A photographer was hunting a great gray owl for a photo shoot in a Canadian forest when he came across one that was blending perfectly into tree bark with impressive camouflage.

James S. Batuigas, a 45-year-old amateur photographer living in Burnaby, Canada, was driving five hours to his favorite wildlife photography spot in a forest in British Columbia in May when he encountered right owl.

“I was planning on looking for the great gray owl that day,” Batuigas told Britain’s Daily Mail. “I was driving on a forest road looking for great gray owls, scanning every tree hoping to find one at noon, where they usually rest.

“Then suddenly out of the corner of my eye I noticed something moving in the tree trunk. That’s when I realized it was an owl cleverly blending into the bark.”

The color and pattern of the owl’s plumage matched the tree it was perched in so well that the photographer said he would have completely missed seeing the owl there if it hadn’t turned its head to look at him .

“The owl’s feather color helps it blend in with its natural environment and, of course, keeps it warm,” writes the Owl Research Institute. “Feather color is not the only thing that helps owls camouflage. They have other tricks to hide themselves.

“Many owls stand tall and pull their feathers tight, making the owl thinner and harder to see. When trying to hide themselves, owls will raise their white feathers around the bill.”

The owl’s impressive camouflage allows it to hide from prey and wildlife photographers.