OWLS OF ALBERTA

This workshop takes place in one of the best regions in the world for owl photography. In addition to an incredibly high concentration of owls in the area, the winter conditions typically make for a beautiful and bright atmosphere for our images. Combined with a beautiful diversity of other birds and wildlife that spend the winter in the region, there will be ample opportunities to create a photography portfolio to be proud of.

With a 1:3 guide to participant ratio, this small group workshop allows for high levels of individual attention, increased personal space, and helps minimize our impact on the birds we see and places we visit.

We aim to have as minimal of an impact as possible on the birds, allowing them to thrive in their environment undisturbed and allowing us as photographers to observe and document their fascinating natural behaviors. For the well being of the owls, calls and bait will not be used on this workshop.

Liron has been photographing from the age of five, and now works as a professional wildlife photographer, guide, and workshop leader. Gavin is an expert at finding owls and other secretive birds in Alberta, stemming from his detailed local knowledge of bird behavior and habitat.

Several years in the making, every decision behind our itinerary has been meticulously planned out. However, our plan remains flexible in order to get the best wildlife encounters and photography opportunities possible.

Our primary targets will be the Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Snowy Owl, and Great Horned Owl. The numbers of each of these species does fluctuate in the region year to year, but they remain the most abundant owls in the area. Northern Pygmy-Owl, Short-eared Owl and Barred Owl are also possible, but significantly less common. In addition to owls, we’ll watch for other birds such as Merlin, Common Raven, White-breasted Nuthatch, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Downy Woodpecker, Harlequin Duck, Snow Bunting, Gray Partridge, Bohemian Waxwing, and many others.

While owls and other birds will be the focus, we have good chances of encountering other wildlife such as coyote, fox, deer and moose.

In February, the average daily high temperature in the areas we'll visit is around -1 to -3 degrees Celsius (27-30 degrees F), and the average low is -11 to -13 degrees C (9-12 degrees F). If we do get precipitation, snow is of course most likely. Weather can be unpredictable, so we recommend being prepared for temperatures that could be significantly colder and/or warmer than historical averages. At most times this trip, we'll be close to a heated vehicle or other warm area.

Please bring adequate winter clothing layers with lots of layers. Warm winter clothing includes but is not limited to warm jackets, warm pants, long underwear, toques, gloves, scarves, winter snow boots, and winter face masks. Hand and/or foot warmers can also come in handy! Sunglasses (and/or ski goggles) are also recommended, as the snow can make things very bright. Snacks will be provided, but you are welcome to bring additional snacks for yourself. Please bring an insulated reusable water bottle (prevents water from freezing).

For photography gear, a DLSR or mirrorless camera with a telephoto lens of at least 400mm (on full frame cameras) or 250mm (on a 1.6x crop sensor camera) is recommended. However, longer focal lengths can be useful to get closer images of the birds, and will be particularly useful for Snowy Owls. Large telephoto prime lenses can provide great results, but smaller telephoto zooms are also a fantastic choice for this workshop. A mid-range zoom lens that covers the 100-300mm range can also be useful on this trip for creating environmental portraits of the birds. There could also be landscape photography opportunities (and there’s always a chance of Northern Lights), so a wide angle lens (optional) may be worth bringing as well. Tripods are welcome, but also optional. Finally, we recommend bringing a laptop if you’d like to work on post-processing of your images.

We’ll have roughly 11 hours of daylight to work with each day, and we will aim to spend most of that in the field. However, all activities are optional if you want some additional time to rest.

The cost does not include travel to the start location (Edmonton) and from the end location (Calgary), lunches and dinners, alcoholic drinks, and trip insurance.

Limited physical activity is required, as most of our photography will be done in close vicinity to our vehicle. Occasional walks of up to 1km (sometimes in snow) may take place, if weather and trail conditions are reasonable.

Alberta regularly gets displays of the aurora! While not the focus of the tour, if there’s a good chance to see an active northern lights display, we’ll conduct an (optional) evening astrophotography session.

We will aim to photograph owls from a distance that allows for great photos with a telephoto lens, without causing disturbance. The exact distance will vary based on the species and behaviour of each individual owl.

We’ll be staying at comfortable hotels and inns (comparable to a Best Western, Holiday Inn Express, or Comfort Inn), where continental breakfast will also be served. We will have one hotel change during the trip (3 nights at each accommodation).

While we do have an itinerary planned out, our schedule is flexible. This will allow for us to make the most of wildlife encounters, good light, and overall photography opportunities. All activities are optional.

For the February 16-22 2025 trip, our arrival city will be Edmonton, and our end city will be Calgary. The Feb 25 - March 3 trip begins in Calgary and end in Edmonton (same itinerary, just in reversed order). Throughout the workshop, we will be exploring owl and other wildlife habitat throughout central and southern Alberta. With the welfare of the owls in mind, we all ask all workshop participants to sign a confidentiality agreement for the specific owl locations.

We aim to have a fun, positive, easy-going and non-competitive group atmosphere! While the goals of the workshop are to achieve fantastic photos and practice and develop our photography technique, we want to make every moment enjoyable, both in and out of the field.

We will aim to spend the daylight hours (~7am-6pm) in the field each day, with downtime in the evenings. However, all activities are optional; guests are welcome to take time to rest as desired.

As much or as little as you want! The group size is designed to allow personalized attention when desired. In addition to field instruction, workshop activities may include optional indoor seminars and post-processing sessions.

Yes! There will be a variety of food options on the menu at meals.

The trip price is based on double occupancy, but single supplement is available for $450.

Smoking is prohibited during group workshop activities.