Owls the silent hunters of the night, Norway July 2025
– Owe Johansson, Stockholm
Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa). Even the Latin name evokes something special—and indeed, the great grey owl is truly remarkable. Large and charismatic, with piercing yellow eyes and an intense gaze, it is one of the world’s largest owls. A species I had long hoped to photograph, but until now without success. Would that finally change?
The group of four eager photographers, together with guide Jonas Janns Haugli, gathered a couple of hours’ drive north of Oslo. The exact location cannot be revealed, but it proved to be carefully chosen. This requires thorough preparation, as the owls do not necessarily return to the same location year after year. Food availability is the deciding factor, and this year the plan had to be adjusted.
Do you want to photograph owls?
Finally, it was time for the first excursion. It doesn’t take long before we hear the young owlets’ begging calls in the distance. We quickly locate the trees where the chicks are sitting, waiting for food. With all senses alert and cameras ready, we wait for the male to arrive with prey.
What made everything easier was Jonas Janns Haugli’s unfailing ability to indicate where he was most likely to appear. The epithet “silent hunter of the night” fits perfectly. You have to stay fully alert and react quickly, because when he finally arrives with a rodent in his beak, it happens fast and in complete silence.
Photographing “incoming” owls is demanding, but extremely rewarding. The moment is often over in the blink of an eye!
At the time of our trip, the chicks had grown so large that they had left the nest and were moving—on increasingly confident wings—around the area near their original nesting site. This meant that each outing required preparatory work to locate them. Here, our second guide, Floris Smeets, played an important role, carrying out the necessary reconnaissance in the background.
We had the privilege of following several great grey owl families that were surprisingly comfortable with our presence. This allowed us to observe and photograph them at close range. On a few occasions, we were fortunate enough to encounter a male out hunting. Since this often happens in short bursts of activity, we were able to follow at a distance, which offered a different kind of photographic opportunity. Here, creativity could be expressed in another way compared to standing still and waiting for a parent owl to arrive with food.
The knowledge and experience of Jonas Janns Haugli and Floris Smeets ensured excellent results, and out of a total of nine photo sessions, we saw great grey owls on eight of them. Since the species is nocturnal, this meant late nights and very early mornings—but it was unquestionably worth it. The great grey owls were, of course, the main attraction, but encounters with moose, roe deer, hares, and a variety of birds further enriched the nature experience. For anyone fascinated by owls, this is a golden opportunity to meet this mythical creature.
All photos ©Owe Johansson
