CAN you spot the owl hidden in this tree?
The owl appears to be playing a game of hide-and-seek as she peeks out of a hole in the hollowed out tree.
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The owl appears to be playing a game of hide-and-seek as she peeks out of a hole in the hollowed out treeCredit: Solent News
She is almost perfectly camouflaged (and nearly impossible to spot) as her ash-coloured feathers blend in with the bark of the dead birch.
But the bird of prey is given away by her bright yellow beak as she peers over the edge.
The female owl is actually nesting inside the tree, keeping her eggs warm, after making the the hole herself.
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Did you spot her?Credit: Solent News
The crafty owl created the hole so that she could be on the look-out and communicate with her male partner as he hunts for food.
Photographer Anthony Bucci studied and tracked the owls for months so that he could capture the breath-taking images, which were shot in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
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The owl peeps out from the treeCredit: Solent News
Anthony, from Abbotsford, British Columbia, said: “I first noticed an owl sitting in a large Maple tree, so I took some photographs of it and I made a quiet whistle sound with my mouth.
“Shortly after I made the whistling sound, I heard some noise come from behind me – a scratching and clawing sound.
“I turned around to see what the noise was and the female Barred Owl climbed out of the Birch tree and sat on top of the tree and looked at me.”
Anthony says that he was around 50 feet away from the owl as she climbed out of the tree.
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The owl uses the tree as a lookout postCredit: Solent News
He said: “I visited this place, which seemed to be nesting spot for the barred owl, over the course of a month or so.
“The female owl was sitting on eggs and waiting for them to hatch.
“The male perched across from the Birch tree would go hunt for rabbits and bring them to her while she sat on the eggs.
“The reason the owl was in the tree was for nesting purposes and to keep her eggs warm.
“When I found where the owl was resting in her nest, I thought it was amazing that they had chewed out the side of the tree for a hole to look out.
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Photographer Anthony Bucci studied and tracked the owls for monthsCredit: Solent News
“I went back the next day to view the nest and set up my cameras.
“I brought a chair and I sat at the location for about eight hours and I was finally able to get a photo of the female Barred Owl peeking out the hole of the dead Birch tree.”
Anthony explained that the female owl would make calls back and forth, so that she wouldn’t have to leave her nest and have potential predators come and steal her eggs.
Antony added: “I felt very lucky to have a nesting owl close to home and I was very happy I was able to visit it almost every day.
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Anthony says that he was around 50 feet away from the owl as she climbed out of the treeCredit: Solent News
“Owls are a tough species to find as they are mainly nocturnal. I was very fortunate to have found this nesting area.
“So many people have a hard time finding owls. I spent many hours reading books, researching different owl habitats and many hours packing my camera gear around looking in these sorts of habitat areas.”
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education