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

This Sandhill Crane was photographed during my Best of Bosque Workshop last December. When I checked the weather forecast the night before, it threatened some nastiness, but it amounted to only a light sprinkle of rain during the night. The saturated colours of the desert the next morning were a treat! Knowing exactly where the birds are is only part of the formula for a successful shoot; knowing where the best backgrounds are makes all the difference!

Only a couple of spots remain for my December 5-9, 2024 Best-of-Bosque Workshop!

Sandhill Crane in flight (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 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm ISO 4,000, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Snow Goose Landing in Magical Light

A Snow Goose lands directly toward us in magical light during last year’s Best of Bosque Workshop.

Did you happen to know? Food passes through the Snow Goose's digestive tract in only an hour or two, generating 6 to 15 droppings per hour.

Snow Goose landing in magical light (Chen Caerulescens, Oie des Neiges, SNGO) from my Better than Bosque workshop last Dec. 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 6,400, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

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

Northern Gannet Landing with Seaweed in a foggy Gannetry

A Northern Gannet lands directly in front of me with a fresh load of seaweed on a windy and foggy morning during my Gannets Galore Workshop in Quebec. Because it is so easy for the huge Gannets to lift off in high winds, the sky fills with circling birds calling their mates (they recognize their mates by sound); The sky full of tens of thousands of Northern Gannets swirling around you is one of the greatest wonders to witness!

Northern Gannet Landing with Seaweed in a foggy Gannetry (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 1,600, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full-frame image.

Northern Gannet Landing with Seaweed Vertical Cover

On June 2, the first day of my first Gannets Galore and so much more workshop, I photographed this Northern Gannet landing with seaweed with my Sony a9 III and Sony 600/4 turned vertically. The lifting fog and slight cloud made for some beautiful diffused light and saturated colours - smile.

Northern Gannet Landing with Seaweed Vertical (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 @600mm. ISO 1,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Photographed with the camera turned vertically, this is just about a full-frame image: cropped top & bottom to 4 X 5 aspect ratio.

Northern Gannet returning to mate with seaweed

Another Gannet image from my recent Gannets Galore and so much more workshops in Quebec. I photographed this frame of a special seaweed delivery by a Northern Gannet to its waiting partner with the Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera and Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @268mm.

Northern Gannet returning to mate with seaweed (Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan, NOGA). Image made on the afternoon of June 7, 2024 during my GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP at Bonaventure Island, Quebec, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @268mm. ISO 500, f/6.3 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Northern Gannet Landing with Seaweed

This is one of the last images that I made on the last day of the second Gannets Galore and so much more workshops (June 7, 2024) as I was saying goodbye to the colony for another year. It is a great image to demonstrate just how perfect the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens is, especially when paired with the Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera. I was capturing 120 images per second at 318mm as I zoomed out while the Gannet flew towards me.

Northern Gannet landing with seaweed (Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan, NOGA). Image made on the afternoon of June 7, 2024 during my GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP at Bonaventure Island, Quebec, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @318mm. ISO 800, f/6.3 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Roseate Spoonbill pretty in Pink

A Roseate Spoonbill lands directly in front of me during my recent Ospreys Galore Workshop (and so much more) in Florida.

One of the most spectacularly beautiful large wading birds is the roseate spoonbill, a resident of the Gulf Coast from east Texas to southern Florida. Named for its bright pink plumage and long, flat, spoon-shaped bill, the bird feeds in a manner all its own. It swings its extremely sensitive bill from side to side in shallow water, snapping it shut on small fish, shrimp, and insects that it detects by touch.

Like other members of the ibis family, roseate spoonbills are usually found in flocks. The birds nest in colonies among shrubs and mangroves, often sharing island rookeries with herons, egrets, and other waders. Spoonbills fly in long lines at dusk, their slender necks extended as they head to their roosts.

Roseate Spoonbill landing in spectacular light (Platalea ajaja, Spatule rosée, ROSP) from my OSPREYS GALORE WORKSHOP at Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, Florida ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @600mm. ISO 1,600, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.Full frame image.

