Northern Shoveler in flight in golden light

A hen (hen = female) Northern Shoveler prepares to land over golden corn fields while bathed in golden morning light during my Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico earlier this month.

As the sun rose, the wind raged in the wrong direction as we drove the North loop in Bosque del Apache NWR. We came upon a mixed flock of ducks and decided to stop and see if any were banking around and posing at a light angle that worked. A few obliged the determined photographer.

Northern Shoveler (hen = female) in flight in golden light (Spatula clypeata, Canard souchet, NSHO) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 2,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Surf Scoter in flight

We returned to town after an incredible and action-filled four-hour Eagle photography session during my Eagles Galore Workshop on March 8, 2024. We visited my favourite, The Bagel Shop, for a fabulous lunch and superb coffee. After a short break, we set up outside the hotel, and despite it being relatively quiet, there were some Long-Tailed Ducks within reach and a couple of other species of ducks appeared. I was tracking a few Common Goldeneyes that were slightly off-camera angle when this female Surf Scoter made a single pass and almost landed.

Thanks to the new Sony a9 mark III, the short encounter produced 65 images, allowing me to choose the best pose and angle.

Surf Scoter in flight (Melanitta perspicillata, Macreuse à front blanc, SUSC) March 8, 2024, Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 2X Tele-extender @1,200mm ISO 1,600, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full-frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Northern Shoveler Landing

I’ve been scouting for my Best of Bosque workshop and this year is looking like it will be off the charts! Here’s a Northern Shoveler from earlier today while catching up with old friends Doug and Kristin Brown on the side of the pond. Who would have thought my first post of the trip would be a Shoveler? I’ve had some epic opportunities with Geese, Cranes, Harriers and Red-tailed hawks :)

Northern Shoveler

A non-breeding drake (male) Northern Shoveler from my Best of Bosque workshop last December. Many of the dabbling ducks use their flat bills to strain food items from the water, but the big spatulate bill of the Northern Shoveler is adapted to take this habit to the extreme. Flocks of shovelers often swim along with their big bills barely submerged in front of them, straining food from the muddy soup of shallow waters.

American Wigeon

One of the hardest aspects of duck photography to convey to workshop participants is to find a spot with the right light and background and wait: resist the urge to follow or chase the ducks around the pond as they forage. They will come back to the best light/background if you stay still and wait :)

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta, Canard Pilet, NOPI) Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 600mm f/4 L IS II USM & 2X III Tele-converter. ISO 640, F8 1/2,500s Manual Mode. Full Frame. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Here's a Northern Pintail from my Better than Bosque workshop last December. I'm about to lead my sold-out workshop there and have added the dates for next year to my workshop page HERE.

KUDOS:

Your Better than Bosque trip was a real eye-opener for me. I thought I had a handle on my photographic techniques, and thought I was at the top of my game. Wow, was I wrong! I had no idea how much I would learn from you when I decided to sign-up; I thought you would show us your secret spots and that would justify the tuition for me. I made a great friend, learned more than I could have imagined and got the best images I have ever made (thousands of them). Thank you for an EPIC trip. I will be back for another of your amazing workshops soon.

Chris Smith England