Close encounters with Golden- and White-tailed Eagles

November – March

Close encounters with Golden- and White-tailed Eagles

November – March

When: 1:st November – 10:th March

Price: 2.850 SEK/ person

Golden Eagle/ White-tailed Eagle

Eagle photography

To get really close to Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles in nature is practically impossible without being well hidden. In our Eagle photo hide you can sit in a comfortable chair with a heater warming your back and the opportunity to photograph Eagles from down to 20 meters distance. Our hide is positioned on an open bog with scattered pine trees, some trees are ”planted” by us to serve as perches in front of the hide. There are also a number of ”natural” trees that are used by the birds as well. The view is facing north so you get good light all day in wintertime. We have extended the hide with a room with low angle positions where you can lie down on a soft, warm carpet and extra furry sheep skins to get a different set of pictures.

The wooden hide is 9×3 meters big and equipped with comfortable easy chairs, a (dry) loo and a gas heater. Three holes for camera lenses or telescopes are placed beneath the front window reaching horizontally from corner to corner. There are a couple of extra hatches to open as well. You shoot with your lens sticking out but fit in a dark fabric with elastic straps around the lens. You fix your gimbal/ tripod head to the solid, wooden shelf under the window. With the camera in position you scan the scene through the window with a panoramic view.

Be aware that your own behaviour is crucial for the outcome of the session. Slow movements with the camera and your own body, no talking, just whisper, and the patience to wait for the first Eagle to start eating are good advice.

Eagle photography

To get really close to Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles in nature is practically impossible without being well hidden. In our Eagle photo hide you can sit in a comfortable chair with a heater warming your back and the opportunity to photograph Eagles from down to 20 meters distance. Our hide is positioned on an open bog with scattered pine trees, some trees are ”planted” by us to serve as perches in front of the hide. There are also a number of ”natural” trees that are used by the birds as well. The view is facing north so you get good light all day in wintertime. We have extended the hide with a room with low angle positions where you can lie down on a soft, warm carpet and extra furry sheep skins to get a different set of pictures.

The wooden hide is 9×3 meters big and equipped with comfortable easy chairs, a (dry) loo and a gas heater. Three holes for camera lenses or telescopes are placed beneath the front window reaching horizontally from corner to corner. There are a couple of extra hatches to open as well. You shoot with your lens sticking out but fit in a dark fabric with elastic straps around the lens. You fix your gimbal/ tripod head to the solid, wooden shelf under the window. With the camera in position you scan the scene through the window with a panoramic view.

Be aware that your own behaviour is crucial for the outcome of the session. Slow movements with the camera and your own body, no talking, just whisper, and the patience to wait for the first Eagle to start eating are good advice.

Practical info

Season: 1.st November – 10:th March

Included: Guidance to the hide. Instructions and installation. You are expected to find your way back home from the hide on your own after the session ends.

The hide is a ”no shoes-area” (to avoid snow and water) with warm, woolen slippers to use inside. The hide is equipped with comfortable chairs, a loo, a heater, candles, warm blankets, sheepskins and a logbook to read and write in. In the room with low angle positions there are bean bags and ”yoga-bricks” to lean the camera on. Recommended lenses: 300-600 mm The site offers a very good depth of view meaning you could have use for maximum magnification, but the Eagles usually come closer. A zoom-lense gives you more flexibility. It’s not a bad idea to bring both.

To bring: Camera, tripod-heads/ Gimbal (no use for tripod), binoculars, flashlight/ headlight (essential), personal water bottle, warm clothes, waterproof boots. Bring your own packed lunch to last the entire day. A gas stove is available for making tea and coffee.

Price

2.850 SEK/person & session

When? How? For whom?

We guide you out to the hide. Walking distance is about 300 meters. We need to arrive before it gets light and you need to stay in the hide til dusk or til we pick you up. To exit the hide in daylight is strictly forbidden. For the dedicated photographer or for the those who want to experience these majestic birds of prey.

Where?

The Eagle hide is placed on a bog in the Black River area/ Bergslagen in the county of Västmanland, central Sweden. The forest surrounding the myre is a 750 km2 big nature area not crossed by any bigger roads than gravel or dirt tracks and very few human settlements. It´s a good area for birds and wildlife.

How to get a good session!

It’s important how YOU behave!

Arrive early to the hide, preferably just before the break of dawn. Later in the season the birds might already be singing from the nearby trees, as you walk out, but as long as you are careful and silent, you won’t flush them or make them hesitant to come down. Sometimes you might have to wait for them a bit, sometimes they come later but don’t give up. They practically almost always show up to do their thing. Remember; it’s mating season and these males all want a piece of the action. Sometimes the party can break up and fly away without any apparent reason, it is often a predator that has scared them off. Goshawks or even Golden Eagles frequently attack the Black Grouse on the leaking site. Just give them some time, they will usually come back, even if it takes an hour.