Wildlife Photography in Northern Sweden Conny Lundström WildShots Sweden Eagle Hides

Hello! Stick around to the end of the video if you want to find out how I took these photos and information about the photography hides. This footage was filmed in northern Sweden whilst visiting Connie Lundström's photography hides. The hides are renowned for photographing golden eagle in snow but there are many other species that can be photographed. I travelled from London to Skellefteå airport. The journey consisted of two flights with a layover at Stockholm airport. When I arrived at Skellefteå I was greeted by Connie and another wildlife photographer who was visiting the hides. The drive to the Wildshot Sweden house took one hour. We settled into our rooms when we arrived and then we discussed who would sit in each hide. There were four photography guests including myself and we discussed that we'd have two people in each hide. The following morning we woke up two hours before sunrise. Breakfast consisted of yoghurt, fruit, toast and hot drinks and we made sandwiches for lunch. The drive to the hides is about 15 minutes followed by a 10 minute walk to the hides. It was minus 15 to minus 20 celsius in the mornings. So thermals were essential. We set up in the hide with the heater on and the lenses out of the photo holes and we waited for sunrise. There are two photography hides. Each hide has a table with perches for small birds. The old hide is designed for four photographers. Each photographer has two photo holes. One photo hole that is directed towards the mire which is great for fox and golden eagles in the distance and the other photo hole is for the table which is good for the small birds, the squirrels and close-ups of golden eagles and goshawk. The hide is heated by a log burner and if you're sitting next to it, it gets very warm. It is also perfect for toasties. There is a bucket toilet which is a bit of a surprise when you first see it but it is very functional. It has a seat and the temperature freezes whatever is inside it so you don't need to worry about it getting smelly. Hide two is a newer build. It is well insulated and has a gas heater and holy moly does it get warm. You can easily sit in a t-shirt and take your boots off. This hide is also designed for four photographers. Each photographer has two photo holes. One onto the mire and one onto another bird table. The bird table is positioned at a different angle to the other photography hide which means it is good for different light for small birds. This hide is not as good for squirrels because it is a bit further from the forest but I found that it was much better for photographing foxes. Both hides have their benefits so when visiting I recommend both. In regards to equipment, I was shooting on my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Canon 100-400mm lens. I was kindly lent a second camera which was the Canon 1D Mark IV and I used the 70-200mm lens as well as the 400mm f5.6. I also used a teleconverter which was the 1.4 and that was good for eagles and foxes. I highly recommend that you have two cameras. You have two photo holes so if you only have one camera facing one direction you might miss some action at the other. Because the golden eagles are so shy and nervous you can't take the lens out. You have to have the lens out of the photo hole and you can't move the camera. By early afternoon it was already too dark for photography. It was important that we arrived an hour before sunrise and left an hour after sunset because the eagles are so skittish. If they saw us during the day they might not return the following day and it's just better they don't see us during daylight. When we got back to the house we would download photos and review them and dinner would consist of a cooked meal, a salad and more coffee. I loved Sweden so much that I returned twice. I would highly recommend these hides. Four days will give you a good chance of seeing a golden eagle but there are so many other species that will keep you entertained including the great spotted woodpecker, the black woodpecker, common redpole, bullfinch, jay, foxes and even the goshawk and of course squirrels. The house is also very warm and comfortable and you can even photograph the starry night sky and the northern lights from the house which is pretty cool. I took the overnight train to Stockholm as it was cheaper and then took a flight to London. For more information about the hides and Conny you can check out his website which is connylundstrom.com Thanks for watching! Squirrels!