This poor owl, which stands at just 25cm (10in), was captured struggling to gulp down in one go a very lengthy frog for his breakfast.
It looked right at me but wasn’t bothered by how close I was. So I just started shooting as the owl ate the frog’s legs,’ said photographer Michael Cenci.
He took his opportunistic shot – dubbed Frog Leg Moustache – while on holiday near Cape Coral in Florida.
‘I’m always looking for something unique,’ said the 56-year-old enthusiast.
‘Through some research, I discovered that the area around Cape Coral has the largest population of burrowing owls in North America.
‘Since that was a bird I had never photographed before, I made it a mission for my holiday.’
The animal likes to nest in brushy, open fields, so Mr Cenci set off before sunrise and soon found the right habitat.
‘Right away I saw a couple of owls in the distance,’ he said.
‘I crawled through the grass staying low and got within 30ft of them and I noticed one had something hanging out of his mouth.
‘I was very happy to have my first pictures of a burrowing owl turn out to be something unusual,’ added the Florida-based photographer.
It looked right at me but wasn’t bothered by how close I was. So I just started shooting as the owl ate the frog’s legs,’ said photographer Michael Cenci.
He took his opportunistic shot – dubbed Frog Leg Moustache – while on holiday near Cape Coral in Florida.
‘I’m always looking for something unique,’ said the 56-year-old enthusiast.
‘Through some research, I discovered that the area around Cape Coral has the largest population of burrowing owls in North America.
‘Since that was a bird I had never photographed before, I made it a mission for my holiday.’
The animal likes to nest in brushy, open fields, so Mr Cenci set off before sunrise and soon found the right habitat.
‘Right away I saw a couple of owls in the distance,’ he said.
‘I crawled through the grass staying low and got within 30ft of them and I noticed one had something hanging out of his mouth.
‘I was very happy to have my first pictures of a burrowing owl turn out to be something unusual,’ added the Florida-based photographer.