Diary from Finland.
We live in a Camp called Kuikki Camp after the name of the nearby lake. The conditions and service is like a youth hostel. The photo hides are 50 km away from the camp, and we are driven by car to the hides. From the road there are about 200 meters to the hide. We leave from camp at five o'clock in the afternoon just after dinner. The best hide is in no man's land near the Russian border. Other places are near a lake and in the middle of the forest.
At eleven p.m. The sun sets and it rises again at two in the morning. We are south of the polar circle. When the sun sets the temperature drops to one or two degrees plus. You have to creep into the sleeping bag in order to keep warm. I soon discovered that it was smart to sleep a couple of hours after sunset. There is light all night, but the light changes an it makes it more difficult to take pictures.
We had an appointment to be picked up at seven or eight in the morning on the road where we were delivered.
First night. “No man's land”
I hid together with a german in a photo in “No man's land”. It was raining very much in the beginning of the night. We saw both wolves and bears. My pictures of wolves were só bad, that I had to discard them. It was foggy and overshaded and the light was not good.
Second night. The great feast.
I was again in “No man's land” this time alone. When I arrived a feast was going on among a big crowd of ravens. They were eating and made a hell of a noise. I could not see what it was they were eating because it was lying behind a tree. Around in respectful distance were smaller birds as crows and gulls. They could only watch. The raven is a big and powerful bird.
Suddenly two golden eagles landed and started eating. The ravens retracted a bit, but they did not leave.
Later on a bear arrived. The golden eagles flew away, but the ravens left for the nearest tree top. The bear pulled a big lump, and now I could see the bloody meat they were eating. The bear ran away with its lump, and the birds returned. This scene was repeated two times more. The last bear stayed on the spot and ate as much as he could.
Late in the night two wolves arrived. One of hem took the spine with some ribs on and ran away. It carried it away to an open space where he and the other wolf finished it. I took some good wolf pictures.
This performance went on till sunset at eleven o'clock. Nothing interesting happened the rest of the night. Later on I learned that a dead pig was placed there during the previous day. It was done by the people of the camp.
Third night. At the lake.
I was again alone. I saw six bears during the night. They were passing on the other side of the lake.
The weather was oveshaded with showers. I could not see the sunset, but others told me it was fantastic to see the sun setting behind the lake.
Fourth night. In the forest.
I was alone in the hut, and there was plenty of room. The weather was good, but the sun was setting behind the trees, só the light was scarce. For a very long time I was sitting staring into nowhere. I had prepared myself in the event that this time there would be nothing to see. Finally, at 4:45 a.m. In the morning a wolverine came hopping. I took some real good pictures. This was all I saw apart from a couple of Gulls an a Blue Tit.