Tour report: Owls – The silent hunters

Elusive, mystical and majestic – owls are high on many photographers wish lists for good reason. This summer, we brought five groups of photographers with us to experience and photograph the owls of the boreal forest.

It is still dark outside. The high beams light up the forest road, and a light drizzle of rain hits the windshield softly. The crisp air of this early April morning wakes me up instantly as I step out of the car. The first day of scouting is always filled with expectations, and today I am out looking for something special. Great grey owls, one of the largest owl species in the world. You would think they are an easy find. But here, in the vast taiga forest of Norway, it takes both a trained eye and a bit of luck to find them. I scan over the open area of forest with my binoculars. The pine trees glide by, one by one. And suddenly, two large, yellow eyes look back at me. I freeze, and a big smile spreads across my face.

During the next days, we find a total of twelve breeding pairs of Great grey owls in our area of forest. With a great amount of joy, we inform the tour participants that the owls are here and that this year's tours are on!

Scouting is very important to prepare our tours, and perhaps no tour more than this one. At Photo Tours Norway, the welfare of the subjects has first priority. As we photograph the Great grey owls in the breeding season, we take utmost care and put a lot of energy into preparations. Our guides spend several weeks in the forest, observing and learning the behaviour of the birds. Great grey owls are well known for being cooperative and friendly, but some individuals can get stressed with people near their breeding sites.

Through spending time with the owls, we learned which birds accepted our presence, and went about their day as if we would not have been there. Five of the twelve nesting pairs we found were totally comfortable with our presence. When guiding, these were the owls we brought photographers to.

In the beginning of June, our first tour started. For the next month and a half, we brought five groups of photographers with us into the world of the owls. To ensure that that all of our guests got the best angle for their images and to avoid disturbance, we guided small groups of only 4-5 people. On every tour throughout the five weeks, we were able to experience some truly magical moments.

With the main focus being the Great grey owl, we spent most of our time with them. Over the course of the five weeks, we photographed the Great grey owl families with tiny chicks on the nest, the adults hunting and bringing back food, the fledging period and following the owlets as they grew and began to fly. Every tour produced different and sometimes unexpected opportunities, but they all had one thing in common: Countless hours spent in the presence of Great grey owls and their chicks, photographing behaviour and interactions in their everyday life.

We don’t use bait to attract the Great grey owls, but rather knowledge about their behaviour to bring our guests into the right position. When the adults are hunting, we position ourselves ahead of the owl on its hunting route, or on a spot where it will fly past returning with freshly caught prey. This method produced many close encounters and fly-bys. Having a large owl like the Great grey fly past you, gracefully and in total silence, is an unforgettable moment.

During the tours, we spent a lot of time around the nesting areas of the Great grey owls, photographing interactions when the adults brought back mice and voles to the chicks or preened their downy feathers. For me, these were some of my favourite moments. Being able to show our guests the intimate aspects of the Great grey family’s everyday life, with the sound and smell of the lush forest as the ambiance, was truly special. The dynamic between the chicks, fighting for food but also playing and enjoying each others company made every minute in the forest interesting. Even the seemingly unspectacular moments, small details like an interaction between the owlet and adult or simply watching a sleeping Great grey owl, will stay with me for a long time. Even the midges and mosquitos could not take away from these moments.

We also worked with other species of owls. This year, the Boreal owls were few in numbers and breeding very early. We got some wonderful, but short moments with them. There was, however, a different species that many of the groups could photograph throughout the season. A pair of Northern hawk owls and their five chicks, with a total acceptance of our presence, gave opportunities almost unheard of.

We followed the Northern hawk owls from the nest, through the fledging and until the chicks could fly. The five, fluffy owlets were a source of constant entertainment and photographic opportunities, as they clumsily moved around the forest, screamed for food and perched close together for warmth. The highlight was the feeding, when the adults brought mice and voles. Observing the female feeding its chicks just meters away from us, like we were not there, was an unforgettable moment for us all.

One of the main benefits of photographing the owls on their terms, without disturbing and altering their behaviour, is that the they are relaxed and behave naturally. With slow and quiet movements, we could change our positions to work with the light and different perspectives. That gave us opportunities to be creative with our images and develop a more diverse portfolio to bring home.

Our last tour concluded in the second week of July. The owlets were starting to replace their fluffy down with feathers, signaling the end of the season. Both adult owls were hunting, and the chicks were becoming more active. Many could already fly long distances, and it was amazing to watch the young Great greys chase each other, compete for food, and practice flying. On the final outings of the last tour, we were lucky to see and photograph countless feedings at a close distance. It was the perfect conclusion to some fantastic weeks, thanks to both the owls and five wonderful groups of photographers!

If you want to experience and photograph the owls of the boreal forest yourself, check out our tour: Owls – The silent hunters, following the link below.

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