Camouflaged owl caught on camera

By Lauren Beavis via SWNS

A cheeky little owl in camouflage peeping his head over a wall has been caught on camera by a sneaky photographer - dressed as a bush.

David Driver, 64, disguised himself as a bush when he captured these stunning shots of a hiding owl in Haworth, England, where apparently the walls have eyes.

He'd left his home in Oakworth, West Yorks., on the evening of June 24 to snap some barn owls when a pair of piercing yellow eyes stopped him in his tracks.

His disguise meant that the owl momentarily popped out from hiding behind the wall and he was able to capture the bird on camera from where he crouched in the grass nearby.

The officially-retired photographer, who still goes out to shoot everyday, said: "The little owl is a cheeky chap, isn’t he!

"Despite the poor light, I went out that night, and on my way to see the barn owls, I thought I noticed something move on top of a dry stone wall.

"I pulled over, got out of the car, walked into the middle of a field and put up my scope, but nothing…

"I crouched down in the grass and waited for a few minutes, and slowly, a little head appeared and stared at me.

"Unsure what to make of a man dressed as a bush, he decided to risk only one eye before hiding back down and taking cover again."

Keen bird-watcher David had donned a full camouflage suit to disguise himself as a bush in order to get closer to birds without disturbing them.

His unusual appearance has resulted in incredible photos of unsuspecting animals - and a few odd looks from strangers who spot him.

He said: "I was stopped by a guy once who asked me why I was dressed as a bush.

"I said that wasn’t a problem - the problem was why he was talking to a bush.

"You just have to be careful when crossing fields that you don’t get knocked over by a tractor."

David has had a passion for photography since a young age and still takes photos for himself to sell.

He predominantly shoots landscape and wildlife and acquired a fascination with these beautiful birds two years ago.

He said: "I spend a lot of time in Africa shooting big game, mainly cats, but when covid came, I wasn’t able to travel, so I found something closer to home to shoot.

"I have always liked birds and find owls fascinating - so a couple of years ago, during covid, I started going out nearly every night to watch owls.

"I was trying to understand their patterns of behavior to build a picture of the best place to get shots.

"Sometimes I would back with nothing, but other nights I come back with some really nice images.

"It’s always great to watch the birds in flight sometimes and I wait behind a camera for a hours for the right shot."

You can view more of David's work on his instagram or website.