Black Grouse Lek

We have been running tours to Norway for many years now and are always on the lookout for new destinations to add to our trip programme. This can be one of the most challenging aspects for us as a company and we pride ourselves on being able to deliver these unique experiences. One of the most amazing sights and sounds of late spring is to be woken before dawn by the sound of a lekking black grouse. We are delighted to be able to offer this unique experience  photographing these wonderful birds.

The trip is a fantastic opportunity to experience and photograph at close quarters the dramatic poses, antics and displays of these amazing birds as they look to establish and undertake breeding rights for the season ahead. You will stay overnight in small, carefully prepared canvass hides ready for the birds’ early morning antics. This must be done to avoid any disturbance of these sensitive birds and will take a certain amount of endurance to do so. This trip really is fantastic experience and adventure.

Day 1: The group will fly out to Oslo Gardermoen Airport from our chosen destinations. We will then be greeted by our host and transferred to our accommodation which will be around a 3 hours’ drive. This accommodation will be our base for the duration of the trip. We will have dinner and will then do the short transfer for our first night into the black grouse hides and spend the first evening in the hides.

Day 2: We will all be in our chosen hides on this first morning photographing. Hide etiquette is so important throughout this trip and one mistake by us could cost the group the mornings photography but might do so for the rest of the trip. Once you are in the hides you cannot leave until one of the leaders comes to get you. After our first morning it will be a case of heading back to our accommodation for a well-earned breakfast and then spend the rest of the day relaxing or sleeping. An early dinner will be provided as we will then transfer to the black grouse hides to spend our second evening there. Food and drinks will be provided for the long nights, and the hides are made comfortable with a mattress and a sleeping bag which you can rent from the host if you don’t want to take one, a good sleeping bag is not cheap as you would need a winter tog rating and can pay over £300 for good one of these but you have it then as they last for years.

Day 3: So, after our first couple of nights/early mornings in the hides we will then relax and switch round again for our third night and morning. By this time, you will be in a good routine, and we can then take stock of what we have achieved so far. The days are important to rest and relax and maybe spend some time looking at what images we have achieved and see what we could do different.

Day 4: We will each spend four evenings/mornings in the black grouse hides. The small hides will be in slightly different positions so we can change round to give us a different perspective and so then varying our portfolios. This will be a tiring trip, but the effort is worth it because of the opportunities and images that will be afforded to us.

Day 5: After our last morning in the hides, we will have a breakfast and then transfer back to Oslo for our late afternoon flights home.