flocks are reminiscent of a pack of baying hounds. Birds less than a year old have a clearer and higher-pitched whistle. Family groups use a series of guttural notes to communicate with each other while feeding. Parents make a fast, quiet series of notes as a brood call to round up goslings. During nesting, they use a penetrating alarm call that varies in intensity. The flight call is a continuous chorus of shrill cries, hoarse honks, and high-pitched quacks, audible both day and night.”

— https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Goose/sounds#

Bald Eagle Calling while Banking

Join me, Christopher Dodds, in Kachemak Bay, where many of my famous Eagle images were made. This is your chance to make a truly remarkable & complete portfolio of Eagle images, dramatic fishing and flight shots, and dynamic portraits, and there is truly no prettier place than this for Eagles in their environment with mountains as the background. Learn more about my Eagles Galore workshop in Alaska HERE.

Bald Eagle Call of The Wild in a blizzard

After the morning shoot was cancelled because the waves were too high during my Eagles Galore Workshop, we doubled down on the afternoon shoot with twice as much boat time and lucked out when it started to snow. This is an Immature or sub-adult Bald Eagle calling as it was chasing an adult with fish - Although I am happy to have this frame, I had too much glass to capture the chase, including the adult with the fish - it happens :)

Bald Eagle Calling in light snow

Another Bald Eagle from a magical snowy day during my Eagles Galore workshops in Alaska. I noticed this perch early on and never saw an Eagle land on it for the first few days of my trip. Things improved when it started to gently snow :) ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker. You can read more about the Bald Eagle call in my post from September HERE: THE BALD EAGLE CALL.

Snow Goose Last Call

Last call for my Best of Bosque workshop from December 5-9. Join me in New Mexico for an action-packed five-day workshop/adventure. Learn more about my Best of Bosque Workshop HERE.

Snow Goose calling in flight

A Snow Goose calls as it comes into the safety of the pond for the night. I love how simple this almost monochromatic image is with the bright red bill calling out its arrival. There are still two spots open due to cancellation; Learn more about my Dec. 5-9, 2022 Best of Bosque workshop HERE.

Snow Goose Landing Head-on

After a cold and productive morning shoot, we decided to stay out and use the harsh light to practice tracking birds in flight. I always take advantage of any opportunity to hone my reflexes, but rarely push the trigger in harsh light: the difference on this day was the wind was directly from behind us when we pointed out shadows at the birds. So, far from a masterpiece, but I do love this head-on landing shot with the Snow Goose calling and the out-of-focus cottonwood trees in the background.

Sandhill Crane Calling Silhouette

A silhouette of a Sandhill Crane calling with the high desert mountains in the background. Join me in New Mexico from Dec. 5-9 for my Best of Bosque workshop. Learn More HERE.

Bald Eagle Calling in Golden Light

A Bald Eagle calling in first light can be a goosebump-inducing moment. We had some pretty epic cloudy bright conditions for most of my first workshop but were looking forward to the “mostly sunny” forecast. We crossed the bay before sunrise, landed on the beach and waited for the sun to rise - smile!

For such a large bird, the Bald Eagle’s voice is surprisingly weak. Its call is compared to a snickering laugh and consists of seven or eight notes sounded quickly and haltingly in a way that sounds very laboured. It can be written to sound like ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker.

Northern Gannet Singing in the rain

Last Chance to join the Ultimate Northern Gannet Adventure CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE or SIGN-UP!!

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Last Chance to join the Ultimate Northern Gannet Adventure CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE or SIGN-UP!! 〰️

Northern Gannets SINGING IN THE RAIN (Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan) from my Gannets Galore Workshop on Bonaventure Island, Quebec in 2013 ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. 70-300mm @188mm ISO 400, F9 1/400s Manual exposure with balanced flash.

A Northern Gannet calls in the rain and I used a flash set in manual mode as balanced light to add the glitter :)

There is still a couple of spots available for my June 10-13, 2022 Gannets trip 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!

Join the ADVENTURE to Bonaventure Island for Gannets Galore LEARN MORE CLICK HERE

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Join the ADVENTURE to Bonaventure Island for Gannets Galore LEARN MORE CLICK HERE 〰️

Northern Gannet Calling

Keywords are important

Here is an image of a Northern Gannet from my workshop on Bonaventure Island. I named the image “Northern Gannet Calling” despite the fact that it was yawning to make the image more visible to photo buyers who are more likely to search for “calling” than “yawning” - smile.

Make portraits more intimate

I always strive to get down to my subject’s eye level or lower to make a more intimate portrait. Waiting for the perfect pose, catchlight and behaviour from a low vantage point always makes for a more successful image.

Snowy Owl SCREAM

A Snowy Owl screams on the coldest morning of the year @ -33C plus wind chill. I have to confess: I was considering breaking out the butane camp stove and making a hot cup of coffee after realizing there would be no glorious light with lake effect clouds interfering with my plans. I am glad that I stayed out and got this territorial scream as another owl flew into its winter territory. I watched it fly off and chase a Tundra Swan until they disappeared beyond the horizon and then broke out the hot coffee - smile.

Parakeet Auklet Calling

Did you know?: The Parakeet Auklet makes a series of rhythmic hoarse calls and a quavering squeal. Their function is unknown but could be associated with defending its burrow from intruders and strengthening the bond with its mate.

Crested Auklet Calling

The Bering Sea in winter, framed as it is by Alaska and Siberia, is frigid, stormy, and dark. But remarkably, some birds seem right at home there. The Crested Auklet is one such bird. And they have some unique qualities. Crested Auklets bark like Chihuahuas. Also, these seabirds exude an odor of tangerines from a chemical they produce that they thought repels ticks, but may, in fact, be a form of communication (read more HERE). They nest in immense colonies on Bering Sea islands, and remain nearby through winter, in flocks of many thousands. The auklets present a superb natural spectacle - sight, sound, and smell!