Gannet seabirds Bonaventure Island Gaspe | Wall Art

Expressive Bird Photography from Remote Québec Colony

I stood quietly for a while before pressing the shutter—watching, listening, just observing the subtle rituals of these northern gannets. They weren’t just milling about; they were interacting, communicating in sharp little movements and postures that felt both intimate and theatrical. This frame caught my eye because of the tension and curiosity between them. A turn of the head. A piercing stare. A beak just barely brushing another bird’s feathers.

This isn’t just a photograph of birds—it’s a frozen moment of dialogue. You can feel the social structure playing out in real time. The gannet at the front cranes its neck high, eyes wide, almost like it’s reacting to an unseen presence. The one at the centre watches with wary intelligence. And the bird on the right leans in close, seemingly caught mid-sentence. There’s humour in it, sure, but also something deeply elegant about how these seabirds relate to each other.

Bonaventure Island, off the coast of Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula, is home to one of the largest gannet colonies in North America. It’s wild and windswept, battered by Atlantic air, and full of life. Getting close enough for a composition like this takes patience. These birds are wild—untamed, untrained, and deeply aware of their surroundings. But with enough stillness, you become invisible. And that’s when the story unfolds.

I chose a tight crop and shallow depth of field to let the expressions do the work. There’s no clutter, no distractions—just the texture of feathers, the lines of their forms, and that unmistakable blue ring around their eyes. If you’re someone who sees personality in animals, this one’s for you.

You’ll find more moments like this—poised, expressive, and completely real—in the Bird Photography Collection and throughout the Wildlife Photography Collection. Every image in those collections was captured on location, without bait, tricks, or staging—just quiet observation and timing.

© Dan Kosmayer, 2015