This was a test. 4 days inland to try and get some Ptarmigans in winter plumage. Not easy!! At Flatanger we had like a spring but after 4 hours driving we thought we where lost in artic Norway!!

Some places 4 meters of snow but mostly 2 meters deep snow. What could we see and photograph?

My guests Tom, Vidar and Bent became afraid that this was a big mistake. They had a flight from Oslo and than 5 hours drive to see nothing than snow. But it was not that bad.

We had a wonderful stay close in the most spectacular plase you can dreem about. Great snow covered mountains, deep white snow, lots of Ptarmigans and landscaps but also beautiful sesions with the white Stoat.

It’s not easy to walk in this snow:-) Bent had a fall and in the pictures you can see who are friends and not.

Vidar had a good laughter when Bent nearly broken his foot. But than you see who are a friends and who’s not. Tom droped his camera to help Bent while Vider continued shooting Ptarmigans.

Sunday morning we had a meeting with the Eider Ducks before i drow my guests back to the airport.

Thank you Tom, Vidar and Bent. This was a great weekend and so much fun and great stories. Still smiling. This is a trip i will do in the future and if someone would like to meet the Ptarmigans in winter plumage, get in touch.

Back home i had to feed “my” Otter. She was hungry. I must make a swimming pool for here!! Ole

Some times i have to go to the nearest town Namsos. Dentist is expencive and not fun at all. When you still have your own teeth you realy have to go there!! I have a few. This morning I was busy, but my Nikon was in the car.

Beautiful day, and in a frozen fjord only about 20km from Lauvsnes I saw something on the ice, OTTER!! Shit, i am not dressed for be a wildlifephotographer this morning so I took a few shots from the car. DOTT on the ice. Have to get a litle bit closer. Shoes in the deep snow and than try to get as low as a man in my age can be.

Some cars passing and I can feel the eyes from people thinking ,”this must be a Bearde Seal”. But i am focused. Otter is coming closer, he mybe think I am a Seal!!

But when he is 3 meters away from me he can see and smell that this clumsy, funny body on the ice is not funny at all. Otter drops the Plaice and he is gone.

Just a great start!! Wet, frozen but now i am ready for the dentist.Yahaaa!!! 🙂

PS! The last picture is from an Otter I have in the barn!! He moved in about two months ago. Dont know why but i must try to be his friend. I give him fish every day. He have meet a person who would love to be a friend!! So lucky to live here!!! Ole

Easter is is getting closer. Eagleman and his family normaly have a week of that time of the year. Time for the family to find nice plases for cross country and other good fun.

So our guesthouse is available from 31.March to 9.April. This is a realy nice house. 4 bedrooms 2 single and two double roos.
Free wireless broad band. House is close by the sea.

If you looking for something different you can rent this house in easter.

And if you want to meet the eagles mybe I can take you out one day. It’s also a nice hide in the forrest where you can sit watching Sguirrels, Crested Tit , Bullfinch mybe Goshawk and much more.

Just get in touch by [email protected] – We will help you out if you would like a different easter holiday.

Ole

Thomas Krumenacker, a German journalist and wildlife photographer visited Flatanger for the first time in the end of January. Here is what he says:

Having heard much about the photographic opportunities in Ole’s hides in Flatanger, I contacted the “Eagle man” on rather short notice in December to arrange a 3-days-stay for the winter. Usually being booked a year ahead, Ole found a time-slot for me from January 29 to 31. “What can you expect in three days”, I was thinking. But as I had not more time due to job-obligations, I took the risk and headed from Berlin to Trondheim, continuing by train to Steinjker and being picked up by Ole there.

I was hoping for a decent picture or two of Golden Eagle. Far from it: In three days I got more excellent pictures of this superb species than I managed in many weeks of searching in other strongholds of the species in the German and French Alps. The Eagle Hide arranged just perfectly by Ole and at least one, sometimes two adult Eagles visited the site up to three times per day feeding on red fox or Willow Ptarmigan we offered to them.

Having travelled a lot and arranging hides for workshops myself, I have to say that Ole’s level of professionalism is unmatched by anything I saw so far. The feeding site is located in a wonderful remote and natural habitat enabling many different settings for photography. The bait consisted of prey the Eagles feed on naturally, Ptarmigan, Fox, Grouse etc. The hide is extremely spacious, comfortable and cosy. The arrangement of the bait allowed for photography with focal length’s from 500 millimeters down to 70 millimeter!

A boat trip of several hours on the beautiful and wild Sorfjorden was cold but extremely productive. No less than 22 times White-tailed Eagles came to pick up fish Ole was throwing for them. Again, excellent opportunities for “Wide angle”-Photography with a focal length of 70 millimeters allowing us to portray the birds in their wild and unique Fjord-habitat. On my last evening Ole picked us up and we went to the mountains to witness the spectacular phenomenon of Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis. You cannot get more in three days.

After returning home I published a few photos from the trip on the wire of Reuters News Agency for which I am working and it took only a few hours until the first journals and magazines called me to ask for more information about where one could take such stunning pictures.

