Scurrying across a snow-covered field, the tiny meadow vole made hardly a sound.
But the Great Grey Owl heard it anyway - and swooped.
The huge bird's flat face acts like a radar dish, directing even the faintest noise towards its ears. So even if its prey had been a foot under the surface of the snow, its fate would still have been sealed....
The owl had been perched in a tree overlooking the field in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada, as temperatures plummeted to -15C.
Photographer Jody Melanson, 47, travelled an hour to the area to get pictures after receiving a tip-off that the Great Grey Owl was there.
He said: 'I found the owl after five minutes of searching. He was sitting in a tree hunting.
'When he heard something edible he swooped down and grabbed the vole.
'Great Grey Owls can hear prey a foot below the snow. The owls face is shaped like a radar dish and they use their ears to pinpoint the prey's location.
'There is no chase. The owl hears, silently swoops in and pounces on the prey. The owl seldom misses.'
Great Grey Owls live across the North American continent. Adults have a big, rounded head with a grey face and yellow eyes.
They eat mostly small rodents, with voles being their most important food source.
