Anaïs Trépanier was supposed to be the photographer, not the subject. But during a photo expedition in the Côte-de-Beaupré region north of Quebec, a great gray owl swooped in with other ideas.
“I was clicking on the shutter and seconds after, I see it land on my lens,” she said. “It’s the biggest owl we have here in Quebec. It’s not like a chickadee.”
Trépanier says that the owl perched on her camera for about 30 seconds and she tells CBC she remembers standing as still as possible as she heard her friends tell her not to move as he fired off a series of photos.
“The owl took off and flew straight ahead and then made a loop to come back, heading towards Anaïs,” Pham-Van says. “I was already amazed to see this magnificent bird and have the privilege of capturing it in flight, but I was so surprised to see it perched on the camera lens.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had a quick look and then started taking pictures again. A friend who was with us was yelling at Anaïs not to move, I had the shivers.”
