This incredible image shows an enormous wild great grey owl sitting bolt upright on top of a woman’s HEAD while on the lookout for food.
The huge bird of prey made a beeline for Libby Corbin, 63 – using her as a perch to get a better view of mice on a forest floor.
It took her by surprise as it swooped down and landed on top of her woolly hat for around a minute before flying off to catch its prey.
Libby said: “I did see it coming, it locked eyes on my head, and I had a feeling it would be either coming right overhead or landing so I pulled the camera from my face to watch it approach.
“Still, I was braced for impact and was rather surprised to feel nothing but a bit of pressure, certainly no talons.
“The hat helped, of course, but my hair would have been enough to protect me.
“When the bird took off, it turned a bit at first to face the breeze, and again, I was only aware of some pressure as it pushed off.”
Libby was visiting the forest in New Hampshire, US, with a group of photographers to capture wildlife, but never imagined she would become the star of the show.
While she had to lower her lens as the owl came into land, fellow snapper Ken Proulx was on hand to capture the incredible moment.
Libby, from New Hampshire, US, said: “These birds seem to have no fear of humans, and as they hunt with their ears, listening for mice, shrew and voles under the snow cover, they also tend to hunt from a lower perch.
“I had positioned myself in a clearing to get a shot of it in a nearby tall pine tree.
“There were a few other photographers around me at that time, but when the bird took off and landed on my head, this brought more photographers from the periphery.
“No fear though – these large birds, despite their size, have tiny talons by comparison, and can only prey upon small rodents, not squirrels or rabbits.
“Once word got out that this bird was here, birders and photographers came from all over to see it.
“This was a half hour from our house, so we were able to get on this bird before the crowds got too bad.”
