Tawny owl - perfect camouflage

[Ivan Sjogren]

Not sure if this one will go well here but I thought I'd share it anyway as it was a memorable encounter from this weekend.
This is a recident Tawny Owl that has been returning each winter and some days sits in this hole during the daytime. I was lucky enough to make a visit during one of those days. I had to spend almost an hour looking for it though as that camouflage made it quick tricky to find when you didn't know which tree to look for. I went for a tight portrait here because I thought the bird filled the space in the trunk so beautifully and highlight that beautifully replicated pattern. Included some green moss to add interest but also because it would have had to be a very tight frame to exclude it.

All comments welcome!

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | Canon 500mm f/4.0 L IS USM II | ISO 640 | 1/200s | f/8.0

[Randy Stout]

Ivan:

Love the color/camouflage effect, no wonder he was hard to find. I like the bit of moss to give a bit of variety without detracting from the star. I like the slight diagonal of the bird in the frame. Nice details and exposure.

Cheers

Randy

[Jonathan Ashton]

It goes down well with me Ivan! The owl is shown well and I like the composition. The two visible claws add that little something also.

[John Mack]

Neat frame. Like the oval shape the tree opening makes. Suits the owl very well. Nice to see how well the owl blends in.

[Mike Poole]

My kind of shot Ivan, I love some environment in frames as tis works perfectly for me, top work

Mike

[gail bisson]

This is beautiful Ivan. Love the green moss for color.
Would love to see this species some day.

[Alex Becker]

So, so nice. I love the greenery at the top. The tree as both an element in the frame and BG works really well. Bird looks great with just enough of the eyes to make it work. Visible claws are great. This is a rockstar frame. TFS, wish it was mine.

[Aditya Sridhar]

Excellent, Ivan! The moss adds a lot of interest and pop to the frame. The view of the talons is an awesome detail. No nits from me, really. Just pure envy

[Anthony Barsotti]

Oh man this is such a cool shot! I love that the bird is squinting, gives it that classic "tree with eyes" quality. Excellent find, I can see why it would have been a tricky find, thanks for sharing!

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Ivan, no reason why you cant post these type of images - excellent show of camouflage, and shows the Owl in his natural enviroment. Well spotted.