June 2024. I heard about a family of Short-eared Owls at a cemetery near Antwerp. Not only were the branchers fairly easy to see, but one of the parents also remained unusually exposed, compared to how they typically stay hidden during the rest of the year. I spent a late afternoon and evening observing and painting the birds from a distance through my spotting scope.As word had spread about their presence, several photographers were also in the area. Some approached the owls too closely, causing the adult to adopt its camouflage posture, a behaviour captured in this watercolour study.