Boat-tailed Grackle in flight

Who would have thought that a Boat-tailed Grackle would be one of my favourite images from our Stick Marsh excursion to the Roseate Spoonbills in Fellsmere, Florida?

High winds and heavy rain were predicted for the morning of April 10 at Lake Blue Cypress during my Ospreys Galore Workshop, so Captain Don and I decided it best to keep everyone safe and skip the boat. We all headed to the Roseate Spoonbill colony for an epic shoot; this Boat-tailed Grackle decided to fly in and land directly in front of me. Choosing my favourite from the nearly 250 images made with the new Sony a9 III at 120 frames per second took some time!

Boat-tailed Grackle in flight (Quiscalus major, Quiscale des marais, BTGR) April 10, 2024 from my Ospreys Galore Workshop Fellsmere, Florida, USA. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @600mm ISO 5,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Ospreys Galore workshop every April. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Join me in Florida for my Ospreys Galore (and so much more) Workshop next April 5-7 or 8-10. Learn more 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#

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.

Sandhill Crane After the Storm

This Sandhill Crane was photographed during my Best of Bosque Workshop as it landed in golden light after a storm that brought record-breaking rainfall during a drought. The dark stormy sky was the perfect backdrop as hundreds of Sandhill Cranes started to land in the fields. My December workshop is full this year, but a couple of spots are left for 2024!

Northern Gannet in flight with seaweed

A Northern Gannet landing with seaweed during my recent GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP on Bonaventure Island in Quebec. The heavy fog during our first day became patchy, and I made this image while wandering between the main colony and the tower during a brief window of light fog at the end of the first day.

There are many ways of dealing with fog post-capture, including the dehaze tool, curves and levels adjustments, etc. I usually try to preserve the foggy scene but occasionally process a foggy image so the result negates any sign of the fog.

Northern Gannet landing with seaweed in fog

On the first day (June 5, 2023) of my Gannets Galore and so much more WORKSHOP, after our four hours along the cliffs under the colony in the Zodiac, we loaded our gear onto the specially arranged 4-wheeler for the park staff to transport for us, and we hiked up to the gannet colony. The fog was thick, and the gannets were plentiful. This image was made from the memorial platform that is a tribute to Gilbert, a friend, former long-time park employee and Gannet lover.

Bald Eagle on Final Approach in Snow

A very simple and minimalist image of a Bald Eagle landing on a stick in a brief snowfall during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska from March 2022. Look at those talons! I see this as a big print - smile.

The exposure in the snow was much easier than most photographers think: Set the desired shutter speed (1/5,000s to freeze the action), set the desired f-stop (wide open to make the subject pop), and then fill the viewfinder with white snow and adjust the ISO until the meter shows plus 1 & 2/3 stop - it’s that simple!

Bald Eagle

A Bald Eagle from my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. There really wasn’t much light so it was the perfect time to grab the new (at the time) Sony FE 70–200 mm F2.8 GM OSS II and give it a test. I opted for the faster aperture of f/2.8 since I was working at 8,000 ISO. I love the light reflecting off the fresh snow illuminating the underside of the wings in this frame.

Peek-a-boo Sandhill Crane in flight

It was a very different day in Bosque del Apache yesterday after the rain. I invited the new group out to shoot for the afternoon before the workshop starts, but I changed my plans to bring them to another refuge because they had closed with impassable muddy roads. The light was still really dark and the roads were wet and muddy with much less bird activity today. Things should dry out quickly and I expect everyone will make an amazing portfolio of images over the course of the next five days.

Snow Goose Landing

Want to become a master bird photographer?

There are still two spots available for my Dec. 5-9 Best of Bosque workshop. Join me at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife near Socorro, New Mexico for an awesome adventure and come home with a diversified portfolio while learning to become a master bird photographer. Learn more HERE.

Sandhill Crane on final approach

Here is another Sandhill Crane from my Best of Bosque workshop last December. It is surprisingly difficult to to get a head-on landing image with the head and neck clear of the wings and body. As always, having five full days and an abundance of subjects and activity with an ounce of patience paid off - wink.