Western Meadowlark in flight

There have been impressive numbers of Western Meadowlarks in and around the corn fields where we photograph the Cranes, Geese and Raptors during my Better than Bosque Workshop. This is a full-frame image made as this bird changed direction while I followed it through my lens. 120fps makes getting the wing position right, but I had to keep the erratic flyer in the viewfinder - smile!

Western Meadowlark in flight (Sturnella neglecta, Sturnelle de l'Ouest, WEME) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Bernardo Wildlife Area, Bernardo, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 1,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Loggerhead Shrike

It was a stroke of luck that the Loggerhead Shrike landed directly before us, especially as I was tracking a Sharp-shinned Hawk circling above. The encounter was brief, but it allowed me to back up and capture the whole bird in the image without clipping anything off, a rare opportunity indeed.

Equipped with strong, slightly hooked beaks, shrikes are songbirds that hunt for a living. They survey their surroundings from exposed perches and then chase down insects, small birds, rodents, and reptiles. Shrikes have been nicknamed butcherbirds since they often hang their prey on thorns or barbed wire fences.

Two species are native to North America: the northern shrike of boreal Canada and Alaska, which wanders south in winters when food is scarce, and the more southerly loggerhead shrike (shown here), a widespread but increasingly scarce bird of fields and fencerows.

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus, Pie-grièche migratrice, LOHS) 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 2,000, f/8 @ 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.

Sandhill Crane Landing HEAD-ON

The excitement was off the charts when a Sandhill Crane landed directly in front of us during my Best of Bosque Workshop in New Mexico. When the wind is right, you know where to go to get the best backgrounds in New Mexico (The out-of-focus autumn Cottonwood leaves), and you are set up and ready for action……

Sandhill Crane Landing HEAD-ON (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 Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 5,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up for Best of Bosque Workshop Dec. 5-9

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CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up for Best of Bosque Workshop Dec. 5-9 🪿

Peek-a-Boo Sandhill Crane

This is an image of a Sandhill Crane landing in a cornfield midway through my five-day workshop in New Mexico on December 7. So many Cranes landed in the freshly cut corn that it was hard to isolate a single subject in the frame. We worked our way to the outside edge of the activity and worked on the birds outside the circling flight path, which limited the number of birds in the background.

Peek-a-Boo Sandhill Crane Landing 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 8,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Sandhill Crane Landing above Autumn Cottonwood Foliage in Golden Light

CRANES ARE BIRDS OF SUPERLATIVES. They are one of the oldest groups of birds, dating back to the Paleocene, some 60 million years ago. They are also long-lived, with captive cranes surviving into their seventies and eighties. They are the tallest flying birds; some species stand up to 1.8m (6ft) high!

Sandhill Crane Landing above Autumn Cottonwood Foliage 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 1,600, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Sandhill Crane landing in a dust storm

The last day of my Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico last December was overcast and extremely windy. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes landed before us as the afternoon progressed, making an incredible chorus of their rolling, trumpeting calls. As they foraged for freshly cut corn and preened, they disturbed quite a lot of dust, which acted as an ethereal diffuser at ground level. During the last few minutes of light, the sun tried to appear through the clearing cloud cover in the west; much like smoke, dust filters out part of the light spectrum and changes the colour temperature of the light. I love the resulting warm light and painterly quality of this image.

Sandhill Crane landing in duststorm (Grus canadenis, Grue du Canada, SACR) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, 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 12,800, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

“Your workshop (Best of Bosque) was wonderful - you chose a beautiful setting, and I sincerely appreciate your time and effort in putting together a great photographic experience. I learned so much from you over the course of the week, including an understanding of histograms, exposure, shutter speed and how various settings interact to achieve the effects we are trying to create. I appreciated your kindness and patience, and regular checking of my histograms, feedback, and answering any and all of my questions! I have some unexpectedly great photos, including sharp ones of the cranes in silhouette against the setting sun!!!”

— Marsha Lomis Ontario, Canada

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#

Snow Goose Landing in Last Drops of Golden Light

The light was spectacular, and the Snow Geese were plentiful. For most of the afternoon, the wind blew into our faces when we were positioned with our shadows pointed toward the birds with the sun at our backs. The worst combination: the birds landing toward the wind or away from us. All we saw was the south end of northbound birds - smile! The sweeter the light got, the more the wind shifted in our favour. What a perfect ending!

Snow Goose Landing in last drops of golden 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 6,400, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight

This Sharp-shinned Hawk (Sharpie) tried to sneak past as we were preoccupied with the Snow Geese landing towards us during my recent Better than Bosque workshop in New Mexico. I have just announced next year’s Better than Bosque workshop from Dec. 5-9, 2024. Learn more and sign up HERE.

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk (Sharpie) in flight (Accipiter striatus, Épervier brun, SSHA) 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 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.

Sandhill Crane in last light

A Sandhill Crane in flight against the out-of-focus Cottonwood trees and distant snow-covered Sandia Mountains in the last drops of golden light.

We had some epic light and unforgettable experiences during my recently concluded Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico. The group was terrific, and the photographic opportunities were plentiful and awe-inspiring.

After driving our RV across the country, Julie and I spent a week scouting dozens of locations outside the Bosque del Apache NWR to ensure the group had the best opportunities as the Bosque del Apache refuge continues to decline as a photographic destination. We had an epic trip!

Sandhill Crane in last light (Grus canadenis, Grue du Canada, SACR) 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 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. Full frame image.