As temperatures in the far north begin to plummet, the great wildlife spectacles of the East Coast begins as impossible numbers of birds take to the wing to start their annual migration south. For birds, such migrations are all about one of two things – food and sex. That’s it. Nothing else compares to the need to eat and continue ones species, and thus these creatures like countless generations before them undergo the expedition south in a race for survival.
Eastern North Carolina has been blessed with the geographical position of being right smack dab where many of these migratory routes combine to create the Atlantic Flyway. They come by the hundreds at first, then the thousands, and before it is over, by the millions in search of food. This stretch of coastal plain is legendary for the numbers of waterfowl that it harbors in the winter. Some 2 million geese take refuge along this part of North Carolina, and some 75% of the entire population of Tundra Swans follow suite. Both of which we will capture with our cameras on this workshop.
For two years now Jared Lloyd has been guiding participants to photograph the prolific numbers of waterfowl in Eastern North Carolina, and for two years, the birds have not disappointed. This year however, we are pleased to announce a significant addition to this workshop – pelagic seabirds!
The great migrations that coastal North Carolina stands witness to does not end with the waterfowl. Often overlooked due to the inaccessibility are the pelagic, or open ocean, birds that follow their migrating summer food sources to the coastal environs of the Outer Banks. Aboard a 52 foot boat, this year we will set course out into the Atlantic Ocean and make our way out to the tropical waters of the Gulf Stream some 20 miles offshore in search of this great migration. Pelagic seabirds that we may photograph on this trip include: great skaus, Atlantic puffin, razorbills, shearwaters, kitti-wakes, northern gannets, and many more!
This workshop is a tour de force of winter migratory birds. We will spend 4 days photographing snow geese, tundra swans, a variety of ducks, and pelagic sea birds along the coast by land and by sea. Join us on this one of a kind photography workshop to photograph the great migrations of the Atlantic Flyway!
Dates:
January 2012 – exact dates TBA
Price: $1200