Atlantic Puffin landing with fish at first light

On the first morning of the first Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more Workshops last July 29, 2023, we were all on the beach well before the 04:43 sunrise. The Puffins were already streaming into their burrows with loads of fish for their growing Pufflings directly in front of us. It was dark, and a layer of fog threatened our golden light. The fog lifted by about 05:05, and this is one of a sequence of images made at 05:11 - our morning was a good one :)

Atlantic Puffin landing with fish at first light (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, ATPU) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Workshop Adventure. Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm. ISO 5,000, f/5.6 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Sandhill Crane landing

We were lucky to find some fantastic opportunities yesterday during my Best of Bosque workshop in New Mexico. About 50 Cranes flew into this location close enough to get some great images with great backgrounds. This is one of my favourites from the day.

Ross's Goose

Ross’s Goose facts:

A tiny goose with black wingtips, the Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii, Oie de Ross) is about 40% smaller than the more abundant white phase Snow Goose. The Snow Goose is larger and has a larger bill without the greenish base and has a black grin patch along it’s bill edge (black “lips”). It breeds in the central Arctic and winters primarily in central California, but it is becoming more frequent farther east. It is named in honor of Bernard R. Ross, a Hudson’s Bay Company factor at Fort Resolution in Canada’s Northwest Territories.