A male Flammulated Owl doing what he does best during the day: roosting against the trunk of a Douglas fir, to which he is perfectly camouflaged. These tiny owls are perhaps one of the most difficult to find birds in the country, with photogenic situations being infinitely more challenging. This portrait was the result of 11 days of hiking off-trail in the mountains of southern BC, where these gorgeous birds inhabit mid elevation fir/pine forests.

This particularly red individual showcases the remarkable crypsis found in this species whose local populations select for plumage colour-matched to the area’s predominate tree bark.