I travelled to Estonia with one hope in mind — to photograph birds of prey.
I was hoping to see a goshawk, or perhaps a sparrowhawk. But this time, neither of them appeared.

Instead, I encountered a Common Buzzard, a bird I had never seen before.

Photographing in a hide in Estonia

The first day in the hide began in deep winter. The temperature had dropped to –24°C during the night and it was a cold, clear morning. Frost covered the trees and the surrounding landscape, turning everything into a quiet, pale world.

We were not alone in the hide. Besides us, there were three photographers from the UK and Phil, the owner of the place. If you are interested in Phil’s hide, you can find more information HERE .

Bird watching

There was a certain tension in the air. Everyone was watching and waiting. Then suddenly, a voice broke the silence: “Buzzard on the right.”

I tried to follow the direction, scanning the trees, but I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t even know what I was looking for.

Paul, an experienced bird photographer, noticed my struggle and handed me his binoculars. “There,” he said. And suddenly, I saw it. Hidden deep in a spruce tree, almost perfectly still, was a buzzard.

I remember feeling genuinely surprised, it was far more beautiful than I had imagined. Once I had seen it for the first time, I began to notice it more easily. Even when it sat motionless in the tree, it was there watching, waiting. Waiting for the right moment.

The buzzard, true to its name, hunts small mammals, most often mice. And that morning, it didn’t have to wait long. It found a mouse and caught it.

Tension in the Air

There were three buzzards in the area that day. The birds were constantly aware of each other, watching, reacting, adjusting their positions.

One of the buzzards would sit quietly, observing, almost motionless. And then, without warning, the calm would break. At times, one bird would suddenly launch into flight, driving another away. The other buzzard reacted instantly, lifting off and turning away before the encounter could escalate.

The chases were fast and decisive. They cut through the quiet landscape, disappearing as quickly as they began.

And then, once again, everything settled, as if nothing had happened.

Tip for photographing fast moving birds

Photographing fast moving birds requires being ready before anything happens. The moment unfolds quickly, and there is rarely time to think. So fast shutter speed is essential to freeze the movement. A steady setup helps to follow the action, but in the end, the most important element is patience.

Most of all, it requires patience. Long periods of stillness — waiting, watching — for a moment that may only last a fraction of a second.

In a Split Second

At one point, one of the buzzards descended to the ground. It moved cautiously at first, alert, scanning its surroundings. Then it took a few quick bites.

And in that very moment, everything changed. Another buzzard came in fast.

A sudden movement from above, wings wide, direct, determined. The second bird drove straight at it, forcing it to react instantly.

Snow scattered, wings cut through the air and the calm was gone once again.

As the day slowly came to an end, the forest returned to silence. The buzzards disappeared one by one, back into the trees where they had been watching all along.

What stayed with me was the sudden movements, the chases, and the encounters.

I arrived hoping to see a bird of prey.
I left with a deeper understanding of how much happens, if you are willing to wait.

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I hope you enjoyed spending this moment in the hide with me.
If you would like to see more stories from nature, you are warmly welcome to follow my blog.

Every story begins with light and shadow.