Great Horned Owl, Stealthy and Elusive

I recently had the opportunity to observe a great horned owl near my place. It was in the same tree for several hours, allowing me to try numerous angles and compositions with a variety of lighting conditions. After getting some dramatic poses, I decided to intentionally camouflage the owl in its surroundings to convey the elusive nature of these birds. Notice how the feathers blend almost perfectly with the birchbark in the second photo, and you soon realize you've probably walked right past these stealthy creatures on many occasions…

 

Natural camouflage