Capercaille, Black Grouse, Sweden April 20-24th or april 20-26th 2009
This five or seven day photographic holiday in 2009 will provide amazing opportunities to photograph the almost pre-historic looking Capercaille, and the elegant Black Grouse from just a few feet away.
2 or 3 Nights of Capercaille Photography
The highlight of this holiday will undoubtedly be your first sighting of this amazing bird. We will arrive at the Lek at approximately 7pm and set up our tents for the night. This is necessary as the Capercaille is a very shy bird. We must be snugly inside our tents before darkness falls so that we do not do anything to disturb him in the early hours of the following morning. We will each have our own individual tent, giving us plenty of room for all our clothes and photographic gear. We erect our tents on the edge of the mound where the dominant male displays. This will provide us with excellent shots from 5 to 15 or so metres away.
Three good photography sessions in all three nights
My first trip to see the Capercailles was in April 2007. Each night I was asleep by about 9.30 pm. and each morning I was woken up by the loud gutteral "kuk" "kuk" of the male Capercaille. This began at approximately 4am. It is light enough to watch the birds, but too dark for meaningful photography at this time. The dominant male struts from side to side on his mound. Other males can be heard around us, also doing their best to attract the females. There are five females on the mound, and on two of the three nights, I actually witnessed them mating. Quite a violent affair with feathers flying in all directions. The serious photography begins just after 5am and continues until just after sunrise. The females disappear before sunrise and the male shortly after.
Capercialles fighting
On the second morning the male was joined on the mound by a challenger. There was an almighty battle which started on the mound and finished some half an hour later behind us. The noise of their wings beating each others body was incredible. After a period of silence the dominant male returned and strutted his stuff. There was no challenge next morning. On the last evening we were there all the females arrived just after we had got into our tents. They spent the rest of the night roosting in the trees directly above our heads. Another privileged moment.
2 or 3 Nights of Black Grouse Photography
Alternate nights are spent with the Black Grouse. Again these are just amazing birds. Once again our tents are pitched right on the edge of their Lek. The Grouse are nothing like as shy as the Capercaille and will parade and cavort, sometimes within a metre of your tent. The females were outnumbered by the males by a ratio of three to one. There were between 40 and 50 Grouse present at the Lek each morning. We have the option of arriving at this lek at approximately 4.30pm. This gives us an evening session as well as a morning session. Two for the price of one! I took this option one evening when the light was superb. The colours of the Black Grouse were quite florescent. Well worth the extra 3 hours or so in the tent.
Continual Black Grouse displays and fighting
The Black Grouse are extremely energetic birds. They display constantly. Each male has his own little area into which he tries to entice a female. They make a wonderful turkey-like noise which reaches a real crescendo when periodically, they all display at the same time. They regularly challenge their neighbours, with a different call which sounds just like "come on then". Many fights ensue. Some of this is done for effect when a female passes by, but some is for real and is quite viscous. There are areas where the females tend to congregate. Display areas near here are fiercely contested. After a number of mock charges one bird will try to out-jump the other, with the sole intention of pecking the back of its opponents head on the way down. Every male has a bare patch on the back of its head, and most of them also have a bare patch on their breast where they have been clawed during these battles. The weaker birds who spend their time on the outer edge of the lek, have also had all their tail feathers removed. They look a sorry sight compared to their elegant peers.
Photograph Black Grouse at Sunrise
Like the Capercaille, the Grouse also commence their courtship at around 4am. Again we wait until approx 5.30am for the light to improve sufficiently to photograph. They do, however, continue without a break until approximately 7.40am, giving about 2 hours of fantastic sport. As the sun rises their black feathers turn almost blue, and their red crown shines like a beacon.
Self Catering in the Lodge
Our accommodation is single rooms in one of the park's lodges in Skelleftea. Most mornings are spent having a well deserved sleep. Each lodge has approx nine rooms, its own self contained kitchen, dining area. lounge, tv, showers and toilets. All rooms have heating and electrics, and are quite comfortable. There is a garage shop and a McDonalds type restaurant close-by. Trips to the local supermarket will be arranged by our guides. Food is not included.
Beavers and their Lodge
As an alternative to the Black Grouse evening shoot we can visit a Beaver's lodge. Photographing the beavers is not guaranteed, but they usually appear at least every other night as dusk approaches.
Visit a Reindeer Farm
On one of our free mornings or afternoons, we will try to arrange a visit to a reindeer farm. The reindeer will be in a very large enclosure waiting for the ground to begin to thaw. They have been fed extra rations throughout the hardest months of the winter. When the thaw starts, the reindeer are moved to higher ground where they are able to graze and find food for themselves. In 2008 we were fortunate enough to watch these animals being driven through snow towards their new grazing grounds.
Small Birds
There are a number of local birds that congregate in trees near a feeder, not far from our accommodation. Some great shots of these were taken by most of our photographers. Others chose to sleep.!!!!!!
Review your Photos + Tips & Tuition
During free afternoons, we will have sessions where we will offer photographic tuition and advice. We will also review a selection of your photographs and advise on where and how you can improve your photography.
Exclusive Hides
The hides we use are not available to the general public. All are on private land with total agreement of the landowners. You are very privileged to have this unique access. In April 2007 when I visited here, all the photographers were professionals. They came from Italy, Belgium, France and England. It is a fantastic opportunity to get really close to birds and animals that very few people have ever seen. Apart from our group, this was also the case in 2008.
What is included
Airport transfers. Transport to local supermarkets for food.
Single room in good standard lodge.(self catering.)
Photographic advice & tuition. Max 7 persons
COST for 5 days / 4 nights : £989.00
COST for 7 days / 6 nights : £1295.00
Please note that, due to other commitments, John Wright will lead the group only for the 5 day period. The extra 2 days are without photographic tuition, but will be fully functional in all other aspects. These 2 days offer excellent value for money as an add-on for the keener photographers.
Estimated flight costs £251.00 not included.
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