Photographing a Capercaillie - an experience you will never forget!
Join us for an extraordinary encounter with one of the most remarkable bird spectacles in the world, the Capercaillie lek.
Photography of Capercaillie at our location is a unique experience as it allows the photographers to approach the subjects from all angles and get superb up-close photos.
PROFI
For Photographers- 120 minutes of photography
- 5.200 m2 of natural terrain
- Unlimited photography options
MAXI
For Visitors- 45 minutes of guided tour
- Minimum 5 people
- Cellphone photography allowed
Accommodation with all meals included
Possibility of accommodation in the immediate vicinity. Meals of your choice are also available.
Accommodation price: 60,00€ per person per night.
Accommodation price: €100.00 per room (double bed - two people per night)
Breakfast price: 20,00€
Lunch price: 35,00€
Dinner price: 30,00€
All drinks, coffees and teas are paid extra.
Wildlife photography - Capercaillie
The spacious aviary offers unlimited photographic opportunities. The photographer can move around freely and choose from which angle to photograph these mysterious and timid birds.
When approached slowly and calmly, they often come into an open space where there is enough light and good photography conditions.
If desired, branches of hazelnuts, pine trees, and fruits of various kinds can be placed to allow birds to reach a more convenient location for photography.
The Capercaillie photography season lasts from September 1. until March 15 next year.
Entrance is free for assistants, partners and children who help the photographers, but who do not take photos.
Location: The village of Prezid (5 km) is located near the Slovenian-Croatian border.
Access: from Rijeka (80 km), Ljubljana (85 km), Trieste (110 km), and Zagreb (160 km).
When arriving for photo sessions, the guest is obliged to follow the instructions of the guide. We especially emphasise that during wildlife photography, smoking, noise, and harassment of Capercaillie are strictly prohibited. Before arriving at the location where photography takes place, you will meet with a guide who will lead you to the aviary.
We are the only photo tour on Capercaillie in Croatia.
Find all the information on this exceptional bird species.
The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is a strictly protected species of mountain bird from the Ice Age. It has been strictly protected in the Republic of Croatia since 2005 and is listed in the Red Bird Book of Croatia. Out of 177 registered lekking sites in the Republic of Croatia, only ten are still active today.
The wedding singing starts in the middle of March and lasts until June, when the chicks start to hatch. The grouse stays with the chicks until September, when the males separate from the females.
The male capercaillie can weigh up to 5 kg and is clumsy in flight. The female weighs up to 2.5 kg and is black-brown in colour. They feed on conifers, hazel, beech, ants, blueberries, raspberries, and a variety of seeds. They have a lifespan of up to 15 years.
Central European International Centre for the Growing of Capercaillie
In the broad forests of the western Dinarides, there are still individual habitats of Capercaillie. In the forest of fir, beech, and spruce forests, the Capercaillie aviary was set up in Gorski Kotor, Croatia, to support the efforts of a captive breeding programme.
It was built in 2019, measuring 72 x 72m in height and varying in height from 5 to 8m. It lies on the south side of the forest slope, so much of the day is full of light. An asphalt forest road leads to an aviary.
The great aviary of the Capercaillie preserves it from the predator. Within the aviary is the indigenous natural environment of Capercaillie. In the middle is a shelter for the birds. There are 5 to 10 males and females of Capercaillie in the aviary. Their nutrition and health status are constantly monitored by experts from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb.
This aviary is the only Central European education centre for Capercaillie in this part of Europe.
Places of Interest Nearby:
Risnjak National Park, Island of Krk, Notranjska Regional Park (Lake Cerknica, Križna jama Cave), Snežnik, Postal Cave, Kočevsko, Kupa River.