Those three days in the end of January were so productive that I decided to organize photographic workshops from Germany and France to Flatanger next year. We start next winter with a week targeting Golden Eagle, Dipper, White-tailed Eagle and others. In spring 2013 we will organize a workshop to shoot Capercaille, Black Grouse, White-tailed Eagle, Slavonian Grebe and others. A gallery with pictures from this trip can be found on my website: www.krumenacker.de. Soon there also more information on the workshops.

January and February is a very good time for me and the photographers. Had a group from Belgium last week and now I have a Swedish week.

It’s so much to do. Goshawk, Moose, Lynx, Wolfs, Golden Eagles, Aurora Borealis and today I went out with the boat with my guests. Sea Eagles where just crazy. Had to get back to the harbour for more fish after one hour. So Eagles from the boat is possible all year around.

I do Moose with my good friend in Overhalla, Jon Håvard Vold. Lynx and Wolfs is great in the wildlifepark in Namsskogan.

So have a look what’s going on.

It’s still a few places available for Capercaillie, Black Grouse in spring and also a few plases available for Eagles in summer.

All the best.

A year has come to an end. 2011 have been a good year for Norway Nature. I can survive because of nicest people you can imagine, naturphotographers from all over the world.

January
This year I hade my two first guests from US and it was a great meeting. I have had people from Artists for Nature ANF. Painting in the boat for the first time. Just great. But Photo is also ” painting with light” and new people having fun with “Arty farty”.
And all of you who have come all the way to Flatanger to see our wonderful nature. THANK YOU ALL!!!

February

Now early in Jan it’s back to “work” It’s hard to call it work, this is a passion. I love what I am doing. I am out in the nature every day during the year. I have the best guest in the world. I am the luckiest man in Flatanger:-) I have a wonderful family and i am in good health.

March

What more can you ask for. I wish all of you the best for 2012 and I know there will be lots of new meeting with new people and also lots of people who have been here before. Yes, i am ready to meet you all in 2012. Take care of the nature, take care of yourself.

April

May

June

July

August

September

Oktober

November

Desember

Ole

Dear photography friends, my name is Holger Wagner. I’m a passionate photographer from Germany. I started shooting DSLR in 2006 with my first Nikon camera. I fell in love so much, that I learned over the years everything I could learn about photography and post processing my images. Regarding my specialty I absolutely agree with Rick Sammon, a famous photographer, author and instructor by the way, that I’m not specialized. But when it comes down to it, I love landscape and wildlife. At the end of July this year I had the chance to photograph sea eagles with at least for me, the worlds most famous eagle man, Ole Martin Dahle. You can check out my images from this trip right here http://www.wagnerphotography.de/blog/?p=399 At the end of my stay I talked to Ole Martin, that I would love it, to offer a workshop in the winter season for ambitious and excited photographers. And now the time has come.

I’d like to invite you to join me on a wonderful 5 day photography workshop in the wilderness of a beautiful Norway. I’ll teach you everything I know in a practical way, when we shooting in a small group side by side. After the practical part we do the whole digital workflow in “Adobe’s Lightroom 3” in Ole’s beautiful guesthouse right at the sea. So at the end of this “once in a lifetime” adventure you’ll head back satisfied with great images and some good new friends. Due to a small group, it’s a kind of private workshop surrounded by beautiful landscape and wildlife. Hope to see you and check out my website and blog to get an idea about me. It would be nice to get some comments. I want to close with Ole’s words “go where the pros go”. Let’s do it!

All the best and always good light,
Holger Wagner

For workshop informations click here www.wagnerphotography.de/norwegen_en.html

As a old band singer it’s good to see that the young once is doing well. A local band from Flatanger called Bad Influence was into a competition Saturday night in the town called Steinkjer. Wenche and i try to go and see what we can when they have a kind of performance. For me it’s difficult during summer but this time i have time to support the local stars:-)

This band is called Bad Influence and in the band it’s Isak with his bass guitar, Tora who is the singer and the guitar player and Guri who is a singer as well + our son Vetle (drummer) who is Tora’s cousin. They make all their music themselves.

This autum they have been in different qualifications and saturday the 3. Desember they were in the final togetter with 5 other bands.

This was the final to be Nord-Trondelags best rock band. Very good bands all of them. We knew that over local boys and girls is a good band but we did not imagine that they would be the all over winners!! But they took rock and roll back to to land of the Sea eagles!!!

This was just a great moment for us. Good to see that young boys and girls take their hobby seriously. And it was a few proud families driving back to Flatanger.

Great fun and today it’s snowing!! Ole

My good freind Staffan Widstrand from Sweden came over to Flatanger for a few days.

As most of you know, I never shoot with my guests. (Mybe with the Musk Ox). I started to feed the Goshawk about 3 weeks ago and the first guests this winter/autum have been doing realy great, all of them. There is a adult Goshawk and she is so much different/better from last winter. So when Staffan asked me to have a go with him I had to say yes:-) So Monday morning the 21th Nov we went down to the hide in the darkness.

Some warm strong cofe is needed, and Staffan is easy to spend some hours with. 0845 we saw the shadow, Goshawk landed on the bait. But it was the young one. Anyway a Goshawk is a Goshawk.

