Paul Beech captured the bird on camera near his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire
A postman's viral picture of an owl has ruffled the feathers of social media users.
Paul Beech caused commotion when he posted an image of a tree that he promised featured a bird.
And people have been going crazy trying to spot the animal - despite it being right under their noses.
Many users could not spot the little brown owl, which had blended itself almost perfectly with the bark behind it, Manchester Evening News reported .
The 55-year-old caught the confounding image while out snapping birds near his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire, last summer.
However, it wasn't until this week that he realised he had inadvertently created a "spot the bird" game.
While it might look like the dad-of-two just pointed his camera at the tree and activated the shutter, in reality the shot proved a real challenge.
Each time the amateur photographer took his eye off the bird or it moved positions it would take him minutes to relocate it.
Paul said: "I had gone purposely to try and find the little owl, which is easier said than done as it lives up to its name and, as you can see in the picture, can be hard to spot.
"But I knew one was around in the area so I persevered and it paid off.
"Each time the bird moved from tree to tree, it would take a few minutes to relocate it, or even if you look away for a minute you can lose it.
"My initial thoughts when I took the photo was 'I’m glad I had taken my long lens with me."
Paul suspected that the photo would cause a splash online when he uploaded it.
"It blends in so well that some people even have to have it pointed out to them before they see it," he added.
"Which is amazing when you think it's sat right in the centre of the picture.
"It just goes to show how well adapted these birds are to their environments."
