Snowy Owl & Workshop Update

This is the second Snowy Owl in the same area that I found my first of the year (see my Nov. 13 & Nov. 14 posts). I was almost as surprised as the owl as I wandered through the heavy frost in the misty fog as the rain started to fall. It's still too early to decide if this winter will be great for owls, but the early indicators are all good. Fingers crossed that they establish the area as their winter hunting grounds.

Two spots remain available for my recently added Winter Owl Workshop, February 10-14, 2025.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Quebec, Canada. Sony a9 III mirrorless camera body & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @600mm F/6.3 ISO 6,400 @ 1/5,000s.

Short-eared Owl banking in flight

A Short-eared Owl banking in flight from last winter’s Owl Workshops. While I love cloudy, bright conditions for bird photography, there was no shortage of white sky days last winter. Lake Ontario never froze, which meant a lot of lake effect clouds and light snow.

Lake Effect clouds and snow occur when cold air moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over the unfrozen and relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. As the air rises, clouds form and grow into a narrow band that can produce snow, which can be heavy at times.

Short-eared Owl Banking in Flight (Asio flammeus, Hibou des marais, SEOW). From my first Winter Owls Galore workshop that concluded on Friday. 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 10,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Snowy Owl Workshop New Dates Just Announced!

Here is another image of what I believe to be the same Snowy Owl that I posted yesterday. It was so nice to find it in time for the nice light—smile. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it hangs around.

I have announced an additional Owl Workshop from February 10 to 14, 2025. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE OR SIGN UP.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Quebec, Canada. Sony a1 mirrorless camera body Sony & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @600mm F/6.3 ISO 10,000 @ 1/5,000s.

Snowy Owl Workshop Update - They are back!

I have been predicting a good winter for Snowy Owls, and although it is too early to know for sure, it looks more and more like it will be. I had my first Snowy Owl on the drive back to Montreal from Toronto after my Sony Presentations at ProFusion Expo! It was perched beside the highway at a truck scale, making it an easy choice to stop and grab my 100-400 for a portrait - and it never flew away - smile.

Since the February 3-7 trip sold out in record time, I have added another workshop from Feb. 10-14, 2024. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Quebec, Canada. Sony a1 mirrorless camera body Sony & Sony FE 100-400mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @400mm F/5.6 ISO 5,000 @ 1/5,000s.

Coastal Brown Bear eating fresh salmon

Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop Update:

Join me for my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Adventure from September 17 to 24 for an incredible 8-day/7-night photographic adventure on a private charter along the Katmai Coast of Alaska. We will photograph the numerous Coastal Brown Bears congregating along streams overflowing with salmon as they fatten up for the long and harsh Alaskan winter. Unlike many other tours, our Itinerary starts by flying out to the ship from Kodiak, Alaska, on day 1 (flights from Kodiak to the boat and back are included), and we remain there until we fly back to Kodiak on day 8. We photograph bears from day 1 to day 8, so eight days of epic brown bear photography! There are only two spots left!

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub Eating Fresh Salmon (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X Tele extender @840mm. ISO 20,000, f/5.6 @ 1/1,000s Manual exposure. Full-frame image.

Northern Gannets Nest Building

This pair of Northern Gannets attempted to build their nest with fresh vegetation on a rock, but it kept getting blown away. This image was made the only time I saw the birds pointed toward me during the six days I was there for my Gannets Galore and so much more workshops; it lasted only a fraction of a second…

Northern Gannets Nest Building (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 320, f/8 @ 1/80s Manual exposure. Almost full frame image (slightly cropped top to 4 x 5 aspect ratio).

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.

Yellow-throated Warbler

On the morning of May 10, 2019, during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park, a Yellow-throated warbler was the star visitor. We had an amazing morning watching it creep over the branches of the trunk of a few trees, much like a Black-and-white Warbler, before it jumped onto this perch in front of the out-of-focus marsh background.

Why Point Pelee? Location! Location! Location!

Point Pelee is part of a peninsula at the crossroads of two major migration routes, extending into the western basin of Lake Erie. It is one of the first points of land spring migrants reach in the pre-dawn hours when crossing Lake Erie at night. Point Pelee’s diverse habitats provide shelter for more than 390 recorded species of birds.

On rare occasions, you may witness a fallout of migrants in the park.  Fallouts or groundings of songbirds occur when a warm weather front advancing from the south or southeast meets a cold weather front moving in from the north or northwest.  Birds will descend when the two fronts meet at ground level or when the birds flying on a warm front override a cold front.

Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica, Paruline à gorge jaune, YTWA) Photographer May 10, 2019, during my SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP at Point Pelee National Park of Canada in Leamington, Ontario, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @800mm. ISO 5,000, f/5.6 @ 1/2,000s Manual exposure.

