EXCLUSIVE
By Freya Coombes
ADORABLE IMAGES show fluffy owlet triplets clustered in a tree stump, hugging for warmth in the cold.
The spotted owlet is a short, stocky bird, growing to only 8.3 inches and weighing 114 grams.
These images were taken by photographer Anuj Jain (44) in Chandigarh, India from 15 feet away, using a Nikon D750 camera.
One image shows the trio of owlets snuggling together in a tree stump for warmth, opening their eyes at the photographer, before falling back to sleep.
“There is a tree close to my place where I saw one owl a while ago. Since I love owls, I always observe that tree whenever I pass by,” said Anuj.
“When passing the tree one day I saw more than one owl. I turned my car and realise they were three.
“I raced my car back home to get the camera and I was extremely lucky that all three of them were still there when I reached back at that spot.
“I got close to the tree and started taking pictures. On hearing the shutter sound, the owls opened their eyes and I realised that I was harmless and decided to go back to sleep.
“Since it was very cold that day, the owls were sleeping hugging each other. I loved that all three enjoyed a little sun and a lot of body warmth to take a little nap.
“I felt really lucky because I have been observing this tree for the last six months and this was the first time that I saw three owls together and that too in a beautiful moment.”
ENDS