He did not start to eat, just looking at the Eurasian Jays, Sguirrels and tits. And than he started his own hunting and that was a show. For about one hour he tryed to get this fast Jays but with no luck.

But for Staffan and me this was great. The Goshawk was sitting all around and sometimes to close for me.. I was shooting with Nikon D700 and 200-400mm ISO 1600 all day and shutter not more than 100!! But when we could shoot for more than 5 hours there should be something sharp. We had to push him away because there where no one to bring us out, the guide was in the hide:-) But I was so happy!

Thank you for a great day Staffan and litle Gos! – Eagleman

Hallo all of you!

Summer and autum have been a realy great this year. Sea Eagles have had a very good year, a great nesting season and my best day we had 48 dives.Happy with that, and there have been lots of old and new gusets comming. It’s always nice to have old friends back but also to meet new people is great. I love you all:-) Even lots of nice girls. Dont tell my wife!!

I am already into the winter season and it looks realy good. Goshawk is back and she is a realy nice lady. Golden Eagles are back at the hide and Sea Eagles we still do by boat and they are just preforming well as always. Good friends out there.

November is so different, light is good and there is lots of species you never see in summer. Have seen leking Black Grouse now in Nov close to the sea, Great Skua have been around and that is not normal in summer, then I have my good friends the Artic Skua.

But this Nov. from 1.-9. I had my first guests from Amerika, Eric and Kevin. We had some very good days and they did well. This is why they have asked for more trips with me. US is maybe a big marked. So read what Eric and Kevin have done at this blogg. Also Eric have some nice pictures here.

So all the best for the winter and just get in touch if you need some new pictures and some fun in Flatanger. Ole M

I departed my house at 5:30 p.m. heading to Boston’s Logan airport for overnight flight to Iceland, with a connecting flight to Oslo, in southern Norway. I was meeting my friend Eric Grossman in Oslo and together we’d fly to Trondheim, where we would spend the night. This long first leg of our journey was my least favorite part of our trip. Ole, the perfect host, drove the 3 hours from his home in the village of Lauvsnes to meet us at the Trondheim airport. The 3 of us made the return journey north to his home. Eric and I were staying in the 4 bedroom guest house on his property. The house was perfect, set right on the water and had incredible views across to the marina where Ole kept his boat, and down the bay where we would sail the next morning. Eric and I had the immaculately clean house to ourselves and entertained ourselves by looking at the extensive collection of nature books in the reading room.

We were intrigued by the numerous framed prints on the walls of the white-tailed sea eagles, and wondered if we’d be lucky enough to see one in the following days. We soon found the next morning that we would not be disappointed. There are 20 nesting pairs of white-tailed eagles in the Flatanger area, and spending over 170 days a year on the water Ole knew where most, or all of them, were nesting. Anthropomorphizing a bit, Ole knew many on a first name basis. Eric and I found them to be challenging photographic subjects, but by the end of the first morning we both had incredible images of these magnificent birds. We both felt we had images that rivaled the framed prints hanging in Ole’s guest house. We had numerous close encounters with the eagles over the coming days.

But that was not all there was to experience in the woods and waters around Lauvses. Would we be interested in trying to see golden eagles and a northern goshawk Ole asked us. Our answer was a resounding yes. So we headed out the next morning before first light using headlamps to find our way in the woods as we hiked to several permanent blinds Ole had built in the woods. The blinds were comfortable and I quickly fell asleep as we waited for first light. My snoring must have been annoying to Eric, but fortunately didn’t seem to bother either the golden eagles or the northern goshawk. Not only were we fortunate enough to see both, but we spent several days photographing them from the warm and dry confines of Ole’s blinds.

The week with Ole went by far too quickly. Eric and I journeyed home with many fine images of white-tailed and golden eagles, northern goshawk, and many of the small European song birds found in the woods around his blind. Seeing and photographing both black grouse and a pygmy owl was an added bonus to our trip. We left making a new friend and were already planning a return visit.

Kevin

Kevin McCarthy

Ole, thanks for a great week of shooting. The guest house is fabulous and one really feels at home there and the ability to cook and relax makes for a most pleasant experience. On the subject of the wildlife, there is only word to summarize – “Extraordinary”. The blinds you have built and the knowledge of the area and animal life takes all the variables out of shooting but and puts it all on the camera operator to get the shoot as the animals seem to magically appear.

What can I say about seeing upwards of 10 pair of magnificent white tailed (sea) eagles. And then to have the opportunity to photograph them competing amongst other eagles for fish, watching them dive in for the fish and then almost on command, catch the fish and fly away – simply amazing. Then, to top it off, to see golden eagles and the goshawk on the same trip was the icing on the cake. And then if that wasn’t enough, to see pygmy owl, moose, black grouse and the other wide variety of bird species, made for an unbelievable week of shooting. Can’t wait to come back in the summer and when there is snow in the winter, looking forward to enjoying more of that great Norwegian hospitality. You are a great guide, a great host and now a new friend in Norway, once again, thanks for a great experience.

Eric Grossman