Bald Eagle Look Back Portrait

This is a fun portrait of a Bald Eagle from the second day (March 6, 2024) of my first Bald Eagles Galore and so much more Workshop in Alaska. Once the fishing action stops, the Eagles sit pretty and allow close approaches—smile.

Bald Eagles Look Back Portrait (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 6, 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 2X Tele-extender @1,200mm ISO 800, f/16 @ 1/200s. Manual Exposure mode. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

American Crow in Flight

Formerly known as a Northwestern Crow, this American Crow added to the Eagle fun during my Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska. I love the frost on its feet.

American Crow in Flight (Corvus brachyrhynchos, Corneille d'Amérique, AMCR) March 7, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @600mm ISO 10,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Slight crop. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Clamming

Bears spend countless hours in the mudflats digging, chomping, slurping, and digging again along the shores of Katmai National Park and Preserve. We sat on the beach with this Brown Bear, watching it dig for clams for hours in the fog during my Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure in June. The biggest challenge for images was getting their eyes visible in the image; they spend most of the time looking down at the sand they are smelling, then dig holes down three feet to the razor clams (so their faces and heads are hidden).

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Clamming (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska last June. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@600mm) ISO 3,200, f/6.3 @ 1/2,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Coastal Brown Bears Dancing

We watched these two siblings wrestling in the rain for almost an hour during my Ultimate Brown Bears of Katmai Photo Tour. This frame makes it look like they are ballroom dancing (and rather good at it). This is another frame from 2010: I have been at this for a long time - smile!

Coastal Brown Bears SHALL WE DANCE? (Ursus arctos or Grizzly Bears) from June 2010. Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, Alaska, from my Ultimate Brown Bear Photo Tour. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. 500mm with 2X Teleconverter @1,000mm ISO 1,600, f/8 @ 1/800s. Manual exposure.

Short-eared Owl with Prey

A Short-eared Owl was proudly showing off its Meadow Vole lunch. The image was captured during my first Winter Owl Workshop last week. As I turned the ISO to 20,000, I had fond memories of the first time I photographed this species with 25 ISO Kodachrome 40 years ago!

Short-eraed Owl in Flight with Meadow Vole Prey (Asio flammeus, Hibou des marais, SEOW). From my first Winter Owls Galore workshop that concluded on Friday. 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 20,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Blue Goose (Dark Morph Snow Goose) Ventral Bank

A Blue Goose (Dark morph Snow Goose) offers a ventral view as it banks vertically to lose altitude rapidly while descending into a corn field during my Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico.

Snow Goose (Blue morph) Banking (Chen Caerulescens, Oie des Neiges forme bleu, SNGO) from my Better than Bosque workshop. Near Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, 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 1,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear with Pink Salmon at last light

A Coastal Brown Bear (Grizzly Bear) with its trophy: a pink Salmon. The fish-eye auto-focus works remarkably well on the Sony Alpha1 - Imagine if the bear had looked up at me - smile.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear with Pink Salmon at last light (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my recent Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 2X teleconverter @1,200mm. ISO 4,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Coastal Brown Bear Cub with Salmon Dinner

A Coastal Brown Bear Cub with freshly caught salmon during my Ultimate Brown Bear Photography Workshop Photo Tour in September. We had some pretty epic opportunities with this bear cub throughout the trip, but the afternoon I made this image stands out as one of my favourite times in Katmai National Park; we were the very last group in the park, just us and the bears - smile!

Join me next year for my Ultimate Brown Bear photography workshop. Learn more HERE.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub with Salmon dinner (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my recent Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens. ISO 1,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Northern Gannet Artistic Eye Detail

Here’s another Gannet from the first day (June 5, 2023) of my Gannets Galore and so much more workshops on Bonaventure Island. Near the end of our very long day of rain, it started to let up a little, and I decided to lie down in the wet grass and wait for a Gannet to get close. I spent almost 25 minutes with it before starting the hike back to catch the boat. I wanted something that would work on a cover, so I kept the camera in vertical orientation and let the composition …develop - smile.

Click on the image above to see and read about a horizontal image cropped to vertical and published on the cover of the now-defunct Dutch E & V magazine way back in 2010. ©Christopher Dodds

Bald Eagle Snowy Portrait

A Bald Eagle photographed during my Eagles Galore Workshop with the Sony FE 100 to 400mm G Master lens @ 330mm while it was lightly snowing.

Bald Eagle Portrait/Stare

Q: Hi Chris, I am interested in your Bald Eagle workshop in Alaska. My longest lens is the Sony 100-400, and I am worried that I won’t get close enough to the action/Eagles - especially for portraits.

A: Hey Marc, As this image demonstrates, we will get close to the Eagles. This portrait was made with the same Sony 100-400mm lens that you own - smile.

Bald Eagle over the top

I have posted a lot of fishing Eagles lately, so here is an image from the higher airspace, where Eagles compete, and the acrobatics are impressive and much like watching an airshow. This Eagle was flipping over at the top of its dive to try to beat another Eagle to the fish.