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Nazwa
Booking form
Level of fitness required
low
- low temperatures during photo sessions (sleeping bags for the hides will be available on site)
- walking distance to the hide is approximately 100-500 meters.
- overnight stays in small, single-person hides (capercaillie).
- very early departures to the hides
Possible inconveniences
Capercaillie and Black Grouse, Finland
Tour details
This trip offers two very attractive topics in one tour:
Black Grouse
These birds engage in spectacular courtship displays. The males (cocks) arrive at the lekking grounds before dawn and announce their presence with characteristic calls. As soon as daylight breaks, courtship songs and fights between the males begin, lasting several hours, after which the lekking grounds quiet down. The fights are often observed by hens, which gather on the edges of the arena. We will photograph the birds from professionally prepared, one- to three-person hides, which we must enter about 1.5 hours before sunrise. Lekking usually ends at 8 a.m., after which a guide will arrive and pick us up. The session in the hide lasts 3-5 hours.
Capercaillie
Capercaillie lekking grounds are usually located in sparse forests. Usually, only single cocks engage in the lekking, so fights are less frequent here than in the case of Black Grouse. These birds arrive at the lekking grounds in the evening, so we'll arrive at the hide in the late afternoon and spend the entire night there. Each photographer will have the entire box-style hide to themselves. We'll stay in the hides until morning, leaving around 8:00 AM. Capercaillies are a challenging subject, as their primary activity often takes place in low light conditions.
Alternative afternoon subjects (depending on conditions and weather) include: whooper swans, cranes, and birds at feeders. A photo session in the hide for bears and wolverines may also be possible.
Photographs in the gallery taken by Marek Kosiński, during 2022 and 2023 trips
sunrise: 4.30 AM; sunset: 7:40 PM
Day 1
flight to Kuusamo (or other), accommodation, dinner
Day 2
Black Grouse hide session
breakfast
break
dinner, packed lunch for the afternoon
departure to Capercaillie hide
Day 3
back from the Capercaillie hide
breakfast
break
dinner, packed lunch for the afternoon
departure to Capercaillie hide
Day 4
back from the Capercaillie hide
breakfast
break
dinner, packed lunch for the afternoon
afternoon hide session (other subjects)
Day 5
Black Grouse hide session
breakfast
break
dinner, packed lunch for the afternoon
afternoon hide session (other subjects)
Day 6
breakfast, check-out, transfer to the airport in Kuusamo, flights
2500 Euro (deposit: 750 Euro)
payment:
- deposit - when booking the tour
- balance - 30 days before departure
Price
Program
- accommodation in single rooms with shared bathrooms
- full board
- guiding
- hide usage
- transfers to and from the hides
- transfers to and from Kuusamo airport,
- basic travel insurance
Included in the price
- flights
- transfer to/from Oulu airport if needed (100 Euro per person per transfer) or other airports than Kuusamo
- alcoholic drinks
Not included in the price
4-9 May 2026
Available dates
Finland
Location
capercaillie and black grouse at lek, brown bear on snow
Main subject
min 6, max 7
Number of participants
Tour leader
Marek Kosiński or Marian Batura
comfortable, cosy, wooden house for the exclusive use of the group, in the heart of the taiga, single rooms, shared bathrooms
Accommodation
restaurant on site
Meals
-
200-600mm lens
-
tripod head only
-
warm winter clothing, including hat and gloves
-
chemical hand and foot warmers
-
warm winter boots
-
headtorch
-
possibly a pee-bottle
Recommended equipment
flight from/to Kuusamo, we provide local transport on site
Transportation
