Eagle Owl and Goshawk
Eagle Owl and Goshawk hides from 330 € / session
Photography experience to remember
Rent our Forest feeder hideBook our Forest feeder hide
330 € / session / person
550 € / 2 sessions = 1 person for 2 sessions or 2 persons for 1 session in the same hide
660 € / 3 sessions = 1 person for 3 sessions or 3 persons for 1 session in the same hide
Prices include use of heated hide, guidance at the location and how to use the heater. We will also provide information and photography tips for Eagle Owl and Goshawk hides after booking. Prices do not include transportation.
Book our forest feeder hide from our web shop or from our office via email at info(@)finnature.fi or via phone at +358 45 129 4264. Full payment of the hide is required at the time of booking. Remember also our new 10 ticket hide package!
From the meeting point at Liminka Bay Visitor Centre, you will follow our guide a short drive right next to our hides. The overnight photography session starts two hours before sunset and ends at midday next day – Goshawk visits the feeder by day and Eagle Owl by night. The overnight hide session starting in late afternoon and ending at noon the next day is perfect to capture both highlight species! It is allowed to leave the hide after sunrise as long as the Eagle Owl or the Goshawk are not at the feeder.
This hide is well worth a visit! We also recommend to combine this hide to our nearby Ruff hides in spring. Have a look at images of the hides and taken from these hides at our Flickr gallery for forest feeder hides.
Forest feeder hides – accessible almost all year round
Our forest feeder hides are located in a small open field in the middle of a forest near the internationally important wetland Liminka Bay, just south of Oulu. We have been feeding birds here for over 10 years already and the highlights of this site are Eagle Owl and Goshawk.
Eagle Owl visits the feeder throughout our feeding season from mid-August until to mid-June. In winter and during dark hours of the night, photography is possible with our artificial LED light system at the feeder. In spring and in autumn there are also excellent chances to photograph the Eagle Owl in natural light! In autumn the territorial pair usually brings their chicks to the feeder as well so it is possible to capture the whole family in the images.
Goshawk has been a regular visitor at our forest feeder since the beginning. While we start the feeder every year in August after summer break and Eagle Owl starts to visit usually right away, the season for Goshawk is a bit shorter. Goshawk usually starts visiting the feeder in October-November. The best activity for Goshawk is in mid-winter in December-February. After that Goshawks usually lessen their visits gradually and come more and more sparsely as the spring advances. Most often Goshawk arrives to the feeder early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Other forest birds visiting the feeder include Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Jay, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Crested Tit, Willow Tit, Yellowhammer and Bullfinch among others. Red Squirrel is a regular visitor as well and occasionally we have visits from Nutcracker, Roe Deer or Brown Hare.
Our comfortable forest feeder hides are one of a kind
In 2019, we built new comfortable photography hides at our forest feeder and converted two camping caravans to photography hides. Our spacious caravan hides have all the comforts you could need during a hide stay and more: heating system, beds with sleeping bags and pillows, and dry toilets and urinals. Photography takes place from comfy office chairs. The hides are perfect for an overnight stay to capture the Eagle Owl and Goshawk.
There are spaces for altogether seven photographers in the hides:
Hide 1 seats comfortably 3 persons. There are 2 + 2 + 1 shooting openings and 2 beds in this hide.
Hide 2 seats comfortably 4 persons. There are 2 + 3 + 2 shooting openings and 3 beds in this hide.
Camera head can be attached to a metal ground pod with a standard 3/8” screw. No tripod is needed but bring your own camera head. Camera lens is put through the canvas shooting opening and it is possible to see outside easily from the caravan windows.
We have set up a naturally decorated feeding platform for Eagle Owl and Goshawk in front of the hides, with feeders for smaller forest birds around. Eagle Owl visits the feeder by night and Goshawk by day. The feeding platform is 1,5 meters high so comfortably at eye level from the photographers. We have also placed natural perches for birds. The setup is unique!
We have set up trail cameras to the feeder so we can follow how often Eagle Owl and Goshawk visit.
Eagle Owl photography with artificial lights or in natural light
During winter, Eagle Owl visits our feeder mainly during the nights. We have built a special artificial LED light system by the feeder platform so it is possible to photograph the Eagle Owl during dark without using flash photography. We have motion detectors at the feeder and a quiet buzzer alarm in the hides to notify the photographers of any movement at the bait.
Especially in spring and in autumn, Eagle Owls arrive to our feeder during daytime, at dusk or at dawn. Best time to capture the Eagle Owl in natural light is in spring in May-June and in autumn in August-November. These images will surely stand from the crowd!
Recommended equipment for Forest feeder hides
The distance from the hides to the feeding platform is only 15 meters. Background forest is nicely far away in the back so that the photo target will pop out beautifully in the images. Hides are facing west so the sunset brings a beautiful backlighting to this site in spring.
Lenses from 300 to 500 mm are good to fit the Eagle Owl in frame. 600 mm is good for portraits but if the Eagle Owl spread its wings, they will be cut from the image. Lenses from 300 to 800 mm are good for Goshawk. Converters might be usable as well. Also notice that wider aperture is better for nighttime photography with LED lights – you will be able to use faster shutter speed and lower ISO with wider aperture.
Please notice that Eagle Owl and Goshawk have superb vision – this means it is not allowed to change lenses during the photo session.
It is usually cold or chilly when entering the hides but they will warm up quite quickly after the heating has been turned on. It is advisable to have warm clothes for the beginning of the session. Take also your own thermos with hot drinks and snacks with you for the hide stay – the hides are not equipped with kettles for boiling water.
