Goshawk, Eagle Owl & Lekking Black grouse

Please contact me, here, to book your place

NO 2026 TOUR
Dates are critical for this kind of photography, particularly for the lekking grouse. Too early and their activity is low, too late and there is an increased chance of no snow; essential for creating atmosphere and for illuminating the dark birds. This, we believe, is the optimum time to run this tour. Easter falls on similar dates in 2026, and since, for many, it is a time to be spent with family and when flights and parking are considerably more expensive, no tour will be held that year. This tour will not be held annually; therefore, if you are interested in attending, don't delay!   

Join me and Finland’s longest-running and most respected nature photography tour operator, Finnature, on this six-day tour to photograph some of the most exciting birdlife that Europe has to offer. From our base on the west coast of Finland, just 100 miles outside of the Arctic Circle, you will have the opportunity to photograph the incredible goshawk...

Europe’s largest owl species - the mystical eagle owl.....

.....and one of nature’s great spectacles – lekking black grouse!

There was a time when unless you were photographing the elusive eagle owl at the nest, obtaining close-up images was next to impossible. But, since 2015 at a carefully managed location, they come to feed on a semi-regular basis – at night. And, at this same location (afternoon and morning) is also visited by the stunning goshawk. Two nights (optional) will be spent in heated hides photographing eagle owl and goshawk and three mornings for lekking black grouse. This is also the perfect time to go out on ‘safari’ in search of hunting owls and other spring subjects such as whooper swans and roe deer and with contacts spread across the region, if there is anything of interest Finnature is sure to hear about it!

With a breadth of exciting wildlife subjects, this tour has all the ingredients for a truly memorable photographic experience. We hope you can join us! 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE
Tuition from two professionals: Robert Canis and Finnature co-owner
and OM Systems Ambassador, Kaisa Peltomaki 
All-inclusive
2 x Eagle owl sessions
 2 x Goshawk sessions
3 x Lekking black grouse sessions
Heated hides
4WD minibus transportation

ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
Day 1. Arrive Oulu, transfer to our accommodation (45 mins) and dinner.
Day 2. Black grouse, Overnight Eagle owl hide.
Day 3. Eagle owl hide till mid-morning. Rest. Possible hunting owls/accommodation feeding station.
Day 4. Black grouse, Overnight Eagle owl hide.
Day 5. Eagle owl hide till mid-morning. Rest. Possible hunting owls/accommodation feeding station
Day 6. Black grouse, breakfast, depart for airport.   

OPTIONAL EAGLE OWL
Spending the night in a hide may not be to everyone's taste and you might be more interested in goshawk and grouse.  A Finnature guide will be with us until dusk and since the goshawk usually arrives late afternoon until sunset, for those who do not wish to continue, you are more than welcome to return to the accommodation and catch some z's! Or, you might just want to do one overnight session - it's up to you.    

MANAGING AND BALANCING EXPECTATIONS
By its very nature, wildlife photograhy is about as unpredictable as it gets, and although every effort has been made to ensure you return with some incredible images, ultimately, it is down to the birds as to whether they appear at all! Isn't this, after all, one of the main draws of bird photography?! If their appearance were 100% certain, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun and rewarding! Black grouse, for example, aren't fans of strong wind and extreme temperatures; so if it's -15 with 20mph wind, they're unlikely to appear. Goshawk are somewhat more predictable and eagle owl are less so, only appearing occasionally. As for photographing other owl species such as great-grey on the free days, these should be looked at as an added bonus and nothing more. Best to put these to the back of your mind and not even consider them as a possibility when booking. If they're around while we're there, you'll hear about it!  

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
I can't stress enough just what a truly fantastic opportunity this is and I would like to balance expectations on what we experienced recently on the same tour where over the 3 grouse sessions, we had bundles of activity with up to 40 birds strutting and fighting and where goshawk appeared on both evenings and, on multiple occasions, combated right in front of us with another! Sadly, on this occasion, no eagle owl BUT on one of the free afternoons, over a period of 2 hours, we photographed 4 wild great grey owls. Yes, 4! You see, you just don't know what awaits! You've gotta be in it to win it!    

ATTITUDE
There's no escaping it, this tour can be particularly tiring since you will be spending many hours in hides though I've done my best to spread it out and incorporate rest periods. While in the hides, there are likely to be sustained periods of very little to no activity so it is important that you are easy-going and mix well with others and not someone who is intense, prefers their own company and 'expects' results! There'll be plenty of opportunity during downtime and over meals for frivolity! :)   

HIDE ETIQUETTE
Put simply; no talking, laughing, coughing, sneezing or enjoying yourselves! You're not here for a holiday! :) Seriously, though, hide photography is very much about being as quiet as possible and although you may whisper, talking loudly is definitely out of the question or they will not come! During the overnight eagle-owl sessions, since there's a bed in each hide, everyone, at some point, will have the opportunity to snooze. So as not to disturb the birds and lessen the chances of their appearance, if you're inclined to snore rather loudly then I am afraid you will be woken by those in the hide who have my express permission to do so since the greater good of the group as a whole comes before anybody’s beauty sleep! If you get bored, plug headphones into your phone and listen to an ebook. No lights are allowed inside the hide, so you'll have to keep the screen off. Again, any disturbance is likely to spook them. As you may have noticed, this is not the most social of trips but one which, nonetheless, is still incredibly enjoyable and has the potential to yield some amazing and unique photographs!   

TO CONCLUDE
I don't wish to come across as dictatorial (I'm really very approachable!), but as someone who has spent 100s of hours cooped up in hides and who desperately wants you to achieve some incredible pictures, I am merely offering you the benefit of my experience. After all, isn't that why you've come all this way and parted with your hard-earned cash? If you have done all that you can while in the hides and the bird still doesn't turn up, at least you have the peace of mind of knowing that you did all that you possibly could. 

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