Utilise Unique Floating Hides to Photography Water Birds

8 days | 10th August 2024 – 17th August 2025

Slovenia is located in the heart of Europe and right at the crossroads where the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Karst Plateau and the Pannonian Plain meet. As a result, the country has a remarkable diversity of natural landscapes and some of the most varied nature in Europe. Although the country may be considered small with its 20,000 km2, it is home to a great variety of animals. In addition to large predators such as the brown bear, lynx, wolf and golden jackal, more than 380 bird species have been recorded. This trip takes you to the north-east of Slovenia, to the wetlands of the Drava River and lagoons near Lake Ormoz. Here we find an unprecedented number of common, rare and endangered water birds.

Do you want to capture water birds at the waterline and control the light and position of the sun? Then join Nature Talks who organise this photo tour with floating hides in the special and incredibly beautiful Slovenia.

Water birds in their natural environment

The young birds that were born this year are becoming more and more independent and are now going out to find food for themselves. In August, the shallow waters are overgrown with water plants, pumpkin leaves and flowering water lilies. In addition, there is plenty of food for the birds here. The nice thing is that the pumpkin leaves are used by the smaller birds as a resting place, as a lookout point to score a tasty snack or to move across the water with, which provides a lot of photographic opportunities. The lush vegetation also provides a fantastic foreground and background. The very special thing about this trip is that we create the opportunity to take photos from the most beautiful perspective: right above the waterline.

Total control of your location and the direction of the light

In order to be able to take pictures just above the water’s surface, we use floating hides. You mount your camera on the floating hide with your own tripod head and it is safely secured. You yourself stand in the water with waders, support yourself on the floating hut with your arms and steer it with your upper body. This way you can move slowly and invisibly through the water and very carefully approach the subjects you want to photograph. But to be clear, the floating hide is not a boat on which you can sit. The great thing is that you can use the floating hide to find places from where you’d like to take pictures and thus have the opportunity to choose the optimal composition and direction of light. Just some of the the birds that you can encounter on the water are: the lesser spotted crake and moorhen, woodcock, purple heron, egret, night heron, squacco heron, grey heron, kingfisher, pygmy cormorant, ferruginous duck and various species of grebe. Due to the natural environment and the unique position, they provide wonderful photo opportunities.

No experience? No problem!

Before you enter the water for the first time, you will receive extensive instructions and will be helped to be comfortable in the water for as long as you need. A neoprene wader will be provided. Although the water is not cold, we will stay in the water for 4 to 5 hours per session. We have a total of 6 full days in the floating hides.

Plenty of other photographic opportunities

In addition to photographing from floating hides, there are many other possibilities for taking photographs. For example, there are permanent photo hides in the woods. But it is also possible that a special bird is spotted somewhere and a hide is set up from which photographs can be taken. The local guides are masters in locating special birds such as pygmy owl, various types of woodpeckers, goldcrest, black tit, grey shrike, bee-eater, hoopoe, etc. The guides are available to you all day long and can be reached by telephone at all times.

Meet your photography guide

Marc Humphrey is a professional wildlife photographer from the UK. His passion for nature and photography led him to leave the corporate world in 2021 to pursue his dream career. As an experienced wildlife photographer, he leads photography trips and workshops, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow photographers and providing them with the expertise to get the most from their photography.

 

What do we offer you?

• Six full days in floating hides.
• Unique opportunity to photograph water birds such as the lesser spotted crake, woodcock, purple heron, night heron, squacco heron, various grebe species from a unique perspective: the waterline.
• Lots of young birds that are just starting to become independent.
• We mainly photograph during the beautiful light in the early morning and in the afternoon to evening.
• Guidance by a professional photographer and a number of local photo experts and guides.
• Inflatable floating hide and neoprene waders are provided.
• Overwhelming nature in the wetlands of northeastern Slovenia.
• Discussion of photo results so that you can continue with tips and new ideas.
• In addition to photographing from floating hides, there is also the possibility to take photos from permanent photo hides or to go in search of, for example, a kingfisher or pygmy owl with a ranger.
• Participant meeting prior to the trip.

Is this trip right for you?

• Spending a whole week for floating hide photography in an overwhelmingly beautiful natural habitat among wild birds is a dream of yours.
• You don’t mind spending a few hours in the water.
• You don’t have to be an experienced photographer. You will get plenty of opportunities to take your photography to the next level. In addition, our accompanying photographer and local experts are ready to provide support. It is useful to have some knowledge of the behavior of the birds you want to photograph.
• It is no problem if you have no experience with floating hide photography. We will support you on all fronts until you feel comfortable in your hide.
• For the advanced photographer, we guarantee that you will enjoy all the photography opportunities that this trip offers.
• You enjoy photographing in a group of like-minded people.
• The booking is based on a shared double room, but you can also book a single room for an additional fee.