Posted by This is the incredible moment when a photographer who was hunting for a great grey owl came across one that was perfectly camouflaged and blended into the bark of the tree.
45-year-old, Canada-based amateur photographer James S. Batuigas came upon the owl after traveling five hours to his favorite spot for wildlife photography in a British Columbia forest.
“I was planning to look for the great grey owl that day,” Batuigas tells the Daily Mail. “I was driving on a forest road searching for the great grey owls, scanning every tree hoping to find one during noontime, where they’re usually resting.
“Then suddenly in the corner of my eye I noticed something moving in the tree trunk, that’s when I realized it was the owl cunningly blended with the bark of the tree.”
The photographer claims that if the owl hadn’t turned its head to look at him, he would not have noticed it since its color and pattern blended in so perfectly with the tree it was perched on.
The great grey owl (Strix nebulosa), which may grow to a length of 33 inches, is the biggest owl species in the world (84cm).
The Owl Research Institute states that an owl’s feathers’ hues “help it fit in with the natural environment and, of course, keep it warm.”