From May 2009 watch the bears in the Wild Taiga forests of Eastern Finland.

From early May BearCam will feed live pictures from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the time when the bears are at their most active. The Midnight Sun that the region enjoys will make filming possible during summer and then as Autumn approaches the camera will be equipped with infrared.

The camera will be located in Eastern Finland very close to the Russian border in the ever green Wild Taiga forest. As well as bears, which are often seen in this area, there is also a possibility that the cameras will capture much rarer mammals:  wolves and wolverines which have now disappeared from much of Europe.

It is also possible to visit the area to view bears and if you are lucky wolverines and wolves in person.

In April they are already experiencing ling days with sunrise at 04.40 and sunset at 21.00.  The first bears start to appear at the end of March, when the snow cover can be one metre deep. At night the temperature can still drop below zero. Weather conditions can change rapidly from snow showers to bright sunshine. There can be  plenty of snow until the end of April, and the pond is often frozen until May. Wolverine become active during April.

As the summer arrives the days get longer and longer with nearly all of June and July remaining light 24 hours a day. This makes for ideal bear watching conditions. Flying squirrel pictured above.

Wild Brown bear offer two types of hide. The larger hides take up to 8 people and there is a guide on hand to offer information (one is pictured above). Then there are the smaller photography hides, for 1 to 3 people, which are slightly closer but without a guide (a floating photography hide pictured below). Once in the hides from early evening you cannot return to the centre until escorted the following morning. The hides do have bunks in them and snacks are provided. The hides are in various forest, swamp and lakeside locations.

Bears are extremely shy, absolute silence in the hides is required. The bears are used to the sounds of cameras. There are usually several different bears in the area. In 2008 as many as 9 bears were seen simultaneously. Altogether 25 different bears were seen during the season. There is a 98% probability of seeing a bear.

For those wishing for a longer stay in the area the Wild Brown Bear centre has accommodation and a restaurant.

For further details on bear watching in Finland and prices click here.

Watch this space for the link to the BearCam!