Description

We have been visiting this beautiful part of Norway for many years and feel it is still the number one place in Europe for photographing White Tailed Sea Eagles and Golden Eagles. Our guide, Ole Martin Dahle, has been working with these birds for decades and his expertise in delivering great opportunities for photographers is near legendary.

​

Our targets for this extended expedition will be 3 key bird species, White Tailed Sea Eagles, Golden Eagles and Goshawk, plus of course any other wildlife we may encounter! Autumn/early Winter should be a great time to visit with shorter days, low light, and great looking landscapes to compliment our picture opportunities. 

​

The Sea Eagles will be mostly photographed from a small boat in the fjords where Ole Martin will expertly call them in using fish as bait. After many years practice, he has perfected this technique and will consider many factors including wind direction, light, and angle from the boat – all of which will greatly enhance the chances for those photographing on the day.  Usual trips out on the boat will encounter multiple Eagles engaging in multiple dives and everyone should get a great many different looking images. We will try and make the most of low light in the sky by being out on the water early and later in the day. There is also the possibility of shooting against ‘black water’ (water that is reflecting deeply shadowed cliffs resulting in a very dark colour), which can lead to some amazing results. Whilst we are on the boat there should also be lots of nice chances to shoot the habituated local gull population that will follow the boat and come very close for pictures.

​

After several days working on the local White Tailed Sea Eagles, we will shift our emphasis to land based, hide photography, of Goshawks and Golden Eagles. Ole Martin, has a number of different hides, in different locations and we will take his advice for the best places to work. The hides are very carefully located to not only suit our target species but also to provide great visual settings for images. These locations are usually suitable for 2 or 3 guests at a time, so we will split the group down into 2 with half working on Golden Eagles whilst the other half concentrate on Goshawks. Both species are renowned for being elusive and difficult to see, but with early starts and care we hope to get images of these amazing birds. The hides are generally entered first thing in the morning before the light comes up and guests will need to settle quietly and wait for our subjects to arrive. Of course, during these sessions there may be other visitors attracted into the bait, so it is likely you may see Raven, Hooded Crow, Jay, and other species. We will ensure that everyone gets a session in both the Golden Eagle and Goshawk hides to try and give all our guests the best opportunities.

​

We will finish the week with a ‘spare’ day to make sure we have the chance to re-visit any subjects that have not worked and to give us opportunity to explore the area and shoot some of the stunning landscapes. Obviously, we will take the advice of the local guide and consult everyone on the best use of this day, and it is normally easy to ‘make a plan’ that works for everyone.

​

As an optional extra, there is also the possibility that if weather conditions are right (ideally snow) and everyone agrees they would like to do it, we could use this final day to visit a native species wildlife park about 2 hours north of our location. This site is renowned for offering superb picture opportunities of subjects such as Wolf, Lynx, Arctic Fox and Elk. We do not include this in the scheduled itinerary as it is very dependent on conditions and would also be an additional charge above the cost of the tour.

​

As with all Wild Arena expeditions, this trip will be guided by one of our highly experienced team. We have all visited these locations multiple times and both David and Janet have spent many weeks with Ole Martin in previous years. We will be on hand throughout the trip not only to ensure your comfort and enjoyment, but to also provide as much photographic support as you may require.

​

This trip by its very nature requires small group sizes so we have an absolute maximum of 6 guests plus your 2 guides for the week. Again, this should mean that everyone gets the attention they need and there will be lots of opportunities both whilst shooting and in the evenings to discuss ideas and techniques.

 

In summary, this is an amazing opportunity to join a small group of like-minded photographers to shoot 3 iconic European bird species. You will be looked after and supported by the very best guides in this area and will have the chance to immerse yourself in the amazing wild country of Norway.