Can you spot the hidden owls in this photo?
Two wise owls show they’re no bird brains when it comes to camouflage — as they were caught hiding in plain sight on a dry stone wall.
Wildlife photographer Villager Jim snapped the pair when he saw them using an old wall and barn as the perfect cover, SWNS reported.
The clever birds are shown blending effortlessly into their surroundings: Their gray and brown plumage perfectly matched the stonework.
The photographer challenged people to find the small birds in a game he calls “Hunt the Little Owl.”
He recently captured the “undercover” owls during a walk around the village of Foolow in the Peak District, in England.
The photographer — who’s been capturing animals with his camera for 14 years, said the birds are creatures of habits and often return to previous perch points, as SWNS reported.
He said, “It’s since I’ve been naming them all that it kind of got people to really identify with finding them.”
He added, “They’re hard to spot. I have a journey that I do. It’s been built up around making a route around where certain birds nest. I’m guaranteed or nearly guaranteed to see them every day. “
He also said, “I take the route daily, 365 [days a year], even Christmas day. It’s the best job in the world — I love it.”
He told SWNS that he learns where the birds live or where they like to perch — “they like to stick to particular perches.”
He said of the birds, “Their official name is Little Owl. They’re diurnal: They hunt in the day and night. You can see them in the day. Their main diet is worms, once you know where they are you keep looking around for a round hump.
He also said, “They’re doing really well, the little owls — they’re growing in population.”
He said that recently the area experienced a tornado, which “brought down” trees — but “thankfully it missed this barn.”
Said the photographer, “I’ve been running this as a business for 14 years … I used to run a software company and sadly became ill with a diabetic illness — and suddenly thought I want to do what I love,” he told SNWS.
“I got instantly addicted,” he also said. “Moving into my house … there was a rabbit here and I just picked up my camera.”
He also notes on his website, “Photography is a way of life to me. I’m out in all [types of] weather … wind, rain, fog, snow from dawn to dusk, chasing that one breathtaking shot that never fails to astound, delight and mesmerize me.”
He said on his site as well, “I’m fishing for a catch rather than going on a fixed mission.”
He also shared, “My lens lifts people’s hearts and souls. I’m so lucky to be in the right place, at the right time.”
