Nature photographer Alan Murphy has arguably managed to capture the best photos of a Grey Owl we have ever seen.
The photos taken perfectly demonstrate how inconspicuous and cunning natures best predators can be.
“While searching the forests of British Columbia for birds to photograph, I came across this guy. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. See if you can see the Great Gray Owl. Nature is amazing!!” wrote Alan Murphy Photography in a Facebook post. The image shows a great Grey owl almost perfectly blending into its forest background. A second side-by-side comparison shows another image of the owl looking towards the camera, giving away its position for those of you who can’t find it.
“The Great Gray Owl is the worlds largest owl, not by weight but by length,” Murphy said. But unlike smaller birds who use their camouflage to hide from predators, this Owl certainly does the opposite. The Grey Owls complex and deceptive camouflage allows it to sneak up on potential prey, and attack before the unsuspecting animal realises the Owl is even there.
“The way they hunt is that they find perches and they stand quietly in one spot. They have really good eyesight, but that doesn’t necessarily do the entire trick in order to catch their prey,” explained avian biologist William Blake. “They have evolved to be extremely well camouflaged in order to have a better time foraging on mammals.”
“Once they see one, the goal is for them to approach them in a very silent manner and their camouflage helps them to not be seen by the prey they’re about to pounce on,” said Blake.
